Godzilla: The Look/Appearance Speculation

[SuperSaiyan4Godzilla]

People confuse "dinosaurian" with "more realistic" too often.

If I make Godzilla look like a dinosaur, it isn't for realism.

[TokyoVigilante]

Making Godzilla dinosaurian, as in look like a Tyrannosaurus makes no sense at all even a little bit. It's entirely motivated by cultural Tyrannosaurus romanticism and it completely overlooks the point that Godzilla is suppose to be an amphibious sea monster of legend.

Actually getting into the physical development of theropods; they're giant headed lanky-legged runners with tiny arms and stubby necks. Ignoring the whole horizontal deal, that's the exact opposite of what Godzilla is. He's a tiny headed, long necked thick legged and mobile armed animal that can swim and saunter around on land.

Like, I'm all for developing ideas like this for the sake of artistic experimentation; I'd love to see more of those. But to go "Look! I've fixed Godzilla. He's better and can be presented to the public. They won't laugh anymore!", is an entirely different deck of cards.

[SuperSaiyan4Godzilla]

Making Godzilla dinosaurian, as in look like a Tyrannosaurus makes no sense at all even a little bit. It's entirely motivated by cultural Tyrannosaurus romanticism and it completely overlooks the point that Godzilla is suppose to be an amphibious sea monster of legend.

Actually getting into the physical development of theropods; they're giant headed lanky-legged runners with tiny arms and stubby necks. Ignoring the whole horizontal deal, that's the exact opposite of what Godzilla is. He's a tiny headed, long necked thick legged and mobile armed animal that can swim and saunter around on land.

Like, I'm all for developing ideas like this for the sake of artistic experimentation; I'd love to see more of those. But to go "Look! I've fixed Godzilla. He's better and can be presented to the public. They won't laugh anymore!", is an entirely different deck of cards.

You also feel as though that we'd be adhering to dinosaurian features completely. You use what fits inside your design parameters.

I would never make Godzilla completely horizontal. I could make him in the traditional kangaroo pasture too. I generally take a middle path between the two. When he runs, its sort of horizontal. When he stands or walk, its sort of vertical. Oh, I know what will help demonstrate this concept. I call it Primal Rage.

Here is Sauron standing:



Now, Ryan, I know you played Primal Rage a lot as a child. Do you recall how the dinosaurs walked forward? Slightly horizontal, tail in the air?



Sorry, I couldn't find any sprites.

I could link you to some designs by other artists that manage to capture Godzilla in a dinosaurian light. However, I think I made a point when it comes to discussing the posture issue. If you want to see the other designs I'm talking about, Facebooky.

And I will never say I "fixed" Godzilla. There's nothing wrong with the designs we've been given (for the most part). I just present variations on a concept.


[I'm using "I" a lot. I'm not taking this personally. I'm discussing what I do as a designer and an artist.]

[Godzillaprime05]

Tokyovigilante certainly has my respect now, but to stay on topic I proposejust going to the original design and freshining it.up, modify it so.the that.the design.would be impossible or difficult to use a rubber suit with and.we.good.

[Godzilla 2000]

Godzilla isnt supposed to be realistic. Thats what makes him awesome in the first place.

[shinmattiathekaiju]

Making Godzilla dinosaurian, as in look like a Tyrannosaurus makes no sense at all even a little bit. It's entirely motivated by cultural Tyrannosaurus romanticism and it completely overlooks the point that Godzilla is suppose to be an amphibious sea monster of legend.

Actually getting into the physical development of theropods; they're giant headed lanky-legged runners with tiny arms and stubby necks. Ignoring the whole horizontal deal, that's the exact opposite of what Godzilla is. He's a tiny headed, long necked thick legged and mobile armed animal that can swim and saunter around on land.

Like, I'm all for developing ideas like this for the sake of artistic experimentation; I'd love to see more of those. But to go "Look! I've fixed Godzilla. He's better and can be presented to the public. They won't laugh anymore!", is an entirely different deck of cards.

Damn, you really are an expert of cinematography design.

[Petezilla]

Godzilla isnt supposed to be realistic. Thats what makes him awesome in the first place.

Nice to have somebody on my side. Like I said before: he simply is a MONSTER, neither full-time dinosaur nor frog, nor lizard. The movie itself may be presented very realistically, but the monster design doesn't need to be too overly "realistified". That takes away from the original "monster" concept. It would produce some feeling of "yeah... Jurassic Park on steroids", which I (personally) would heavily dislike. Others may have their own opinions and preferences, though.

[Killswitch]

Nothing wrong with the classic design. Remember, CGI will make Godzilla look more fluid, and life like. We've seen the beginning stages of this already with the scene from ALWAY'S 2.

[XxComablack1937xX]

Godzilla isnt supposed to be realistic. Thats what makes him awesome in the first place.

100% agreed, I want my Godzilla standing upright with thick legs, thick tail, dorsal spines, an his usual small head. I don't care if it's realistic or not..

Don't want Godzilla looking like any kind of Theoropod, but hey that's just my stand alone opinion.

[Killswitch]

I wonder if LP has conducted any focus groups or have peaked into any forums - like ours? They really need to IMO. If the fanbase gets shutout again, why even make a Godzilla film? There is no need for these films to be completely realistic. Its Sci-Fi/Fantasy!

[SuperSaiyan4Godzilla]

I wonder if LP has conducted any focus groups or have peaked into any forums - like ours? They really need to IMO. If the fanbase gets shutout again, why even make a Godzilla film? There is no need for these films to be completely realistic. Its Sci-Fi/Fantasy!

I hope they don't.

Fans tend to have the worst and dumbest opinions.

[Crocodile]

I wonder if LP has conducted any focus groups or have peaked into any forums - like ours? They really need to IMO. If the fanbase gets shutout again, why even make a Godzilla film? There is no need for these films to be completely realistic. Its Sci-Fi/Fantasy!

Fans tend to have the worst and dumbest opinions.

Fans post a lot of self-satisfactory ideas. They write for themselves, and other lfans.

In fairness, it's just what fans do.

[Killswitch]

Fans wouldn't create "GINO". I don't mind tweaking a few things to make it fresh, but I hate seeing Hollywood trying to reinvent the wheel.

Yes, some fans can be silly, but the majority will stay within the style & material of the character. I want a Godzilla movie to feel like a Godzilla movie.

[Tyler]

Art Adams sort of gave this Godzilla webbed hands.
http://www.media.idwpublishing.com/prev ... dzilla.jpg

Basically I think the design needs to be easily recognizable as Godzilla with a few tweaks here and there. A generic lizard monster like GINO with superficial details like 4 claws and 3 rows of fins won't cut it for me.

[Patrick Alan]

Ummm, well, all I can say on this one is just wow!



Morbidly Obese Godzilla....I don't like it.....
I'm pretty sure with all that weight, Godzilla couldn't stand up!

[Tormentor]

SuperSaiyan4Godzilla and TokyoVigilante, I would like to gain an opinion upon something. (Other users here can feel free to jump in if you want).

Now, based on giving a Godzilla some realistic aspects (Like webbed fingers and possibly toes, or a crocodile-like tail etc.), if wanting to do something about the atomic breath, at least the biological aspect of it (Like how its produced and its form), how would you go about it?

A few friends of mine are at a bit of a stalemate with each other. Half of them believes that the biological upbringing of how Godzilla produces his atomic breath should be more based upon a structure similar of the Prehistoric Dragons presented in Animal Planet's Dragons A Fantasy Made Real.


While the actual Atomic Breath itself has a structured appearance more similar to Belloc's fire breath in Firebreather, but give the breath more of a showcasing of impact.


That's one half.
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The other half think that Godzilla should biologically produce his weapon more similar to the Heisei Godzilla, but while having the weapon baring the structure of GMK's Godzilla's Atomic Ray.

But how would you go about it?

[Living Corpse]

Please don't try and make Godzilla more "realistic", and I use that term loosely, because the last time they tried that we got GINO.

The only "realistic" thing I'd want is some explanation for his powers like how in one of the books they find he has an organ attached to both of his lungs and heart and they think when he feels threatened the heart pumps nuclear energy into this organ which pumps it into his lungs and bam! Atomic Breath. And even then I'd only want them to go over one or two of his powers/biology feats because while learning something new about Godzilla and the other monsters is cool it's also nice to still have some mystery about them and not know everything about them.

[zilla103192]

I would be happy if they didn't explain how his breath works.

Scientists: OMFG we figued out exactly how this guy works!!!

Godzilla: *Breathes atomic flames of death!!!*

Scientists: O.O

[SuperSaiyan4Godzilla]

SuperSaiyan4Godzilla and TokyoVigilante, I would like to gain an opinion upon something. (Other users here can feel free to jump in if you want).

Now, based on giving a Godzilla some realistic aspects (Like webbed fingers and possibly toes, or a crocodile-like tail etc.), if wanting to do something about the atomic breath, at least the biological aspect of it (Like how its produced and its form), how would you go about it?

I've come up with a varied amounts of hypotheses on this subject over the last couple of years. This is not the place to discuss it, though.

Toho's explained it a few ways that works more-or-less in a reasonable fashion, though.

Please don't try and make Godzilla more "realistic", and I use that term loosely, because the last time they tried that we got GINO.

The only "realistic" thing I'd want is some explanation for his powers like how in one of the books they find he has an organ attached to both of his lungs and heart and they think when he feels threatened the heart pumps nuclear energy into this organ which pumps it into his lungs and bam! Atomic Breath. And even then I'd only want them to go over one or two of his powers/biology feats because while learning something new about Godzilla and the other monsters is cool it's also nice to still have some mystery about them and not know everything about them.

I'm not targeting you LC, I'm targeting the people that say this in general:

I don't give a shit what you think. If I wanted to make Godzilla realistic, I'd have him look like Matt Frank's Godzilla NEO NEO and give him the ability to spit a burning liquid like the bombardier beetle.

Whenever I make Godzilla "realistic" (I hate how you guys apply the word), I start with what he has and find the best approximation in science. And hell, the science I come up with is basically what Toho has said before. Give or take some of the crazy organs floating around.

[Living Corpse]

I would be happy if they didn't explain how his breath works.

Scientists: OMFG we figued out exactly how this guy works!!!

Godzilla: *Breathes atomic flames of death!!!*

Scientists: O.O

I don't want them to know everything about him just unclover something cool once in a while like how in Godzilla 2000 they discovered his healing factor or how in the old Gamera films they discovered Gyaos has two neck bones that act as a sort of tuning fork and that's how he makes Sonic Cutter Beams. There still a ton of other things about both monsters that neither discovery explains like how does Godzilla feed off of radiation instead of just dieing or getting cancer.