This 1996 segment of the Discovery Channel's Movie Magic TV series focuses on the history and evolution of dinosaur special effects, offering a balanced perspective between the FX technicians themselves and expert scientists who have been inspired since youth by prehistoric illusions from Hollywood and around the world. Beginning in 1914 with Winsor McCay's animated line-drawings of Gertie the Dinosaur, and culminating with the technological breakthrough of 1993's Jurassic Park, the segment chronicles the steady evolution of effects techniques--and the varying degrees of realism--that brought dinosaurs to the big screen. The "golden age" began with the pioneering work of stop-motion animator Willis O'Brien, whose 1925 classic The Lost World was a crucial step toward his stunning advancements in 1933's King Kong.
Since the early days, filmmakers have been frightening moviegoers with their versions of things that go bump in the night. With a little bit of latex and a vivid imagination, special effects artists have created some of the industry's most horrific creatures. Witness the evolution of the vampire from the 1922 Nosferatu to the baglike creatures that appear in From Dusk 'til Dawn. Go behind the scenes with Stan Winston on the set of his directorial debut, Pumpkinhead and watch how the special effects team brings the creature to life. See how puppeteers give life to the wormlike stars of Tremors II. Includes rare interviews with the stars behind some of our most beloved monsters: Bela Lugosi (Dracula, Prince of Darkness),Ben Chapman (The Creature From the Black Lagoon), Peter Cushing (Dr. Frankenstein), and Christopher Lee (Dracula,and The Curse of Frankenstein).