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List Price: $19.95 | | Label: Rhino Theatrical
Salesrank: 53435
Released: July 9, 2002 |
| Our Price: $10.36 |
| Used Price: $8.72 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Studio: Wea-des Moines Video Release Date: 07/09/2002 Run time: 60 minutes
Description of The Harryhausen Chronicles:
This engaging 1997 documentary stands alone as the definitive tribute to stop-motion animator and special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, which is why it's been included as a DVD bonus feature on a number of Harryhausen films. Written and directed by Time magazine film critic and historian Richard Schickel (a guarantee of quality and authority), the film is blessed with the participation of Harryhausen himself, comfortable in his role as FX guru and living legend, humorously reflecting on his momentous career while offering a wondrous inspection of the stop-motion models that made him famous. From before his apprenticeship on 1949's Mighty Joe Young to his final masterwork in Clash of the Titans, Harryhausen is honored as an old-school artisan, toiling in solitude to create some of the cinema's most indelible fantasies, one meticulous frame at a time. A compilation of rare film tests and previously unseen footage among the DVD bonus features makes this must-see viewing for Harryhausen devotees of any age. --Jeff Shannon
The Harryhausen Chronicles Reviews:
Comment on Aspect Ratio 
2007-10-02 - The correct aspect ratio (screen size) for this film, as it was filmed in widescreen, is 1.66:1, and is the format by which Columbia or Sony should have released this film on DVD.
No Monsters But Still Watchable 
2007-03-21 - 3 Worlds of Gulliver has some pretty high expectations to meet being that special effects master Ray Harryhausen was involved. The master of stop motion model effects, Harryhausen was responsible for creating giant Cyclops, Medusas and battling skeletons in other films like "Jason and the Argonauts" and "7th Voyage of Sinbad". Unfortunately, "Gulliver" did not call for such a roster of memorable creatures.
Most of the effects have to deal with size, true to the novel by Jonathan Swift. Gulliver either occupies a world of giants, or a world where he is the giant. Harryhausen pulls off these sequences quite convincingly using minatures, over-sized props, or perspective shots with the "giants" closer to the camera than the "little people.". Nevertheless, there are a few stop motion monsters that are in line with Harryhausen's other works- a giant alligator for Gulliver to fight in the land of the giants, and a giant chipmunk sequence that makes for one of the films best scenes. Still and all, despite the shortage of stop motion monsters, Gulliver is harmless entertaining family fun. It is a well mounted production that still holds up today, and completes the collection for any Harryhausen fan.
the 3 Worlds of Gulliver
2006-11-03 - Its a great movie, good graphics non violent makes one use their imagination.
quirky and wonderful version
2006-01-12 - This was one of the first films I ever saw and parts of it stuck in my imagination for 43 years. So, sitting down with my kids, I was very curious as to how I wd find it. In a nutshell, it is great.
But the most rewarding thing was how much my kids loved it, in particular my son. At 6, the whole story to him was fascinating and got him to ask me all sorts of questions, like, why are the Lilliputians arguning about such silly things and why are the giants so dumb? That is exactly what Swift was hoping to do with this tale, which espouses many of the theories (rationality, the uses of science in human society, etc.) that were becoming popular with the enlightenment. What a delight to discuss these issues with my kids!! THen there are the characters, such as Gulliver's naivte, which leads to some life-threatening situations. Finally, there are the wonderful special effects - Harryhausen had a certain genius for his time - which are crude by today's standards by still enthralling.
Warmly recommended for the entire family. (Note: I got this as part of the 5-film package deal of Harryhausen films, which cost just 1/3 more than this stand-alone version and lacks the documentaries, which I don't think are worth the difference in price.)
Noncombative answer to screen ratio transfer debate. 
2005-03-29 - If you're considering a purchase of this title, but are wary because of the occasional misinformation and confusion regarding the original screen ratio and the preservation of this ratio in the transfer, then don't fret. With no intention of starting a debate, I can comfortably state that the film hasn't been re-formatted to fit your screen (although this is inaccurately stated before the film begins). Concerned that the studio/corporation had balked on an authentic widescreen transfer, I spent more time than I care to admit in pursuit of clues and/or answers without doing any severe film-scholar-like research. Anyway, although you may encounter what appears to be a 16X9 transfer in the U.K. and EU markets, I don't believe that these are any more accurate than the supposed widescreen preview/trailer found on several of the Harryhausen Collection discs. In fact, it's the very preview on "3 Worlds" for "3 Worlds" that solved the riddle. Here's the deal: It's a banded, or barred trailer (wherein the black bars at the top and bottom are actually hiding or covering the picture beneath). Whether this was done for exhibition on a 1:85 to 1 or 16X9 big screen, I can't say, but the visual material in between the bars is composed the same as the "supposedly" cropped transfer. I took a couple of easy-to-find images from the trailer and double-checked them by using the chapter search. Anyway, you don't want the widescreen version of "3 Worlds" anymore than you want a widescreen version of "Shane." It simply isn't the screen ratio in which these films were shot. If you think I'm wrong, then please check for yourself. Screen composition and visuals are only being compromised in the artificially "wide" versions. Lastly, while viewing this watered-down, but totally delightful feature, you'll notice that the on-screen composition fits the 1:37 to 1 ratio, which is to say that the character group shots fit very comfortably, as does the entirety of the film's action, while there aren't any distracting pan-and-scan artificial edits that usually show up during two-shot dialogue sequences and the like... Please pardon this messy and long-winded response to the transfer complaints that I came across, but I felt sort of obligated to save some time for those of you who may want to view or purchase this title, but may (understandably) hesitate due to the feedback conflict.
