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After Mothra�s appearance in GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL OUT ATTACK, (2001) the people working on GODZILLA: TOKYO S.O.S (2003) decided to remain loyal to her original roots. Because of this, the decision was made to make Mothra seem like she once was in the Showa Era. Creature creator Shinichi Wakasa, who made suits and props for a variety of kaiju films and series, spanning from ULTRAMAN 80 (1980) to GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II (1993) first took the Rainbow Mothra design from MOTHRA 3: KING GHIDORAH ATTACKS (1998) and changed the pattern on the wings, so it would match the original Showa style. He then also cut the wings into four parts: two parts, the top, much larger parts, and the two bottom parts, which were smaller. Overall, the new design was a mixture of classic Mothra and a realistic insect.
Director Masaaki Tezuka knew that Mothra would, in one scene, once again cling on to Godzilla�s head. Because of this, he requested that the mobile legs from the GMK Mothra prop be retained for this new one. Inside the abdomen of the prop is the model�s power source, which controls the moving of the six legs, illuminating of the eyes, and the tilting of the head. Mothra was held up by many strings, which were operated by off set crewmen.
In the end, this new Mothra, which I prefer to call S.O.S Mothra, stayed faithful to the original Showa design. It is still the most fast and flexible of all Mothra models, with not even the GFW prop topping it. |
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