Japan’s Life-Size Godzilla Attraction Looks Epic In New Photos
Japan’s life-sized Godzilla theme park attraction is nearing completion, and a series of new photos show the famed movie monster in all his epic glory. The attraction, which will include various “missions” for guests to complete in and around the giant lizard model, is currently under construction at Awaji Island’s Nijigen no Mori theme park.
The attraction, announced last year, is the latest appearance for the nuclear-blasting, city-stomping monster who’s become such an iconic cultural symbol in Japan and across the world. The original film, released in 1954, was written as a cry against the atomic bombing of Japan by the United States at the end of World War II, which killed over a hundred thousand innocent civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Toho Pictures’ latest Godzilla film, Shin Godzilla, drew many parallels to the 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Power Plant and its aftermath.
The new photos posted to Twitter by accounts @horohoro_no_mi and @riku2006, show Godzilla’s massive head, gaping mouth, and iconic spines, with accompanying construction equipment accentuating the model’s epic scale. The model bears a striking resemblance to the Shin Godzilla version of the creature, with the unhinged jaw and racks of crooked, jagged teeth in particular harkening to the Lovecraft-inspired design of the 2016 film. One photo shows a strange, separate model on the ground, which appears to be the mangled remains of a head of some kind, given the visible tooth line.
Per CNN, the Nijigen no Mori attraction will be the world’s first permanent, to-scale replica of Godzilla – at 65 feet tall, 82 feet wide, and 180 feet long – though much of the lizard’s lower body is “hidden” underground. Once completed, Godzilla will reportedly be home to different games and attractions, including a zipline directly into the monster’s mouth, and some sort of shooting game.
The strange skull model is of particular interest, given the uncertainty of what it actually is. If the attraction is entirely based on the Shin Godzilla design, it could be the remains of the creature's horrifyingly mouthed, toothed tail. From the right angle, though, it also looks like a giant gorilla skull, perhaps foreshadowing the fate of King Kong when he faces off against the nuclear lizard in Godzilla vs. Kong. Given Toho’s general absence from the developing Monsterverse, however, that theory seems unlikely. Regardless, the Nijigen no Mori attraction is bound to be a must-see stop for any die-hard Godzilla fans.
Source: CNN, @horohoro_no_mi, @riku2006