Sci-Fi Movie Masters: George Pal, Walt Disney, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Ray Harryhausen, Chuck Jones

<h1>Sci-Fi Movie Masters: George Pal, Walt Disney, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Ray Harryhausen, and Chuck Jones</h1> <p>Icons of Sci-Fi and Fantasy movies: Profiles, history and facts about Sci-Fi masters, including George Lucas, Ray Harrryhausen, Stanley Kubrick, George Pal, and Walt Disney from insider director Arnold Leibovit.</p> <p>Stanley Kubrick<br> <br> "The Grand Master of Filmmaking"<br> <br> The sudden shocking news of the death of Stanley Kubrick has left the film community breathless. Mr. Kubrick has been a seminal influence in all of our lives. His movies are benchmarks in cinema and often referred as the apex of our medium.<br> <br> A little known fact about Stanley Kubrick was how often he took the time to personally respond to letters he received from around the world and from people he never knew or met. I doubt there are many well known figures in filmmaking today, except Kubrick that can boast that claim. It says something extraordinary about the man!!<br> <br> For instance - Stanley Kubrick was kind enough to allow me access to a print of 2001:A Space Odyssey while doing my film tribute The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal. Taking the time to write a note to me about its use and George Pal as an influence for him with such films as The Time Machine, Conquest of Space, War of the Worlds and others was something I will always cherish. Roger Mayer, current President of Turner Entertainment, was a top Exec at MGM at the time. Roger, a big supporter of my George Pal efforts, arranged the communique which prompted the positive response from Kubrick. Happily I was able to use a pristine MGM print for the sequence in my tribute to Pal. Thank you Stanley (and Roger!)<br> <br> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p> <p>RAY HARRYHAUSEN<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> The day I called Ray at home in London and asked him to appear in my George Pal tribute THE FANTASY FILM WORLDS OF GEORGE PAL over15 years ago was perhaps one of happiest most fulfilling phone calls I ever made. Other than George Pal or Walt Disney, there are few other talents in the fantasy and sci-fi field that can compare with Ray Harryhausen. <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Ray Bradbury - that other great SCI-FI MASTER (Bradbury) talked to me about his life long friend Harryhausen when they were both 17. Bradbury recounted watching Harryhausen making his strange little dinosaurs and frightening face masks in his garage that night the two rays went off to the Paramount Theatre for a Midnight Show donning these masks Ray had made to terrify the patrons. That was only the start of a half century friendship between Bradbury and Harryhausen sharing their creative dreams of fantasy. Bradbury going on to realize his dreams penning some of the greatest science fiction stories of all time and writing movies such as MOBY DICK and FARENHEIHT 451 and Harrhausen going on to make THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS and over a dozen other masterworks of screen fantasy.<br> <br> <br> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p> <p> Before Spielberg... Before Lucas... There was...<br> <br> <br> George Pal<br> <br> <br> The original Wizard of Sci-Fi & Fantasy!<br> <br> <br> <br> George Pal with some of his greatest creations.   THE FANTASY FILM WORLDS OF GEORGE PAL is an event -  Before George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, an innovative producer/director named George Pal ignited moviegoers' imaginations with tales of adventure and fantasy. <br> <br> This award-winning film comprehensively details Pal's life and work, from the early Puppetoon short subjects to Rod Taylor's journey in THE TIME MACHINE and Gene Barry's battle against the nightmarish invasion from Mars in THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. <br> <br> This collector's edition features rare interviews with George Pal himself and Chesley Bonestell, the famed astronomical artist of WAR OF THE WORLDS. <br> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p> <p>George Lucas<br> <br> <br> <br> As the world screens the George Lucas' first prequel, STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE - Sci-Fi Station thought it appropriate to ask our friend and business associate George Lucas to personally introduce his experience as the Producer of the third installment of the STAR WARS Trilogy - RETURN OF THE JEDI.<br> <br> We proudly include George Lucas as part of the Sci-Fi Station - Sci-Fi Masters Series.<br> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p> <p>Richard Matheson<br> <br> <br> <br> We proudly include Richard Matheson as part of the Sci-Fi Station - Sci-Fi Masters Series.<br> <br> Richard Matheson has been called "one of the most important writers of the 20th century" by Ray Bradbury, and his work has inspired many other notable authors. Stephen King cites Matheson as "the author who influenced me most as a writer," and Dean Koontz says, "We're all a lot richer to have Richard Matheson among us." But it's the impact that his work has had on the popular consciousness that gives weight to Bradbury's praise.<br> Matheson has been a prolific writer of film and television scripts.<br> --------------------------------------------------</p> <p><br> CHUCK JONES<br> <br> <br> That's a very profound observation because it means that he thinks the characters are alive, which, as far as I am concerned, is true," recalls animation director Chuck Jones. Mr. Jones helped bring to life many characters during the Golden Age of animation including some of Warner Bros.' most famous Looney Tunes characters--<br> <br> <br>  The list of characters that Chuck Jones created himself is huge. </p>