Oh, he'll grow all right. That's just the trouble.
The careers of master stop-motion animators Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen synced up only twice. The second time was for Irwin Allen's 1956 documentary The Animal World, but it could be argued that the one time it truly mattered was on 1949's Mighty Joe Young, the brainchild of O'Brien's King Kong collaborators Ernest B. Schoedsack, the director, and Merian C. Cooper, the producer and originator of the story. For their parts, O'Brien is credited as "Technical Creator," with Harryhausen as his "First Technician." And their main contribution to the film, Mr. Joseph Young, is credited "as Himself," which is only right since he's just as much of a character as the human actors. Heck, he has more personality than the lot of them put together (and that's not even an exaggeration).
The main problem with the people in Mighty Joe Young is they're all very one-note. Joe's adoptive sister Jill (Terry Moore) isn't given much to do beyond being concerned for his well-being. Oklahoma cowboy and champion roper Gregg (Ben Johnson) starts out forthright and never deviates from that. Boastful impresario Max O'Hara (King Kong alum Robert Armstrong) is the film's biggest bumbler. And so on. But none of that really matters since its main attraction is right there in the title. From the first time the fully grown Joe appears -- tussling with one of lions O'Hara has earmarked for his Hollywood night club, the Golden Safari -- it's impossible to take your eyes off him. Unlike his royal forebear, though, Joe bides his time, waiting 17 weeks before he gets fed up, goes ape and brings the house down. But when he does, it's a mighty spectacle, indeed.