For all of the wonder of today’s visual effects, I have to admit a little disappointment that we can’t do more. Some movies can’t even pull off realistic looking environments or animals, and they have some of the best equipment visual artists have ever had at their disposal. Meanwhile, the legendary Ray Harryhausen managed to pit man against supernatural beasts with his stop-motion techniques in a way that dazzled audiences forever. Sure, now the effects look dated, but at the time they were nothing short of magnificent.

Of course, it only makes sense that Harryhausen receives accolades for his accomplishments. He won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oscars years ago, and now he’s being recognized by the Art Director’s Guild with an award for Outstanding Contributions to Cinematic Imagery. The award will be presented February 16th according to The Hollywood Reporter

Even if Harryhausen’s work looks a bit dated now, there probably hasn’t been a visual effects guru out there who wasn’t inspired by Harryhausen’s projects. From the enormous fight with the skeleton army in Jason and the Argonauts to the challenges of The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, and, of course, the irreplaceable effects of Clash of the Titans, which rivals some of the acting in the film. While stop-motion wasn’t a field pioneered by Harryhausen, he was one of the first to combine it with split-screen filming techniques, allowing live-action actors to interact with his stop-motion creations.

The visual effects master is the latest name in quite a list of recipients of the ADG award, including Frank Oz, Steven Spielberg, and Clint Eastwood. As highly touted as those names are, I dare say Harryhausen is the most prestigious, influencing the work of many more industry professionals than the rest combined. Certainly there isn’t a more deserving person for an award like this.