Via Vision Entertainment is proud to present The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen on Blu-ray and DVD. This 4-disc boxed set highlighting four selections of work from the stop-motion animation god will hit shelves August 19th, 2015. This will be the first time the films will be available on Blu-ray in Australia.

From the Press Release:

Pioneer. Innovator. Auteur. Harryhausen is all of these superlatives and more to movies. Dynamation, the incredible and painstaking process of splitting live action to facilitate the interaction of models with actors, became to fantasy fans, movie buffs, historians and awestruck kids his signature. Now the legacy lives on in the films of Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Sam Raimi, Tim Burton and many others. Revered and beloved films such as Army of Darkness, Jurassic Park and Corpse Bride all owe him a debt as do many of the blockbuster special effects driven films of today.

Harryhausen, whose own inspiration for fantasy cinema originated as a child after viewing The Lost World and later King Kong, honed his skills as a visual effects technician, before making the jump to artist. In doing so he elevated the much undervalued process of stop motion into an art form especially on action-adventure classics such as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger and Jason & the Argonauts; all of which are included in this collection in limited edition packaging.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

Dir. Nathan Juran

Synopsis:
When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.

Jason & the Argonauts (1963)

Dir. Don Chaffey

Synopsis:
The legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

Dir. Gordon Hessler

Synopsis:
Sinbad and his crew intercept a homunculus carrying a golden tablet. Koura, the creator of the homunculus and practitioner of evil magic, wants the tablet back and pursues Sinbad. Meanwhile Sinbad meets the Vizier who has another part of the interlocking golden map, and they mount a quest across the seas to solve the riddle of the map, accompanied by a slave girl with a mysterious tattoo of an eye on her palm. They encounter strange beasts, tempests, and the dark interference of Koura along the way.

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)

Dir. Sam Wanamaker

Synopsis:
Sinbad The Sailor sails to deliver a cursed prince to a dangerous island in the face of deadly opposition from a powerful witch.

Along with the 4 films, the set also includes an extensive collection of bonus features, including a rare documentary on Harryhausen. In addition to Harryhausen’s mastery, the set offers up a look at many pop culture icons before they were stars with the likes of Tom Baker (Dr. Who), Patrick Troughton (Dr. Who), Caroline Munro (For Your Eyes Only), Nigel Green (Zulu) and Nancy Kovak (Bewitched) appearing among the cast of performers.

This set sounds pretty incredible, particularly because both Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger and Golden Voyage of Sinbad are no longer available in the US (unless you want to pay a pretty penny for them on eBay). If you’re in the US and you want to pick this set up (or any other release that isn’t Region A) I highly recommend paying 220-Electronics.com a visit and getting a Region Free player. You won’t regret it.