The Art of Suitmation

Destroying the Destroyer

We all have our weaknesses. Superman has kryptonite. Kermit has Miss Piggy. Achilles had his heel. Well, the Big-G also has his weakness. The only weapon capable of killing him twice.

Happy Birthday Ishiro Honda!

Ishiro Honda

Born May 7th, 1911 - Died February 28th, 1993

Ishiro Honda would have been 103 and if he were alive today would have seen the rebirth of the movie character he made famous the world over. Honda directed and co-wrote the screenplay for the most famous of all monster movies, Godzilla, and would later direct many more including the Mysterians, Mothra, and the first appearance of King Ghidorah. These monster movies would make him famous overseas and make him the father of all kaiju and monster movies from 1954 on.

To see a complete listing of his life work please visit the link below:

What does Godzilla Eat?

It has been long debated what Godzilla actually eats. Based on his anatomy and double set of teeth, forward facing eyes, and large mass, Godzilla would be an apex predator. However, we've never actually seen Godzilla eat anything in any of the 29 movies. Baby Godzilla in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II does eat vegetables and is said to be a herbivore, but I would disagree when you're born with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Light has been shed on the debate and there is no argument that Godzilla's diet mainly consists of Snickers and Fiats. Enjoy!

Godzilla is...

All of the Above

Selfin Dragon

1. A giant radioactive iguana.
A member of the Iguanidae family (Tatopoulos said the design is based off of his pet Selfin Dragon), Godzilla of 1998 (hereby referred to as Zilla) would be born from the blast of radiation from nuclear testing. This would be the only similarity Zilla would share with the origins of Classic Godzilla.

Nuclear blast from Hiroshima

2. An allegory for the bomb.
The original Godzilla emerged as a representation of the horrors that the Japanese people experienced at the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Godzilla would become a symbol of the bomb, seeing as how the Japanese never tested nuclear weapons, but were only the victims of an unstoppable force. Godzilla became that unstoppable force, destroying Tokyo overnight, and leveling the city like the bomb had done to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The fear of the invisible killer, radiation, was real to the Japanese audience and Godzilla presented the opportunity to make that fear visible. He was given a radioactive beam, a character trait that would become iconic with Godzilla.

Godzillasaurus

3. A Godzillasaurus
In order to revive the series and give Godzilla a new look, the writers would go back and change Godzilla's origin. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) would have Time-travelers from the future come back and move the 1944 Godzillasaurus on Lagos Island to the Bearing Sea, therefore avoiding creating the original Godzilla at all. However, the Godzillasaurus was exposed to radiation from a nuclear submarine and is reborn bigger, stronger, and meaner than ever. Godzillasaurus resembles a typical theropod but with a double set of teeth, which is later reflected in Godzilla from the Heisei series.

4. A Force of Nature.
Godzilla has been and always will be a force of nature. Looking at any of Godzilla's origin stories, he is still an animal. Transformed into a towering force, imbued with radioactive properties, and being the last of his kind, Godzilla faces a world that he can never be a part of. Acting like any animal would, Godzilla is merely defending his territory. He is neither good, nor bad, but a neutral force (this topic will be discussed in later days).

What is Godzilla?

How well do you know Godzilla? Answer the question below and tomorrow I will discuss the answers!

14 Days

A Brief Introduction to Godzilla

A Brief History of Godzilla

Godzilla 2014

The original Godzilla was born in 1954 off the Bikini Atoll during a radiation blast. The citizens of Odo island considered it a god and prayed for the beast to go back to the depths from which it came. However, the beast destroyed ships and left radiation trails in its wake. After attacking Tokyo Bay and defeating the Japanese army, Dr. Serizawa creates the Oxygen destroy and sacrifices himself to kill the beast beneath the waves. Like, I said, this is a brief history of Godzilla.

Godzilla with his star, joining
Kermit the Frog & Mickey Mouse.

However, the history of Godzilla ranges 60 years, 29 movies, 2 animated series, incalculable collectibles, a star on the walk of fame, and a loyal fan base.  Who knew he would join the ranks of Kermit the Frog and Mickey Mouse as one of the worlds most beloved and well-known characters. When Americans were asked to fill out a survey of famous people they knew of from Japan, Godzilla was at the top of the list. His friends range from Mothra, the goddess of the Earth from Infant Island, Rodan, the flying terror, and Anguirus, the living ball of spikes. You can find his image on t-shirts, mugs, toilet paper dispensers (yes, you read that right), posters, watches, toys, rulers, candy, etc. While not even able to say a word or be understood, somehow Godzilla is able to connect with audiences of all ages.

Join us tomorrow for an in-depth look at what Godzilla is when we continue our countdown to the release the new Godzilla on the 16th.

15 days!