Creation (unfinished project)

***Creation*** is an unfinished adventure film and project of legendary stop motion animator Willis O'Brien. It featured the story of a shipwrecked group of people on a volcanic island with dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. The film however was never completed as it was cancelled by RKO studio head David O. Selznick, due to being too expensive and Merian C. Cooper who was also the producer for RKO due to feeling that the storyline was too boring due to lack of action. However the models that were created for the film were later reused for King Kong.

## Plot

Several miles off the coast of Southern Chile, the Titan, a luxury yacht, cruise through open ocean. The wealth owner of the yacht, Thorton Armitage, is hosting a party there. On board are Armitage’s daughter Elaine and her useless and arrogant fiancée Ned Hallet, along with his son Billy and his sister Louise (Billy’s aunt). Billy’s tutor Steve is also a member of the party and is who teaches him about evolution. Meanwhile, below deck Elaine enters and flirts with Steve, who fancied Elaine for a while believes that she loves him. Elaine's rude and arrogant fiancée, Ned Hallet, watches from a distance as the two kiss. When Steve looks to confess his love for Elaine, he is stunned as she explains that the kiss meant nothing. Distraught and embarrassed Steve decides to quite after being threatened by Ned, whilst Elaine feels guilty for leading him on. As the festivities begin, ominous storm clouds appear on the horizon, and a violent storm soon hits. As the yacht is tossed about, a submarine dispatched from Chile arrives and boards the boat, ordering that the party evacuate to the sub. Although Armitage is reluctant at first, they soon agree, and they escape just as a swirling water tower lifts the yacht into the air and smashes it against a large, rocky promontory that has risen from the ocean. The sub is sucked into a whirlpool and sinks into the depts of the Earth. When the sub rises, it emerges into a deep cavern under an inactive volcano. As the sub begins to fill with water, the members of the party escape to land and behold the primeval jungle before them. As they look around, Billy soon calls over to the others that he has found something. They rush over and discover several large footprints in the mud. Steve studies them and soon revels to the others that “these are dinosaur footprints”. Suddenly, they hear a roar from within the jungle, and soon locate the culprit: a large herd of sauropod dinosaurs is drinking from a watering hole. Suddenly, two Triceratops, locking horns in a fight to the death, emerge from the jungle and the party is forced to move. They scale a cliff and arrive at the top, safe from the dangers of the prehistoric world below.

Several of the men travel down the cliff to investigate the jungle. As they trek through the bush, they discover a river. Deciding to cross it, they chop down a tree, creating a log bridge. However, before they can cross, they hear a bellow behind them, they turn to see a beat, an ancient rhino-like monster called Arsinoitherium, stampeding straight for them. The beast attacks the men, lifting them with its horns and crushing them underfoot. The giant creature then destroys the log bridge, preventing escape. Steve, however, swings over to safety and finds cover. He watches in horror as the Arsinoitherium kills most of the men. The survivors then decide to take their chances in the raging river and wade in, only to be swept into a deep chasm to their deaths. Steve, the only survivor of the group, makes his way back up the cliff to the rest of the party.

Several days pass, and the survivors have constructed a shelter and have learned to survive the ancient landscape. As they group works around their base, a large Brontosaurus arrives on the scene. Unaware that the beast is a herbivore and will not attempt to attack them. Ned grabs a gun and attacks it, shooting it in the face. The dinosaur retaliates and destroys the camp in a rage. Finally, Elaine grabs a burning torch and jams it into the mouth of the enraged Brontosaurus, causing it to flee the scene. Everyone is furious at Ned for putting them in danger, and he angrily quits the camp and ventures into the jungle below. Some distance away from Ned, a family of Triceratops, consisting of a mother and her young graze together. One of the youngsters wonders away, and soon crosses paths with Ned. As the creature approaches curiously, Ned lifts his rifle, takes aim, and shoots the innocent baby right in the eye. As the dying infant cries out, its mother hears it and quickly arrives on the scene. Seeing Ned, the angry Triceratops charges and after a chase through the jungle, catches up with him and spears him wither her horns in revenge.

Back at the camp, Steve has taken command. He thinks that the radio in the submarine might still work, and he and Elaine dive down to retrieve it. However, when they bring it back to camp, they realize that it is lacking a certain wire connection. Their last hope of rescue seems gone. However, Steve is not giving up, and he, Elaine, Billy ad Benny head into the jungle to search for anything that could help them repair the radio. They soon find themselves in a large temple built thousands of years ago and full of treasure. As they search, they suddenly confront a Stegosaurus who advances towards them. As they head for the exit, they find it blocked by another creature, the most dangerous and powerful monster in this lost world, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Trapped between these two beasts, the group prepares for an imminent death. However, the two dinosaurs spot each other and quickly head past the humans and engage in mortal combat. As the two fight, the humans escape. Behind them, the Tyrannosaurus finally knocks the Stegosaurus down, rips off one of its legs and quickly finishes its opponent for good. The Rex and its young then begin to feed off the remains.

Outside the group has escaped, but as they run, a Pteranodon swoops down and grabs Elaine in its claws. As the flying monster takes off, Steve grabs a vine and swings at the creature, striking it and causing it to drop Elaine. The group then heads for the beach, where they stop at the water’s edge. Suddenly, Elaine’s pet monkey Chiko arrives a little late on the scene, having only just escaped from the temple. He is holding a jar in his hands containing a small piece of thin wire. The group suddenly realizes that this copper can be used to fix the radio. As they depart, Billy suddenly shouts out that the water feels very warm. It soon becomes horrifying clear that the volcano, inactive for so many years has started to revive and will soon erupt. The survivors quickly return to their camp and work earnestly to repair the radio. Below them, the ground begins to shake, and the beasts begin to panic. As the team races against the clock to fix the radio, the ground begins to spilt open and lava begins to flow. The temperature begins to raise rapidly, and fires to break out in the jungle below. The ancient creatures attempt fruitlessly to escape, and several Pteranodon fly up to the avoid the fires. One of the creatures flies straight towards the group, and just as they manage to fix the radio and begin to send a message, the clumsy reptile crashes into the radio set, and both the Pteranodon and the set plummet down the cliff, ending the groups last chance for survival. With death now certain, the group huddle together. Billy faints from the heat, and Steve and Elaine, having only now realized their love for each other, sadly embrace. Billy regains consciousness but begins to ramble on about hearing motors. Suddenly, the others hear it to, and they look up to see several rescue seaplanes descending into the volcano from the opening at the top. They have heard the S.O.S., and quickly gather the survivors and escape just as the volcano erupts, destroying the ancient world within.

On the rescue ship, Armitage relates the fantastic tale of their adventure to their rescuers. Not surprisingly, no one believes him. Suddenly, from out of their sky drops a Pteranodon, exhausted from its journey, collapses on the deck of the ship, right at Armitage’s feet. Having proved his story, Armitage proudly outs his foot on the creatures back. Steve and Elaine watch on happily and embrace once again as they and the other survivors return to civilization.

## Influence on King Kong

* The scene in *King Kong* in which Kong shakes sailors off of a log bridge was inspired by the scene in *Creation* in which the *Arsinoitherium* knocks sailors from a log.
* Ann Darrow's abduction by the *Pteranodon* was heavily inspired by a scene in *Creation* in which a *Pteranodon* attempted to abduct Elaine, Steve's love interest.
* Kong's battle with the *Tyrannosaurus* was taken from a scene in *Creation* where the *Tyrannosaurus* battles a *Stegosaurus* in an ancient golden temple.
* All of the dinosaur models featured in *King Kong* were originally designed for *Creation*.

## Characters

* **Steve** - Billy Armitage's tutor (who would have been played by Joel McCrea) the story's main protagonist
* **Thorton Armitage** - An American tycoon
* **Elaine Armitage** - Thorton Armitage's socialite daughter
* **Billy Armitage** - Thorton Armitage's youngest child
* **Ned Hallet** - Elaine's fiancée (played by Ralf Harolde, the only confirmed cast member)
* **Louise Armitage** - Billy and Elaine's friendly and overweight aunt
* **Benny** - A Jewish chef
* **Chico** - Elaine's pet monkey

## Creatures

### Dinosaurs

* Agathaumas (concept art)
* Brontosaurus
* Stegosaurus
* Styracosaurus (concept art)
* Triceratops (with young)
* Tyrannosaurus (with young)

### Other Prehistoric Animals

* Arsinoitherium
* Elasmosaurus
* Pteranodon

### Modern Animals

* Chimpanzee
* Jaguar