Back in 1933, people didn’t know much about gorillas, but they wanted to see them on film. So visual effects master Willis O’Brien went to work for directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack creating a giant ape monster that would become legendary. King Kong is etched into the minds of every living moviegoer thanks to these men. O’Brien brought his stop-motion animation expertise to this film to create King Kong and the dinosaurs featured in this film, but first, O'Brien studied the movements of gorillas in zoos and other large animals to develop his characterization of Kong and the dinosaurs of Skull Island as well as attended professional wrestling matches, searching for ideas of how to make his creation battle the dinosaurs of Skull Island. Following this research, O’Brien brought King Kong to life using eighteen inch high models constructed on metal skeletons with ball-and-socket joints, padded with foam rubber and cotton, and covered with rabbit skins to simulate the beast's fur. His team constructed lavish and intricate miniature sets to provide the appropriate backdrop for the animated models. O'Brien used these models to film all but a few short scenes, which utilized a life-sized bust of Kong as well as a life-sized hand to hold Fay Wray and a life-sized foot to trample Skull Island natives. Kong wasn’t an exact replica of an actual gorilla, but had more human-like qualities such as his more upright walking and facial expressions. As stated before, O'Brien utilized a cinematic process known as stop-motion animation to bring Kong and the dinosaurs to life, where miniature models were photographed one frame at a time and repositioned between exposures. When the processed film was projected in sequence the inanimate models moved with the illusion of life, creating one of the most incredible giant monster films of all time and a classic.
