Jason and the ArgonautsIn search of the mythical Golden Fleece, Jason and the crew of the Argo face such perils as the invincible colossus, Talos, bat-winged, bloodthirsty harpies, duelling skeletons and the seven-headed Hydra - all brought to vivid life by celebrated special effects master Ray Harryhausen, one of Burton's childhood heroes.
"The stop-motion animation and the kind of reality and scale of it.was really amazing" says Burton of the film. "[Harryhausen was able to] imbue his monsters with more emotion than most of the actors in those movies".
Burton also drew inspiration from Harryhausen in creating the "walking, talking, five-foot-tall, giant-brained Martians" in his 1996 feature Mars Attacks!, from the "elegant, hobbling stop-motion-animated skeletons that special effects wiz Harryhausen created for Jason and the Argonauts" (Premiere).
