Mothra (1961)

[Spuro]

I guess they didn't want Mothra becoming a bigger star than Godzilla.

More accurately, making a 1961-sized-Mothra prop in scale with a Godzilla suit would have resulted in an enormous and completely unwieldy marionette.

The imago in the 1961 movie is only portrayed as big as it is because the miniatures could be scaled to the size of whatever the prop needed to be. You can’t do this with a Godzilla suit - it’s size is fixed because of the actor inside of it, so you’re left with the choice of either increasing Godzilla’s size or downsizing Mothra if you want the pair to share the screen together.

[Major sssspielberg!]

More accurately~

I think Ed was making a pun

[Legion1979]

I remember reading that they downsized Mothra for M vs G.

Yes, they did, and it stuck throughout the entire Showa series.

Well they kind of HAD to do that. How was Godzilla, King Ghidorah or any other monster supposed to be in a movie with Mothra if she was depicted as being as big as she was in the first movie?

[LSD Jellyfish]

If the size from Mothra 61’ was carried over to GTTHM, Mothra’s fatass would’ve broken Rodan’s back.

[mikelcho]

Legion1979: Oh, I knew that when I answered edgaguirus's question. If there's one thing I know that's a problem with the Showa Godzilla films, it's size inconsistency. Another perfect example is Gorosaurus in between King Kong Escapes and Destroy All Monsters.

LSD Jellyfish: You got that right, my friend!

[Legion1979]

Legion1979: Oh, I knew that when I answered edgaguirus's question. If there's one thing I know that's a problem with the Showa Godzilla films, it's size inconsistency. Another perfect example is Gorosaurus in between King Kong Escapes and Destroy All Monsters.

Is it really inconsistent when altering the size of the monsters is a conscious choice by the filmmakers? Especially when no one ever said that films like Mothra and King Kong Escapes were definitely canon in the Godzilla universe.

[edgaguirus]

More accurately~

I think Ed was making a pun

Yes, I was.

[edgaguirus]

I watched this movie last night, and I wonder if this one and Matango have a small connection.

Infant Island was subjected the nuclear test, and it clearly effected the ecosystem. Those molds are mutated and have unusual properties. It makes me think that the Matango mushrooms could also be mutants produced by fallout and/or exposure to radiation. The short story Matango is based on shows them as parasitic fungus, but since this is a kaiju film, radiation could always be involved.

[MaxRebo320]

It makes me think that the Matango mushrooms could also be mutants produced by fallout and/or exposure to radiation.

Erm, they are. The shipwrecked vacationers take refugee in an oceanographic ship that was surveying the effects of radiation on local sea life. I guess it might not be explicitly stated if the Matago are the result of tastings or not (but correct me if there is a line where somebody explicitly states that they are), but I figure most viewers would be able to put two and two together.

[Omegamorph]

It's been many years but I absolutely love Mothra 61, a good companion piece to Godzilla 54 and Mothra Vs Godzilla

the tenderness of Mothra, the Japanese mysticism that's been scorched by the Atomic age, against Godzilla's brutality, makes them a perfect thematic duo

[KingSkeetorah]

I can't believe I only first saw this just the other day. What a caper for the ages. What an absolute spectacle to behold. And that soundtrack!