Embedded in this short overview of the influence of the original King Kong is this amazing clip detailing some of the effects that Willis O'Brien had to invent to bring Skull Island to life. The clip where O'Brien combines dioramas, matte paintings, rear-screen projections, real-time smoke, water effects and stop motion into one shot is nearly miraculous given the time. I wish I knew the source of this clip because I really wanna watch the whole thing.

Thing I learned: King Kong failed to win an Academy Award for visual effects -- because the category didn't exist until 1938.

I can't wait to see the new Kong movie even though I totally expect it to be super-dumb!