Disc Details
Special Features:	Full-screen format. Chapter selection. Early animation and test footage. Creatures gallery featuring over 40 different Harryhausen figures. Interview with TIME Magazine film critic Richard Schickel, the producer-director of The Harryhausen Chronicles. Ray Harryhausen filmography.
Video Format:	Full Frame (1.33:1) [SS-SL]
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles:	None.
Captions:	No
Casing:	1-Disc Keep Case

The documentary includes interviews with Harryhausen's boyhood friend, Ray Bradbury. The two men (along with the conspicuously absent Forrest J. Ackerman) met as youths and pledged to remain friends, never grow up and to always love dinosaurs. Harryhausen recounts his career in interviews at the Berlin museum, which now houses many of his creations. There are also still photographs of Harryhausen's youth and early animation efforts.

There are enough clips from Harryhausen's films to whet the appetite of any fantasy fan. If the documentary has a flaw, it is its brevity. I wish there had been more film clips of Harryhausen's work. I still rate the documentary a 10. For those familiar with Harryhausen's work, this DVD is a Godsend. To those who's knowledge of dinosaurs on film is limited to the CGIosauruses from "Jurassic Park," get this DVD and see the work of the man who all modern special Effects technicians consider to be a living legend.

A couple of years ago, I wrote a boxed set review of Ray Harryhausen's science fiction films. To read that article click here.

Picture Quality: 10/10
No pixilation or artifacts. Being a documentary, there are many different source materials used. Some of Harryhausen's early teenage experiments are a bit faded. Overall, the picture quality is excellent.

Sound Quality: 10/10
No distortion. All dialogue is clear. This is a documentary, not an action film, so there are no audio special effects to marvel at.

Menu: 10/10
I love this menu. There are three set pieces involving a couple of the skeleton monsters from "Jason and the Argonauts." They are hilarious. I will not ruin the surprise by describing them. The menu is beautifully designed and easy to navigate.

Extra Features: 10/10
There are two animated galleries of Harryhausen's creations. One gallery shows different views of the creatures. The other gallery is a 360-degree gallery. Many of the creations, which are housed in the Berlin Museum, are filmed on turntables. The close-up galleries show the craftsmanship and attention to detail that Harryhausen lavished on his creatures.

I found the early animation and test footage section to be the most fascinating feature on the entire DVD. As a teenager, Harryhausen began a film called "Evolution." He wanted to show the entire evolution of life on earth. The project was abandoned when "Fantasia" came out with its own "Evolution" sequence. What remains is excellent. Harryhausen used the footage as part of his test reel. The DVD includes both the raw footage, and the edited version. Also included are test scenes Harryhausen did for "War of the Worlds," "Baron Munchausen" and many of the "Puppetoons" he did for producer George Pal. Also included is the information film Harryhausen did for the U.S. Army about the battle of Guadalcanal.

Also included is a 15-minute interview with the film's director and producer Richard Schickle. He shares his love of Harryhausen's work and gives some insight into the making of the documentary. There are about 45 minutes worth of extras on the DVD.

The Final Word:
This is a must have DVD. Special effects fans should contact Rhino right now and order their copy.

Rusty White