Mothra made her/it’s first appearance in 1961 in the film, Mothra. The character is one of the few Kaiju mainstays that wasn’t a guy in a rubber suit (actors creatively referred to as “Suit Actors”). Mothra was a mix of massive marionette puppetry and animatronics.
Can’t say I’m entirely sure if Mothra is a moth or a butterfly but, the character is obviously influenced by both, which is understandable. From what I’ve read they have better looking moth’s in Japan than I have on my back porch.
Mothra ended up being somewhat the antitheses of Godzilla. Where Godzilla was an unrelenting force of nature, often perceived as a bad guy, Mothra was portrayed as the spirit of the earth. A benevolent being protecting the environment from the evil hands of man… and sometimes, Godzilla.
Films Featuring Mothra
- Mothra (1961)
- Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
- Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster (1964)
- Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966)
- Destroy All Monsters (1968)
- Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
- Rebirth of Mothra (1996)
- Rebirth of Mothra II (1997)
- Rebirth of Mothra III (1998)
- Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
- Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
- Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
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