'SINBAD - The Fifth Voyage' (2014) Stop Motion Visual Special Effects

So, I have just been reflecting & pondering about this independent feature and of course, focusing on the Stop Motion visual special effects. I am familiar with all of the artists & techs who worked on this ... the team included: Ron Cole, Peter A Montgomery, Mark Sullivan, Tom Brierton, Dave Hettmer, Paul J McConnochie, and Stan Milton (Strawn)..

The Magnificent Seven

I would say, that the website message board StopMotionAnimation.com played an indirect background role in the making of 5th Voyage. This message board is where stop motion hobbyists, aficionados, and some professionals, congregated at. Ron would do production updates there about 5th Voyage, some of the issues, the progress status, etc. It was a community thing ... us offering Ron feedback. SMA.com is still around today.I did a search at their archives which goes back to over 20 years! I revisited some of those conversations from years past, to about 2009 ... the beginnings of 5th voyage.

Reading those early message board posts / comments, this team was highly passionate about the stop motion for 5th Voyage and eagerly contributed their skilled talents & expertise. Ron Cole being the overseer of the effects, had the task of coordinating the team while he was also immersed doing the hands on fabrication of the puppets and the slow frame by frame animation process. Puppet-model fabrication also done by Stan Milton Strawn, Mark Sullivan (also animation) & Peter A Montgomery (also animation). Dave Hettmer and Tom Brierton doing the armature construction. Paul J McConnochie doing post production digital motion blurs & matte/masking the stop motion shots. I have no knowledge what was the 5th Voyage producer/director's monetary reimbursement to the stop motion effects crew. With freelance work, many times, it is about a 'work of passion' ... an opportunity to partake in a unique project here, for just a moment ...  bringing back, a reasonably well produced movie in the spirit of the classic Harryhausen works. The producer/director seems to have had a similar vision. Sometimes in the general arts & low budget projects, labor is done in exchange for publicity, portfolio & credit attribution, etc. I know, justifiably that you immediately think that this is not fair or right, and you are correct.

 

Click Red Play - Look for 'The Magnificent Seven' NAME CREDITS

The 5th Voyage stop motion special effects were not done at a specific studio location.The artists worked out of their homes, garages, shops, etc. Since the 'pay' was maybe so-so, I am not sure if there were issues in trying to maintain the stop motion team's morale. I did not envy Ron Cole ... he must have been stressed at times also having to deal with the producer/director ongoing 'changes' while supervising the stop motion team. However, since the producer/director seemed to have been moving at a somewhat slow pace, I am guessing that time pressure deadlines were perhaps, not a major problem. After all the stop motion effects were completed, in post production it took forever for the studio/director to release 5th Voyage, in 2014.

My Mini-Review:  I thought  that Sinbad - The Fifth Voyage, very much captured the essence of the Ray Harryhausen spirit. It was filled with high production quality executed stop motion homages to 'Uncle Ray.'. Another thing, I think the actors were mostly middle eastern, adding a little more authenticity to the characters. My only minor critique ... the actor, Patrick Stewart's voice over, narrator as an elder Sinbad, had a 'British' accent, which was completely different & contradicts the Sinbad actor's voice (middle eastern) in 5th Voyage.When it was finally released, it was predictable that mainstream CGI brainwashed audiences with an attention span of a 'Gnat', including the movie reviewer critics, would pan & diss 5th Voyage. Perhaps, 5th Voyage has emerged as a cult classic fun entertainment escape for a niche audience!

I will never understand these snobby reviewers double-standard hypocrisies. Example: 5th Voyage has very similar 'production values', including the typical adventure story narrative when compared to the original 7th Voyage of Sinbad ... however they would never ever criticize Ray Harryhausen's work and praise his films as iconic classics. Stupid dumb-ass critics including today's addled brain TikTok-er generation. Yes, I am a Retro-Grouch and a Luddite! 😠

So it appears that there is an updated Sinbad at this link ... DIRECTOR'S CUT 'Sinbad - The Fifth Voyage' What extra scenes? Extra stop motion?  I recalled there was a Dragon in 5th Voyage but scenes were very brief. If you blink, you might miss it!

There is a FULL MOVIE here at this link ... SINBAD 5TH VOYAGE but quality and sound is not so good compared to a DVD or a Streamed version. If you have Smart TV with Youtube, you can watch on bigger TV screen.

 

 EXTRA BONUS FOR YOU .... 

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