'Godzilla' Anime Shows Fans How Its Monster Was Made
The new Godzilla anime film has gone on to such success in Japan, it has even spawned a trilogy of [...]
The new Godzilla anime film has gone on to such success in Japan, it has even spawned a trilogy of new anime films and a manga adaptation running in Shonen Jump +. But how did Toho make Godzilla into an anime?
The team behind Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters ran a little special to show how the film was produced, and it showed a bit of how the titular monster was put together.
本日夕方6時からは、ＢＳ１スペシャル「ゴジラを進化させよ！～ニッポン・アニメ 世界への挑戦～」の最後の再放送です！お正月休み最後にアニゴジ制作の裏側に迫ります！#アニゴジhttps://t.co/aXze0QYnDs
— 映画『GODZILLA 怪獣惑星 』 (@GODZILLA_ANIME) January 3, 2018
The anime film brought a whole new anime spin on the monster, named "Godzilla Earth," and seeing him brought to life in a different level of CG than the films in the West is surely interesting. Now fans in the West are just eagerly awaiting the film to release on Netflix outside of Japan.
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters is the first of an animated trilogy from Toho and was released in Japan on November 17, 2017 with Netflix distributing the film worldwide some time this year. It is directed by Kobun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita, with Toho Animation and Polygon Pictures handling production duties. It also features a strong voice cast with the likes of Yuuki Kaji, Takahiro Sakurai, Mamoru Miyano, Junichi Suwabe, Kana Hanazawa, and Tomokazu Sugita.
The sequel, Godzilla Kessen Kido Zoshoku Toshi (which translates as Godzilla: Battle Mobile Breeding City) will feature a dark future where the last remaining humans must battle Godzilla, who has been wreaking havoc for 20,000 years. It will also feature an appearance of Mecha Godzilla, so not only will fans be treated to an animated version of Godzilla but one of the coolest rival Kaiju, Mecha Godzilla.
Toho and Netflix's animated Godzilla film trilogy will definitely be a project standing out among the rest of the storied franchise. For those waiting on more Godzilla, the Western version of Godzilla will be soon be premiering its sequel Godzilla: King of Monsters in March 2019, and Toho's own Shin Godzilla is currently available on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Funimation.
A follow-up to Shin Godzilla cannot happen until at least 2020 thanks to a live-action deal with Legendary Pictures, meaning production of the Shin Godzilla had to be rushed so as to not clash with Legendary's Godzilla releases, and the film released in July 2016 in Japan to over 446 screens. It was number one at the box-office opening weekend, with its gross tripling that of Toho's last Godzilla film, Godzilla: Final Wars in 2004.