Monstrous Mondays – Minaton

Name: Minaton

From: Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)

Classification: Bronze Minotaur Golem of ’70s Cinema

Hailing from the 1977 movie Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Minaton was the creation of genius stop motion artist Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen was the father to countless monsters from my childhood and most of them will be featured here in due time.

Created by the witch Zenobia, Minaton was a bronze construct that was made to be her and her son Rafi’s personal bodyguard and muscle. After his creation that mixed magic and clock work technology, Minaton went right to work rowing a ship for the evil witch and her son. The small galley ship was augmented with a central oar that paddled 6 oars, showing that Minaton was at least as strong as six men.

While Minaton was rowing the ship from harbor, they came across a small fishing boat with three fishermen. The fishermen were actually royal spies sent by the king to follow Zenobia. Minaton crashes his much larger ship into them instantly killing two of them. The third is impaled while trending water by Minaton’s large bronze spear. Hoisting the impaled man up outta the water, Minaton flings the man back into the water and leaves him to die.

Sadly, Minaton did little else other than row Zenobia’s ship. He showed feats of strength when the ship ran a ground and he had to free it and by moving a large stone block from a temple wall so they could gain entrance. In a tragic twist of fate it was this stone block that killed Minaton when it fell on him.

Here is a little montage of Minaton’s creation and fisherman spearing…even though they spell his name wrong!

 

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger is a totally boss movie that was one of my favorites as a kid. Starring Patrick Wayne (son of John Wayne) and a young Jane Seymour, Eye of the Tiger is a stop motion and monster tour de force. It has so many memorable and awe inspiring moments that I hope I can cover them all in future installments of Monstrous Mondays. To be honest, all of the Harryhausen films of the ’60s and ’70s will find their place here.

Minaton himself was created with a mixture of sop motion and live action. The actor that wore the Minaton suit went unaccredited in the movie. That actor was Peter Mayhew who also starred in Star Wars that very same year. Wonder which role he’s more proud of?

 

Check Out & Enjoy Past Monstrous Monday Entries 

 

 

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