Ray Harryhausen, a visual effects guru often considered to have been the finest in the movie business, has died aged 92. Best known for his pioneering work on Star Wars, Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans, Harryhausen made his models by hand and shot them frame by frame to create some of the best-know sequences in cinema.

The technique was taken up by the likes of Nick Park, co-creator of the Wallace & Gromit movies who called Harryhausen "one of the true greats" this week. Star Wars creator George Lucas said that without him "there would likely have been no Star Wars." Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright said, "I loved every single frame of Ray Harryhausen's work.He was the man who made me believe in monsters."

Harryhausen's finest moment came when he animated seven skeletons who came to life in Jason and the Argonauts - a sequence that took three months to film, according to BBC News.

"I've followed the work of Ray Harryhausen all my life," added Nick Park, "He is one of the true greats, if not the true great of stop motion animation. The unique craftsman."

It's been difficult to keep track of the A-list tributes pouring in for the visual effects guru, with fellow Oscar-winners Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg also discussing their memories of the great man. James Cameron and John Landis were others to come out in tribute of Harryhausen while Peter lord, co-founder of Aardman Animations said, "What is now done by a team of hundreds... he did this single-handedly for 15 years."


Relive Harryhausen's Stunning Skeleton Scene In 'Jason and the Argonauts'