The Godzilla film series is broken into several (different) eras reflecting a characteristic style and corresponding to the same eras used to classify all kaiju eiga (monster movies) in Japan. The first, second, and fourth eras refer to the Japanese emperor during production: the Shōwa era, the Heisei era, and the Reiwa era. The third is called the Millennium era, as the emperor (Heisei) is the same but these films are considered to have a different style and storyline than the Heisei era.
Over the series' history, the films have reflected the social and political climate in Japan.[14] In the original film, Godzilla was an allegory for the effects of the hydrogen bomb, and the consequences that such weapons might have on Earth.[15][16][17][18] The radioactive contamination of the Japanese fishing boat Lucky Dragon No. 5 through the United States' Castle Bravo thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954, led to much press coverage in Japan preceding the release of the first movie in 1954.[19] The Heisei and Millennium series have largely continued this concept. Toho was inspired to make the original Godzilla film after the commercial success of the 1952 re-release of King Kong and the success of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), the first live-action film to feature a giant monster awakened following an atomic bomb detonation.[20] The success of the Godzilla franchise itself would go on to inspire other monster films worldwide.
Shōwa era (1954–1975)
The initial series of movies is named for the Shōwa period in Japan (as all of these films were produced before the "Shōwa Emperor" Hirohito's death in 1989).[21] This Shōwa timeline spanned from 1954, with Godzilla, to 1975, with Terror of Mechagodzilla. With the exceptions of Godzilla, Godzilla Raids Again, Mothra vs. Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, and Terror of Mechagodzilla, much of the Shōwa series monster-action was intentionally made comical and laughable for children, with Godzilla frequently engaged in clownish slapstick wrestling with other monsters. Starting with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla began evolving into a friendlier, more playful antihero (this transition was complete by Son of Godzilla, where Godzilla is depicted as a more virtuous character) and, as years went by, it evolved into an anthropomorphic superhero.
Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster was also significant for introducing Godzilla's archenemy and the main antagonist of the film series, King Ghidorah. The films Son of Godzilla and All Monsters Attack were aimed at youthful audiences, featuring the appearance of Godzilla's son, Minilla. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was notable for introducing Godzilla's robot duplicate and the secondary antagonist of the film series, Mechagodzilla. The Shōwa period loosely tied in to a number of Toho-produced films in which Godzilla himself did not appear and consequently saw the addition of many monsters into the Godzilla continuity, three of which (Rodan, Varan, and Mothra) originated in their own solo movies and another five (Anguirus, Manda, Baragon, Gorosaurus and Kumonga) appeared in their first films as either secondary antagonists or secondary kaiju.
Haruo Nakajima mainly portrayed Godzilla since 1954 until his retirement in 1972. However, other stunt actors have portrayed the character in his absence, such as Katsumi Tezuka, Yū Sekida, Ryosaku Takasugi, Seiji Onaka, Shinji Takagi, Isao Zushi, and Toru Kawai.[22][23] Eiji Tsuburaya directed the special effects for the first six films of the series. His protege Sadamasa Arikawa took over the effects work for the next three films (with Tsuburaya supervising), while Teruyoshi Nakano directed the special effects for the last six films of the series. The Criterion Collection released the Shōwa era films as part of a Blu-ray box set in the United States and Canada on October 29, 2019.[24]
Heisei era (1984–1995)
Toho rebooted the series in 1984 with The Return of Godzilla, starting the second era of Godzilla films, known as the Heisei series.[25] The Return of Godzilla serves as a direct sequel to the original 1954 film and ignores the subsequent events of the Showa era. The Return of Godzilla was released in 1984, five years before the new Emperor, but is considered part of this era, as it is a direct predecessor to Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), which came out in the first year of the new Emperor's reign.[26]
The Heisei films are set in a single timeline, with each film providing continuity to the other films, and brings Godzilla back as a destructive force of nature that is feared by humans.[25] The biological nature and science behind Godzilla became a much more discussed issue in the films, showing the increased focus on the moral aspects of genetics. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah gave the first concrete birth story for Godzilla, featuring a dinosaur named Godzillasaurus that was mutated by nuclear radiation into Godzilla. Godzilla was portrayed by Kenpachiro Satsuma for the Heisei films while the special effects were directed by Koichi Kawakita, with the exception of The Return of Godzilla, for which the effects were directed by Teruyoshi Nakano.
Millennium era (1999–2004)
Toho rebooted the franchise for a second time with the 1999 film Godzilla 2000: Millennium starting the third era of Godzilla films, known as the Millennium series.[27] The Millennium series is treated similarly to an anthology series where each film is a standalone story, with the 1954 film serving as the only previous point of reference. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. are the only films in the series to share continuity with each other.
After the release of 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars, marking the 50th anniversary of the Godzilla
film franchise, Toho decided to put the series on hiatus for another 10
years. Toho also demolished the water stage on its lot used in numerous
Godzilla, kaiju and tokusatsu films.[28] Yoshimitsu Banno, who had directed 1971's Godzilla vs. Hedorah, secured the rights from Toho to make an IMAX 3D short film production, based on a story similar to his Hedorah film. This project eventually led to the development of Legendary's Godzilla. Tsutomu Kitagawa portrayed Godzilla for the majority of the Millennium films, with the exception of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, in which Godzilla was portrayed by Mizuho Yoshida.
Unlike the Showa and later Heisei films, the special effects for the
Millennium films were directed by multiple effects directors such as Kenji Suzuki (Godzilla 2000, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus), Makoto Kamiya (Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack), Yuichi Kikuchi (Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla), and Eiichi Asada (Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., Godzilla: Final Wars).
Reiwa era (2016–present)
In December 2014, Toho announced plans for a new Godzilla film of their own for a 2016 release.[29] The film is intended to be Toho's own reboot of the Godzilla franchise and is co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi (both who collaborated on the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion), with the screenplay written by Anno and the special effects directed by Higuchi.[30][31][32] Principal photography began on September and ended in October with the special effects work following in November that year.[33][34] Shin Godzilla was released in Japan on July 29, 2016, in IMAX, 4DX, and MX4D to positive reviews and was a box office success.[35]
In August 2016, Toho announced plans for a trilogy of anime Godzilla films with Polygon Pictures animating the films and Netflix distributing the trilogy worldwide, except in Japan where each film will be given a theatrical release by Toho.[36][37] The first film, titled Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, was released on November 17, 2017.[38] The second film, titled Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle, was released on May 18, 2018.[39] The third and final film in the trilogy, titled Godzilla: The Planet Eater, was released on November 9, 2018.[40]
In January 2018, Toho announced its plans to invest ¥15 billion (US$135 million)
for the next three years beginning in 2019 to co-produce content with
Hollywood and Chinese studios who have licensed Toho's properties, such
as Godzilla, Your Name and Pokémon.
Toho will invest 25% in production costs and will earn a higher share
in revenue and manage creators rights, so their creative input will be
shown in each work.[41] In May 2018, Toho's Chief Godzilla Officer Keiji Ota revealed that a sequel to Shin Godzilla
will not happen, but revealed plans for a "World of Godzilla", a shared
cinematic universe between Godzilla and other Toho monsters after 2021.
Ota cited the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an influence, with plans to release a new film every one to two years.[42] Ota stated:
Although Reiwa period in Japan began on May 1, 2019, Shin Godzilla and anime trilogy of Godzilla films are part of this era which began with former film in 2016.
In 2019, Toho invested ¥15.4 billion (US$140 million)
into their Los Angeles-based subsidiary Toho International Inc. as part
of their "Toho Vision 2021 Medium-term Management Strategy", a strategy
to increase content, platform, real-estate, surpass ¥50 billion in profits, and increase character businesses on Toho intellectual properties such as Godzilla. Hiroyasu Matsuoka was named the representative director of the project.[44]
In 2019, Toho launched the first official English website and the first
official English Twitter and Instagram for the franchise.[45][46]
In June 2019, Toho revealed plans to present the Toho Godzilla at the San Diego Comic-Con
for the first time to commemorate the franchise's 65th anniversary, as
well as being part of their plan to expand the franchise in the United
States.[47]
At the San Diego Comic-Con, Akito Takahashi, the project manager of
Toho's Godzilla Strategic Conference, revealed Toho's intentions to have
the Toho and Legendary Godzilla films expand together. He also
revealed that the option to reintroduce political themes and old or new
monsters would be available to filmmakers, should they choose to pursue
it. Akito also expressed interest in re-introducing Mechagodzilla and
Jet Jaguar in the future.[48][49]
In October 2020, Toho announced plans for an anime series titled Godzilla Singular Point
to be released on Netflix in 2021, revealing artwork for Godzilla and
principal characters. The project will be directed by Atsushi Takahashi,
music by Kan Sawada, written by Toh Enjoe, character designs by Kazue
Kato, and animations by Eiji Yamamori. The series will be produced by Bones Inc. in partnership with Orange Co., Ltd, will feature hand-drawn and CG animation, and will have no relation to Polygon's anime film trilogy.[50]
Toho rebooted the franchise for a second time with the 1999 film Godzilla 2000: Millennium starting the third era of Godzilla films, known as the Millennium series.[27] The Millennium series is treated similarly to an anthology series where each film is a standalone story, with the 1954 film serving as the only previous point of reference. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. are the only films in the series to share continuity with each other.
After the release of 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars, marking the 50th anniversary of the Godzilla film franchise, Toho decided to put the series on hiatus for another 10 years. Toho also demolished the water stage on its lot used in numerous Godzilla, kaiju and tokusatsu films.[28] Yoshimitsu Banno, who had directed 1971's Godzilla vs. Hedorah, secured the rights from Toho to make an IMAX 3D short film production, based on a story similar to his Hedorah film. This project eventually led to the development of Legendary's Godzilla. Tsutomu Kitagawa portrayed Godzilla for the majority of the Millennium films, with the exception of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, in which Godzilla was portrayed by Mizuho Yoshida. Unlike the Showa and later Heisei films, the special effects for the Millennium films were directed by multiple effects directors such as Kenji Suzuki (Godzilla 2000, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus), Makoto Kamiya (Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack), Yuichi Kikuchi (Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla), and Eiichi Asada (Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., Godzilla: Final Wars).
Reiwa era (2016–present)
In December 2014, Toho announced plans for a new Godzilla film of their own for a 2016 release.[29] The film is intended to be Toho's own reboot of the Godzilla franchise and is co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi (both who collaborated on the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion), with the screenplay written by Anno and the special effects directed by Higuchi.[30][31][32] Principal photography began on September and ended in October with the special effects work following in November that year.[33][34] Shin Godzilla was released in Japan on July 29, 2016, in IMAX, 4DX, and MX4D to positive reviews and was a box office success.[35]
In August 2016, Toho announced plans for a trilogy of anime Godzilla films with Polygon Pictures animating the films and Netflix distributing the trilogy worldwide, except in Japan where each film will be given a theatrical release by Toho.[36][37] The first film, titled Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, was released on November 17, 2017.[38] The second film, titled Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle, was released on May 18, 2018.[39] The third and final film in the trilogy, titled Godzilla: The Planet Eater, was released on November 9, 2018.[40]
In January 2018, Toho announced its plans to invest ¥15 billion (US$135 million) for the next three years beginning in 2019 to co-produce content with Hollywood and Chinese studios who have licensed Toho's properties, such as Godzilla, Your Name and Pokémon. Toho will invest 25% in production costs and will earn a higher share in revenue and manage creators rights, so their creative input will be shown in each work.[41] In May 2018, Toho's Chief Godzilla Officer Keiji Ota revealed that a sequel to Shin Godzilla will not happen, but revealed plans for a "World of Godzilla", a shared cinematic universe between Godzilla and other Toho monsters after 2021. Ota cited the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an influence, with plans to release a new film every one to two years.[42] Ota stated:
Although Reiwa period in Japan began on May 1, 2019, Shin Godzilla and anime trilogy of Godzilla films are part of this era which began with former film in 2016.
In 2019, Toho invested ¥15.4 billion (US$140 million) into their Los Angeles-based subsidiary Toho International Inc. as part of their "Toho Vision 2021 Medium-term Management Strategy", a strategy to increase content, platform, real-estate, surpass ¥50 billion in profits, and increase character businesses on Toho intellectual properties such as Godzilla. Hiroyasu Matsuoka was named the representative director of the project.[44] In 2019, Toho launched the first official English website and the first official English Twitter and Instagram for the franchise.[45][46]
In June 2019, Toho revealed plans to present the Toho Godzilla at the San Diego Comic-Con for the first time to commemorate the franchise's 65th anniversary, as well as being part of their plan to expand the franchise in the United States.[47] At the San Diego Comic-Con, Akito Takahashi, the project manager of Toho's Godzilla Strategic Conference, revealed Toho's intentions to have the Toho and Legendary Godzilla films expand together. He also revealed that the option to reintroduce political themes and old or new monsters would be available to filmmakers, should they choose to pursue it. Akito also expressed interest in re-introducing Mechagodzilla and Jet Jaguar in the future.[48][49]
In October 2020, Toho announced plans for an anime series titled Godzilla Singular Point to be released on Netflix in 2021, revealing artwork for Godzilla and principal characters. The project will be directed by Atsushi Takahashi, music by Kan Sawada, written by Toh Enjoe, character designs by Kazue Kato, and animations by Eiji Yamamori. The series will be produced by Bones Inc. in partnership with Orange Co., Ltd, will feature hand-drawn and CG animation, and will have no relation to Polygon's anime film trilogy.[50]
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