Last week Ray Harryhausen turned 90 with a celebration at the BFI hosted by John Landis. Peter Jackson, Rick Baker, Ray Bradbury, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, George Lucas and Nick Park were among those who paid tribute to the legendary film-maker who put the special in special effects and whose iconic creations will be on display at the London Film Museum for the next year.

Harryhausen haunts the memories of some the world's greatest film-makers who all cite the special effects genius as their biggest influence. His iconic creatures have long since cast their dark shadows over the world of animation and now you can stare directly into the eyes of Medusa.

For a figure as such a nightmares are made of, the first fairly diminutive model of Medusa stands at just 10 inches tall, but loses none of her power. The beautifully curated exhibition also includes the legendary skeleton from the famous sword fight in Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Bubo the mechanical owl from Clash of the Titans and the horrifying Troglodyte from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977).

The exhibition, which tracks the pioneers of the art of dimensional animation - beginning with Georges Méliès, through to Harryhausen's's mentor Willis O'Brien (the creator of King Kong (1933) - peaks with Harryhausen's own body of work. As well as the original models used in the films, the exhibition includes Harryhausen's artwork which allowed him to visualise the final creatures and how they would appear on the screen. His invention, known as Dynamation - the process that allows animated models to be integrated with live action, is also explained in this expansive showcase.

Talking heads include lifetime friend and collaborator science-fiction writer Ray Bradbury. The pair, who met aged 18 outside the house of mutual pal Forrest J Ackerman (the man who coined the term "sci-fi") have spoken or met each other at least once a month for the last 72 years. Between them, the pair has practically invented the genre.

Harryhausen began his unique art after seeing King Kong aged thirteen. Following his first feature film Mighty Joe Young (1949), he went on to develop his legendary techniques. In total he made sixteen landmark fantasy films, including 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1959), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), One Million Years BC (1966), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) and his last feature, Clash of the Titans (1981).

It is fitting the exhibition has launched in London, one of the world's finest centres for stop-motion animation. With 3 Mills Studios alone attracting some of the most exciting projects and film-makers from around the world, including Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride) and Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox), Harryhausen's legacy lives on.

Ray Harryhausen - Myths and Legends Exhibition is on at the London Film Museum for the next 12 months.