SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER BEHIND THE SCENES

SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER originally went into production as SINBAD AND THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD. Stop-motion animation fans won't be disappointed by this film because it's on of Ray Harryhausen's most ambitious films. Very early into the film Sinbad is confronted by three "zomboids". These creatures are very alien in appearance with large bug eyes and a very small frame. Like the skeletons in THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD and JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, the zomboids are a marvel to watch because you can't understand how the creatures can be molded over an armature. The zomboids are called into Sinbad's world by Zenobia's witchcraft. They appear from a fire outside a tent and the lighting work is near perfect, matching the stop-motion sequence to the already filmed fire. The interaction between Sinbad and the zomboids is stunning, especially during the sequence when one of the zomboids grabs a handful of burning embers and tosses them as Sinbad. There are several times during this sequence where the creatures are so integrated into the film that you can easily forget that they are miniatures. In one sequence, a zomboid slices through a support post causing the tent to begin crashing around him. The precision needed to match the animation to the background plate shows Ray's real gift as an animator. Another sequence his Sinbad stabbing a zomboid with his sword. The zombies back is towards us and we can see Sinbad lunge forwards as the sword appears coming out the back of the zomboid. Again, this is a testament to Ray's meticulous animating skills.

Perhaps the most amazing sequence during this battle comes when one of the zomboids picks up a lighted torch and uses as a weapon against Sinbad. This was accomplished by drapping the live action set in black with a stuntman, also dressed in black, going through the motions, holding the torch. Ray would then begin the arduous task of aligning the the movements of the stop-motion zomboid (who Ray nicknamed "ghoulies") to match the motions executed by the stuntman. This footage was then superimposed over the live action footage of the tent and Sinbad. All of this is perfect joined and virtually seamless when viewing the finished product.

Zenobia's magic is brought to life in another excellent sequence in which a tiny bee grows to nearly two-foot and begins an assault in Sinbad's cabin on-board his ship. Turning the tiny bee into a giant was accomplished by a travelling matte process which made the tiny bee only appear to grow. The real size of the bee never changes, Ray just uses his skill to make it look that way. The animation of the bee matches that of MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. Ray animates the bee giving him very insect-like movement. For the final scene in which Sinbad destroys the bee, a puppet was used. The puppet matches the stop-motion bee perfectly.

As Sinbad and his crew arrive in the polar regions they are confronted by a giant walrus. In the sequence we can see the crew stabbing at the giant beast with poles. This was accomplished by filmed them stabbing into thin air and then animating the beast to match the crews reactions. The Walrus makes it's appearance crashing through the ice. Ray animated the entire sequence, including the crushing ice. It blends so perfectly into the scene that it is virtually impossible to see where the live action set end and the stop motion insert begins. The walrus was sculpted by Tony McVay who really gives the creature the look of a real walrus.

The cast is befriended by a prehistoric Troglodyte (referred to as "Trog" throughout the film). Ray's animation of the Trog is brilliant. Ray gives the creature facial movement that allows the model to develop his own personality. The Trog constantly interacts with the cast and he is blended perfectly into the live action footage. The Trog first appears with a massive club but he finds a metal spear from another character, The Minoton (more on him later). The metal spear comes into use when the Trog is confronted with a giant sabre-toothed tiger. This sequence is animation perfection. The battle between the two prehistoric beasts is a wonder to behold. Ray give's the sabre-toothed tiger cat-like movements. All of this action takes place in a cavernous room with ice falling from the ceiling. The Trog is defeated during this sequence and it's up to Sinbad to destroy the tiger. Once again, the combination of stop-motion tiger and live action Sinbad is seamless, especially during the climax of the fight as the tiger leaps towards Sinbad, only to fall on Sinbad's spear. These sequence called for unique precision to line up the stop-motion tiger to match the footage shot of Sinbad. As the tiger lies dying, Harryhausen gives the cat the real illusion of life slipping away, as seen through the breathing of the tiger with the spear emerging from it's side.

The Minoton is both a stop-motion figure and Peter Mayhew (he was also Chewbacca in the STAR WARS FILMS) in an exact duplicate of the stop-motion model. The Minoton is a mechanical version of the legendary Minotaur-a creature with a human body and bull's head. While the creature is somewhat out of place in this time setting, the stop-motion sequences featuring the Minoton are excellent, giving the creature a mechanical movement. Blending mechanical noises into the creatures movements helps even more to the illusion of a real mechanical creature.

By far, the best animated creature in the film is the baboon. The evil witch Zenobia has cast a spell on a Prince, turning him into this beast. While it certainly would have been more economical to use a real baboon during these sequences, Ray gives the animated creature a personality that never could have been accomplished by a real baboon. The reaction shots, especially when the baboon becomes frustrated are among Harryhausen's best work. It's hard to realize that this really is a stop-motion creature. He is so integrated into the live action shots and is so skillfully animated that the creature often appears to be a real baboon. The model for the baboon was also sculpted by Tony McVey and was fitted with real baboon hair.

It's hard to image that Ray could top the animation marvels of this film but he would do just that in the next project for the Harryhausen/Schneer team, CLASH OF THE TITANS. It would be the first film to feature a truely stellar cast and a huge budget.

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