| Revision as of 18:20, 18 October 2010 view sourceNarthring (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers6,000 editsm Reverted 1 edit by NastyMan88 identified as vandalism to last revision by 68.149.166.63. (TW)← Previous edit | Revision as of 18:56, 18 October 2010 view source Dj7395 (talk | contribs)3 edits ←Replaced content with 'Godzilla has a small wee wee]] cs:Godzilla da:Godzilla de:Godzilla es:Godzilla eo:Godzilo fa:گودزیلا fr:Godzilla [[id:Godzill...'Tag: blankingNext edit → | ||
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| {{About|the monster|the 1954 film|Godzilla (1954 film)|the 1998 film|Godzilla (1998 film)|an overview of the franchise|Godzilla (franchise)}} | |||
| {| class="infobox" style="width: 21em; font-size: 90%; text-align: left" | |||
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| ! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size:larger; background:#001; color:#ffa;"| Godzilla | |||
| |- | |||
| | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| ! First appearance: | |||
| | '']'' (1954) | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Latest appearance: | |||
| | '']'' (2004) | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Created by: | |||
| | ] | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Height: | |||
| | 50<ref name = "eniqfb">{{cite web|url=http://www.tohokingdom.com/kaiju/godzilla54.htm |title=''Godzilla'' (1954) |publisher=Tohokingdom.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref>–100<ref name = "nevmso">{{cite web|url=http://www.tohokingdom.com/kaiju/godzilla_heisei.htm#91 |title=Godzilla (Heisei) |publisher=Tohokingdom.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref> meters (164–328 feet) | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Weight: | |||
| | 20,000<ref name = "eniqfb"/>–60,000<ref name = "nevmso"/> tons | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Portrayed by: | |||
| | '''Shōwa Series''':<br />]<ref name="Godzilla">{{cite video|people=] (writer) and ] (writer/director)|title=]|medium=]|publisher=]|date=2006}}</ref><ref name="Am. Godzilla">{{cite video|people=] (writer) and ], ] (writers/directors)|title='']''|medium=]|publisher=]|date=2006}}</ref><br />]<ref name="Godzilla"/><ref name="Am. Godzilla"/><br />]<ref name="Godzilla"/><ref name="Am. Godzilla"/><br />Ryosaku Takasugi<ref name="Am. Godzilla"/><br />]<br />Shinji Takagi<br />Isao Zushi<br />]<br />'''Heisei Series''':<br />]<br />'''Millennium Series''':<br />]<br />] | |||
| |} | |||
| {{nihongo|'''Godzilla'''|ゴジラ|Gojira}} is a ], a ] ], first appearing in ]'s 1954 film '']''. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide ] icon starring in 28 films produced by ] The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including ], novels, ], television series, and an ]. An American reboot is currently in the works by ]. | |||
| With the ] still fresh in the Japanese consciousness, Godzilla was conceived as a monster created by nuclear explosions and a metaphor for ] in general. As the film series expanded, the stories took on less serious undertones portraying Godzilla in the role of a hero, while later movies returned to depicting the character as a destructive monster. | |||
| ==Name== | |||
| {{nihongo|''Gojira''|ゴジラ}} is a combination of two Japanese words: {{nihongo3|"]"|ゴリラ|gorira}}, and {{nihongo3|"]"|鯨（クジラ）|kujira}}, which is fitting because in one planning stage, Godzilla was described as "a cross between a gorilla and a whale",<ref name=A>Steve Ryfle. ''Japan's Favorite Mon-Star''. ECW Press, 1998. Pg.22</ref> alluding to his size, power and aquatic origin. A popular story is that "Gojira" was actually the nickname of a hulking stagehand at Toho Studio.<ref> Gojira Media. Retrieved 2006-09-23.</ref> The story has not been verified, however, because in the fifty years since the film's original release, no one claiming to be the employee has ever stepped forward and no photographs have ever surfaced. | |||
| Godzilla's name was written in ] as {{nihongo3||呉爾羅|Gojira}}, thus the ] used were for phonetic value and not for meaning. Many Japanese books on Godzilla have referenced this curious fact, including ''B Media Books Special: Gojira Gahô'', published by Take-Shobo in three different editions (1993, 1998,<ref>{{cite book|year= 1998 |title = B Media Books Special: The Godzilla Chronicles Ver. 2: The History of Toho Fantastic Movies, 1935-1998 |location= Japan |publisher= Take-Shobo |ISBN=4-8124-0408-8}}</ref> and 1999). | |||
| The Japanese pronunciation of the name is {{IPA-ja|ɡodʑiɽa||Godzilla.ogg}}; the Anglicized form is {{IPA-en|ɡɒdˈzɪlə|}}, with the first syllable pronounced like the word "god", and the rest rhyming with "gorilla". When Godzilla was created (and Japanese-to-English transliteration was less familiar), it is likely that the ] representing the second syllable was misinterpreted{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}<!-- perhaps it was intentional? --> as {{IPA|}}; in the ] system, Godzilla's name would have been rendered as "Gojira", whereas in the ] system it would have been rendered as "Gozira". | |||
| ==Attributes== | |||
| {{Main|Powers and abilities of Godzilla}} | |||
| Godzilla's appearance has changed over the years, but many of his characteristics have remained constant. His roar has remained the same, only changing in pitch. Godzilla's approximate appearance, regardless of the design of the suit utilized for the creature, remains the same general shape, which is instantly recognizable: a giant, mutant dinosaur with rough, bumpy charcoal-gray ], a long powerful ], and jagged, bone-colored ]. Godzilla's iconic character design is a blended chimera inspired by various prehistoric reptiles, gleaned from children's dinosaur books and illustrations from an issue of ''Life'' magazine: Godzilla has the head and lower body of a '']'', a triple row of dorsal plates reminiscent of a '']'', the neck and forearms of '']'' and the tail and skin texture of a ].<ref>{{cite book|author= William M. Tsutsui |title= Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters |location= New York |publisher= ] |year=2003 |page=23}}</ref><ref>''Gojira'' Classic Media audio commentary</ref> Godzilla's dorsal plates have themselves altered in size and appearance over the years. | |||
| Godzilla's body and facial structure changed often from film to film. The first films depicted the creature with a more feral head and facial structure, to indicate his status as a feared threat. As the character became more of a heroic figure—particularly to children, who became a large part of Godzilla's target audience from 1965 until 1978 in the Showa era—the creature's shown as having human or near-human intelligence in most films. Godzilla was originally believed by many to be green when the original black and white film was produced, and promotional artwork in America and other English speaking countries depicted him as such. The creature was also depicted as being green in the ] cartoon and a number of toys in the United States prior to the Trendmasters toy line, which depicted Godzilla in his actual coloration. Godzilla actually has a greenish hue in '']'' and again in '']'', but returns to his classic charcoal gray in subsequent films in the Millennium series starting with '']''. | |||
| Although his origins vary somewhat from film to film, he is always described as a prehistoric creature, who first appeared and attacked Japan at the beginning of the ]. In particular, mutation due to atomic radiation is presented as an explanation for his size and powers. The most notable of Godzilla's resulting abilities is his atomic breath: a powerful heat ray of fire from his mouth. Godzilla is also depicted as being resistant to damage thanks to a tough hide and an advanced ], which itself became a focal point in '']'' and '']''. He is portrayed as being strong and dexterous, sometimes utilizing martial arts techniques in combat. Described as a transitional form between aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates in the original film, Godzilla is able to survive in the ocean for indefinite periods of time and is as adept a fighter underwater as he is on land. | |||
| These particular abilities are portrayed consistently among Godzilla's many incarnations, though he also possesses skills, often employed as weapons of last resort that are only seen on rare occasions to beat certain enemies. | |||
| ==Appearances== | |||
| {{Main|List of films featuring Godzilla}} | |||
| Godzilla is the main character of all of the ''Godzilla'' films, though there are numerous different versions of the monster. The ] is not the only place Godzilla has appeared; there are literary sources that have ] of Godzilla. Godzilla and the ''Godzilla'' universe have also starred in comic books, manga, Japanese television, and many cartoons. | |||
| ===Showa series=== | |||
| The Showa-era ''Godzilla'' films were the first of the film series. In total, there are fifteen Showa-era films, amounting to over half the total ''Godzilla'' movies currently in existence. | |||
| The first film was simply titled '']'' (1954). In the original film, Godzilla was portrayed as a terrible and destructive monster. Following the success of ''Godzilla'', Toho started filming a quickie sequel called '']''. In this film, a new Godzilla was set up to fight another dinosaur-like creature, ]. This second film started a trend for ''Godzilla'' films, where Godzilla would fight other giant monsters. In his fifth film, '']'', Godzilla took the role of a hero. From that point on, to the end of the Showa series, Godzilla stayed a hero, protecting Japan against attacks from other monsters, aliens, etc. At one point, Godzilla even adopted a son, ], in '']'', who would make appearances in later Showa-era films. | |||
| The Showa-era movies played on a lot of fears and interests of people during the period in which they were made. For instance, ''Godzilla'' was a movie designed to warn people about the use and testing of nuclear weapons. Likewise, '']'' was designed to carry a message about the dangers of pollution. As space exploration and the ] were extremely popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many of Godzilla's films revolved around Godzilla fighting alien monsters, or involved an alien invasion in some shape or form. For instance, in the movie '']'', an alien race had managed to take control of all of earth's monsters, who were eventually freed from their control, and destroyed the aliens who had put them under control. | |||
| ===Heisei series=== | |||
| The Heisei-era ''Godzilla'' films were the second of the film series. In total, there were seven Heisei-era films, making them amount to one fourth of the total ''Godzilla'' movies in existence. | |||
| The Heisei-era films differed drastically from the Showa-era films in a variety of ways. The most prominent difference is that Toho did away with Godzilla being the hero of the films. While occasionally Godzilla would take the role of an ], he was still consistently portrayed as hazardous to humanity throughout the films. The Godzilla outfit was updated to look more realistic and much more intimidating than previous suits. Another significant difference is that the series was given an overall plotline with story arcs. Each movie happened in some sort of sequence, and generally referenced previous movies to further the plot of the series. | |||
| As in the Showa era, in the first ''Godzilla'' movie of the Heisei era, '']'', Godzilla was the only monster to make an appearance. All succeeding Heisei-era movies would have Godzilla fight other giant monsters. Like the Showa series, Godzilla adopted a son, ], as his own child. In the final Heisei-era movie, '']'', Godzilla dies after undergoing a nuclear meltdown, and his son (by that point almost half as tall as his father and called Godzilla Junior) absorbs the radiation and quickly matures to become the new King of the Monsters. | |||
| In much the same way that the Showa-era played on fears and interests of people during the time period of production, Heisei-era Godzilla films made some attempts at making statements on popular topics for their time period. One good example would be '']'', which made explicit warnings against research involving genetic engineering. '']'' touched on US-Japanese relations stemming from World War II and introduced a time-travel plot. Other themes in the movies included commenting on research into hazardous material and making environmental statements. | |||
| ===American remake=== | |||
| In 1998, ] produced a remake set in New York City, directed by ] and starring ]; the film's name was simply '']''. Despite negative to mixed reviews from film critics and negative reception from the fans of the original Japanese Godzilla, the film was a financial success, taking in nearly $380 million worldwide, and spawned an animated television series called '']'', which drew much better reception all-around. However, no sequel was made. | |||
| Toho classifies the monster in this movie as ], and it was featured briefly in their film '']''. Makers of this film stated in cinematic magazine interviews that the American incarnation of the monster did not merit having "God" in his name. Previous to the "Zilla" announcement, the creature was widely referred to by traditional Godzilla fans as Fraudzilla, for obvious reasons. | |||
| ===Millennium series=== | |||
| The Millennium series of ''Godzilla'' films are the third and currently final of the film series. There are six of these films, making them slightly under a fourth the total of the series. | |||
| The Millennium series attempts to bring Godzilla back to his roots by eliminating a few of the things that the Heisei-era films had done. The most notable of these changes are, with one exception, the lack of any real continuity in the movies. Godzilla is, however, still a hazard in the Millennium series, and is always a destructive force. | |||
| ===American reboot=== | |||
| {{Main|Godzilla (2012 film)}} | |||
| It has been confirmed by Variety that Legendary Pictures had acquired the rights to the character and that a new Godzilla movie is being planned for release in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/36651/godzilla-officially-his-way-back-big-screen |title=Godzilla Officially on His Way Back to the Big Screen |publisher=Dreadcentral.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref>In addition to Legendary, producers on the new film will be ], ] and ], ], Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will be the executive producers.<ref>{{cite web|author=By |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017027.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 |title='Godzilla' stomps back to screen |publisher=Variety |date=2010-03-29 |accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref> | |||
| Very little is known about the project so far. At the 2010 San Diego Comic Con reps from Legendary Pictures were on hand to pass out t-shirts depicting a new Godzilla design. | |||
| ===In television and printed media=== | |||
| {{Main|Godzilla (comics)}} | |||
| In Japan, Godzilla was a frequent guest star on the tokusatsu series '']''. In it, Godzilla occasionally fought alongside the protagonist against other monsters, including ] and ], two monsters who had previously appeared in ''Godzilla'' films. | |||
| Godzilla made his American series debut in the 1978 ] Saturday morning show '']''. In this series, Godzilla had a nephew, Godzooky. In addition to his trademark atomic breath, which simply changed to fire in the cartoon, he was given the power to shoot laser beams out of his eyes. Godzilla could be summoned by his human friends, sea-explorers on the ship USS ''Calico'', with a signaling device or by the cry of Godzooky. The series ran until 1981. | |||
| A second series, based on the American '']'', aired on ]. The series featured the surviving baby Godzilla from the end of the live action film, which now had grown to full size. Godzilla traveled around the world with a team called HEAT, including scientist ], battling monsters. Godzilla had the abilities and physical forms of his parent, but the creators of the show gave him more powers and an attitude more resembling the original Japanese Godzilla. | |||
| In Japan, Godzilla (along with a plethora of other Kaiju) appeared in a animated toy show called '']'' that ran from 1997-1998.<ref>http://www.tohokingdom.com/tv/godzilla_island.htm</ref> | |||
| Godzilla has been featured in comic books, most often in American productions (from ] in the late-1970s, and from ] in the 1980s and 1990s). Japanese Godzilla manga comics are also available. | |||
| The Marvel series told original stories and attempted to fit into the official Toho continuity, while avoiding direct references to it. It integrated Godzilla into the ]. It was published from 1977 to 1979, fitting between the ] movies and the ]. This series described the adventures and confrontations of Godzilla in the United States. | |||
| Between 1996 and 1998 ] published four books by ] featuring Godzilla and other kaiju of the Toho franchise: ''Godzilla Returns'', ''Godzilla 2000'' (unrelated to the film of the same name), ''Godzilla at World's End'', and ''Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters''. The release of a fifth book, ''Godzilla and the Lost Continent'' was planned but was canceled when Random House's license for Godzilla expired. | |||
| On September 23, 2004 ''Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters'' by William M. Tsutsui was released by Palgrave Macmillan. The book was released to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Godzilla and looks into some of the ways Godzilla has become a simple part of everyday life for fans. | |||
| ==Cultural impact== | |||
| {{Main|Godzilla in popular culture}} | |||
| ].]] | |||
| Godzilla is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese ] worldwide and remains an important facet of Japanese films, embodying the ] subset of the ] genre. He has been considered a filmographic ] for the United States, as well as an allegory of nuclear weapons in general. The earlier ''Godzilla'' films, especially the ], portrayed Godzilla as a frightening, nuclear monster. Godzilla represented the fears that many Japanese held about the nuclear attacks on ] and ], and the possibility of recurrence.<ref>'''', By Terrence Rafferty, May 2, 2004, NYTimes</ref> | |||
| As the series progressed, so did Godzilla, changing into a less destructive and more heroic character as the films became geared towards children. Since then, the character has fallen somewhere in the middle, sometimes portrayed as a protector of the world from external threats and other times as a bringer of destruction. Godzilla remains to be one of the greatest fictional heroes in the history of film, and is also the second of only three fictional characters to have won the ] Lifetime Achievement ], which was awarded in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fanpop.com/spots/godzilla/videos/7584880/title/godzilla-wins-mtv-lifetime-achievement-award-1996 |title=Godzilla Wins The MTV Lifetime Achievement Award In 1996 - Godzilla video |publisher=Fanpop |date=1954-11-03 |accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref> | |||
| ==Awards== | |||
| * 1985 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (''The Return of Godzilla'') | |||
| * 1992 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (''Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah'') | |||
| * 1993 Tokyo Sports Movie Awards - Best Leading Actor (''Godzilla vs. Mothra'') | |||
| * 1993 Best Grossing Films Award - Golden Award and Money-Making Star Award (''Godzilla vs. Mothra'') | |||
| * 1995 Best Grossing Films Award - Silver Award (''Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla'') | |||
| * 1996 Best Grossing Films Award - Golden Award (''Godzilla vs. Destoroyah'') | |||
| * 1996 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (''Godzilla vs. Destoroyah'') | |||
| * 1996 MTV Movie Awards - Lifetime Achievement | |||
| * 2002 Best Grossing Films Award - Silver Award (''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'') | |||
| * 2004 ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * of ] (Japanese) | |||
| * | |||
| * {{imdb character|id=0005212|title=Godzilla}} | |||
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Revision as of 18:56, 18 October 2010
Godzilla has a small wee wee]]