| | | | | was never found. |
| So what is Godzilla you ask? To find the answer to | | | | |
| this question you must go back to the beginning... | | | | The series was revamped in 1985 with "Godzilla 1985"; |
| | | | | this movie was created as a direct sequel to the 1954 |
| One dark night in 1954, Toho producer Tomoyuki | | | | film, and ignores the continuity of the previous sequels. |
| Tanaka was on a plane thousands of feet above the | | | | Known as the Heisei series (for the ruling emperor of |
| waves of the Pacific Ocean. Toho's most recent idea | | | | the time), the continuity ended in 1995's Godzilla vs. |
| for a movie had been shelved and he needed to | | | | Destroyah after a run of seven films. The reason for |
| come up with a new idea quickly. As he stared down | | | | the continuity shift was based on a realization that the |
| at the sea below him, an idea struck him: what if a | | | | marketing of the movies had removed the reason it |
| giant monster rose from the depths to attack Tokyo!? | | | | was so loved. When it was discovered that Godzilla |
| With the great success of giant monster movies such | | | | was popular with children, sequels were toned down in |
| as King Kong and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, | | | | obvious screen violence, and Godzilla was made out |
| such a movie was a stroke of genius. Soon, with the | | | | to be a good guy instead of an indestructible |
| assistance of a team of now legendary men, including | | | | abomination of the mistakes of Man. Characters such |
| director Ishiro Honda, score master Akira Ifukube, and | | | | as "son of Godzilla" (a diminutive chubby replica who |
| special effects man Eiji Tsuburaya, they began to | | | | blew smoke rings) were introduced. However, the |
| make their movie. But the creature needed a name. | | | | further Godzilla was taken away from his roots, the |
| Though it will forever be unknown exactly how the | | | | less popular he became. Hence, Godzilla 1985 brought |
| name came about and myths will circle it eternally, the | | | | the series back to form. |
| Japanese words gorira (gorilla) and kujira (whale) were | | | | |
| combined and the beast became known as Gojira, | | | | Depending on your opinion, either the 1970s were not |
| which in turn became, in the west, Godzilla. | | | | kind to Godzilla, or fans are not kind to the Godzilla of |
| | | | | the 1970s. The films of that era are often dismissed as |
| The original Gojira was a radioactive lizard trying to | | | | cheap, poorly made, and generally pathetic or childish. |
| destroy humanity. He was then dissolved in weird | | | | Godzilla was in full “super-hero” mode. Little kids |
| foam in his first movie by humanity, destroyed like all | | | | in micro-shorts were running wild, but not nearly so in |
| the other monsters we've come to know from that | | | | control as they were in the old Gamera films. A lot of |
| time period of cinema. Yet, he came back for more | | | | serious Godzilla fans hang their heads in shame at the |
| movies. Movie after movie, the huge demon's size and | | | | mere mention of some of these titles. |
| manner seemed to change. His strengths, intelligence, | | | | |
| weaknesses, and some of his abilities were subject to | | | | Contrary to what the English dub of the original |
| change as well. Sometimes being as smart as a | | | | Godzilla, King of the Monsters would have us believe, |
| human, communicating with other monsters, other | | | | Godzilla was never "over 400 feet tall". What follows |
| times being animalistically smart. From hero to villain to | | | | is a history of Godzilla's height, or correctly, increase in |
| hero in movies that seemed to barely keep anything | | | | height. In the 1954 Japanese original, Dr. Yamane |
| straight. In one movie he breathed his signature bad | | | | estimates that Godzilla is 50 meters tall (167 feet). |
| breath to destroy what remained of Tokyo after | | | | Godzilla destroys Tokyo, but is later killed by the |
| appearing to fight a monster even more bent in tearing | | | | Oxygen Destroyer. A second Godzilla appears in the |
| the city apart as a joke to consistent fans about his | | | | next movie: Godzilla Raids Again (1955). This creature |
| inconsistencies. Sometimes the reason he can fight | | | | is also 50 meters tall and would remain this size for the |
| armies is because of a hard carpace, other times | | | | following Godzilla movies through to Terror or Mecha |
| because of some hyper-healing ability. Not even his | | | | Godzilla (1975). |
| blood can stay the same, sometimes green when he | | | | |
| bleeds. Other times, red like everything else. | | | | In 1984, Toho presented Godzilla (Godzilla 1985 in the |
| | | | | U.S.) as a direct sequel to the 1954 original, thus ignoring |
| Because the first two films were in black and white, | | | | the existence of the 14 other films in the series. At the |
| American poster makers went with their own instincts | | | | same time, the height of the new Godzilla was |
| and painted the Big G a deep forest green. Enter King | | | | increased to 80 meters (267 feet). Toho probably did |
| Kong Vs. Godzilla, his first colour feature, and lo and | | | | this to make Godzilla appears more imposing alongside |
| behold, the radiation spawn is charcoal gray. Too late | | | | Tokyo's modem skyscrapers. Godzilla is also 80 |
| to stop the merchandising mishaps: to this day almost | | | | meters tall in Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989). In Godzilla vs. |
| every model, toy and comic book still paints him the | | | | King Ghidora (1991), futurians attempt to prevent |
| colour of money. | | | | Godzilla's creation. However, their complicated |
| | | | | time-travel plan backfires, and Godzilla is reborn in 1992, |
| Godzilla (or Gojira, ???) refers to a series of kaiju | | | | now towering at 100 meters (334 feet). Godzilla is this |
| (strange beast or monster), or more specifically | | | | size in Godzilla vs. Mothra, released in the U.S. as |
| Daikaiju (giant monster), films made in Japan. Godzilla is | | | | Godzilla and Mothra: Battle for Earth (1992) and the |
| believed to have originally been intended by Toho to | | | | following sequels; Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1993), |
| represent the United States of America (being superior | | | | Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) and Godzilla vs. |
| in its destructive capability) and took the form of a | | | | Destroyah (1995). When the series returned after the |
| radioactive prehistoric reptile. Given that his origin (in the | | | | TriStar fiasco with Godzilla 2000, the King of the |
| 1954 film) was the ocean, Godzilla can be considered | | | | Monsters returned to the 80 meters (267 feet) version, |
| not just a monster, but a sea monster. Godzilla died at | | | | and has stayed at that height ever since. These |
| the end of the original 1954 film. Subsequent films in the | | | | changes in Godzilla's height has meant a little confusion |
| series ret conned the first movie by assuming that | | | | for collectors, especially when trying to estimate |
| Godzilla wasn't killed, and that the body of the monster | | | | Godzilla's scale in relation to his height. |