RECENTLY restored models by the Hollywood special effects expert Ray Harryhausen, whose stop-motion monsters starred in movies such as Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans, will go on show in Scotland next year.

Today the National Galleries of Scotland, and Harryhausen's daughter Vanessa, are revealing the glimpses of several recently restored models.

They include the models of the skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and from his Sinbad series of the 1950s and 70s, the Minotaur from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, 1977 and Medusa from Clash of the Titans (1981).

They will go on display next year at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (SNGMA) show Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema, which the galleries say with be "the largest and widest-ranging exhibition of Harryhausen’s work ever seen."

The models will join newly restored and previously unseen material from Harryhausen’s collection and archive, from 23 May next year.

The film director John Landis, writing for the 2020 centenary celebrations, said: "The 8-year-old me was no longer sitting in my seat at the Crest Theater in West Los Angeles, I was on the beach of the island of Colossa and as awe-struck and fearful as Sinbad and his crew when the first Cyclops made his appearance....the 7th Voyage of Sinbad was a truly life-changing experience for me.

"Thrilled by the movie I went home and asked my mother, “Who does that? Who makes the movie?" She replied, “Well a lot of people honey, but I guess the right answer is the Director.’ And that was that, I would be a Director when I grew up."

Harryhausen, who died in 2013, created stop motion animations that were used in films from 1950s to 1980s.

As well as Jason and the Argonauts and the Sinbad series, his work included One Million Years B.C and Mighty Joe Young.

Vanessa Harryhausen is currently writing a book to accompany next year’s exhibition.

Shesaid: “Our plans to celebrate Dad’s centenary at the National Galleries in Edinburgh are so exciting; if he was still around, he would be so enthused by all of our plans for 2020.

"It’s wonderful that we are able to display so much of Dad’s collection: the space at the Galleries gives us great scope to display as many of his models and artworks as possible, as well as personal items which have never been exhibited before, such as his equipment and tools.”

"We at the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation are thrilled by the enthusiasm that the Galleries’ team are showing about displaying Dad’s collection and celebrating his legacy.

"He established the Foundation in order to encourage future generations to enjoy stop-motion animation, and we hope that next year’s activities in Edinburgh will encourage fans of all ages to be inspired by his creativity”.

Simon Groom, director of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “It’s an amazing experience to watch being brought back to life some of the most famous mythical creatures from the history of cinema.

"We are thrilled to be working with Vanessa and The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation on putting together the largest and most spectacular exhibition to date celebrating the life and work of Ray Harryhausen, titan of cinema.”

John Walsh, Filmmaker and Foundation Trustee said: “Today Ray Harryhausen and his films have become cultural milestones.

"His technical achievements and his groundbreaking techniques pushed the medium of modern special effects forward and in doing so created his own genre.

"Only Walt Disney could be compared with such a seismic shift within the film industry. Bringing new audiences to his work and working practices is at the centre of the Foundation’s mission and the exhibition next year."