The Seventh Voyage
A Journey into the imagination and world of Ray Harryhausen.
::Navigation::
More on the Bee
"Time has not been kind to him. Although several bees appear in the film, I constructed only one model, which was about 10 inches in length, 8 inches high and covered with a dyed fur."
The Giant Bee
Creator: Ray Harryhausen
Film: Mysterious Island 1961
*Click on the images to see a larger version*
Honey
bees are highly social insects and communicate with each other relaying
direction and distance of nectar and pollen sources.
Bees make combs of waxen cells placed side by side that provide spaces to
rear young and to store honey. The bee colony lives on the stored honey
throughout winters. As Elena and Herbert plan
there wedding they notice a steady drip of honey
from a rock
formation that lead to a cave, Their curiosity takes over them and they
investigate the cave where the honey is coming from. Out of nowhere they
hear a buzzing sound and before they know it a giant bee arrives at the
entrance of the cave.
The bee manages to chase and trap them
inside
of
its cave where it kept his honey comb. Herbert and Elena try hide in one of the
giant honey combs but that turns against them as the Bee creates a wall from its
own saliva to trap them inside. Elena and Herbert mange to rip the back wall
which leads them to the underground cave where they find The Nautilus.
Miniature
As far as I know the bee from this film has never been available as a miniature or a chess piece.
Giant Bee Facts
-
In the original script this was supposed to be a bumble bee, but Ray thought that its size and shape would make it look too comical.
-
The sealing of the comb by the bee was achieved by the used of a very thin sheet of paraffin wax on a wooded frame, which would represent the sealed entrance to the cell. Gradually, frame by frame Ray removed tiny sections of it as he animated the bee in movements that looked as though he was taking the wax away.
This website exists to celebrate and increase appreciation of the work of Mr. Ray Harryhausen in stop motion animation and cinema history and to encourage people to relive these classic films once more. No copyright infringement is intended. Site design and content are copyrighted by theseventhvoyage.com.
Visit Sony's shop and DVD page to purchase these films yourself.
"The full-size honeycomb set was made from fiberglass (giving the whole thing a translucent appearance) in the studio. The model bee, which appears to be sealing Callan and Rogan in with a waxy substance, was later matted in.
"The ledge was in fact a miniature set up in front of the rear projection screen and it is unto this that the model lands. The false ledge had to be matched in exactly, both in shape and color."