Mighty Joe Young

Mighty Joe Young is a 1949 RKO Radio Pictures film made by the same creative team responsible for King Kong . Written and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ruth Rose , and directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, it tells the story of a young woman, 'Jill Young', played by Terry Moore, living on her father's farm in Africa, who ends up bringing the title character — a giant ape — to Hollywood. The movie co-stars Ben Johnson, as 'Gregg', in his first major role. Willis O'Brien, who created the animation for King Kong, was the supervisor of special effects on this film, although by some... accounts the majority of the animation was performed by Ray Harryhausen. The models and animation are more sophisticated than King Kong, containing more subtle gestures and even some comedic elements, such as the chase scene where Joe is riding in the back of a speeding truck and spits at his pursuers. Despite this increased technical sophistication, this film, like Kong, features some serious scale issues, with Joe noticeably changing size between many shots.
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