Willis H. O'Brien

Willis H. O'Brien

1886-03-02
76 (1962-11-08)
Oakland, California

Willis O'Brien was an American special effects pioneer in the field of stop-motion animation.

Oakland, California

Willis O'Brien was an American special effects pioneer in the field of stop-motion animation.

Most Known for...

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The Dinosaur and the Missing Link: A Prehistoric Tragedy 1915 (6.1)

Two cavemen, The Duke and Stonejaw Steve, call on Miss Araminta Rockface. The hated rivals fight, and Steve wins when he throws The Duke into a pot of boiling water. A title card introduces a third rival, "our unassuming hero, Theophilus Ivoryhead." Miss Rockface invites the three men into her father's drawing room/cave, apologizing for not offering tea, since it has not been discovered yet. The Duke and Steve fight again, and everyone rushes out of the cave. Mr. Rockface notices his pot of food is empty; earlier, Wild Willie the Missing Link had eaten it. Mr. Rockface tells the three suitors they will have to procure their own dinner. Steve locates a desert quail and shoots an arrow at it, but the arrow misses the quail and happily (for Steve) hits The Duke's behind. Meanwhile, Wild Willie is still hungry and goes hunting for snakes. He finds a dinosaur's tail instead...
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The Ghost of Slumber Mountain 1918 (5.909)

In a dream Uncle Jack looks through a magic telescope owned by the ghost of a hermit and sees what life was like millions of years ago, including a battle between prehistoric monsters.
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R.F.D., 10,000 B.C. 1917 (5.8)

Set in prehistoric times, this short film was created for the Edison Company by Willis H. O'Brien, a pioneer of American stop-motion animation.