Godzilla will once again arrive in Japan, but this time as a theme park attraction. The King of the kaiju has been enjoying a surge in worldwide popularity as of late. The monster's next film, Godzilla vs. Kong, stomps into theaters in March 2020.
Godzilla has always been well known, but it's only recently that he's gained special prominence outside Japan. Recently, Turner Classic Movies aired most of the older Japanese Godzilla movies. Criterion, the prestigious home video company, recently released a Blu-ray set for all the Godzilla films released between 1954-1975. Of course, this year saw the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which reintroduced King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan. Though the film received lukewarm reviews from critics, many fans greatly enjoyed it. Godzilla is everywhere, and soon a full-scale attraction will be built for fans to visit.
Nijigen no Mori, the anime theme park on Awaji Island, is getting a full-scale Godzilla attraction (via Kyodo News) next summer. Called the "Godzilla Interception Operation Awaji," the attraction is based on the title character from Shin Godzilla. According to Chief Godzilla Officer Keiji Ota, the attraction "will have huge presence and tremendous impact." Visitors will role-play as researchers, using pulleys to enter Godzilla through his mouth. While inside the beast, visitors will attempt missions, including a shooting game trying to destroy Godzilla's cells.
The Godzilla attraction will be massive, about 20 meters high. As one can see in the image, it will be as if Godzilla's head is truly emerging from the ground. According to Ota, the attraction will be the first "permanent" full-scale replica of the creature, so it sounds like fans can look forward to this for years to come. This also isn't the first Shin Godzilla-themed attraction in Japan. There was also the 4D ride at Universal Studios Japan, which featured Godzilla and a new version of King Ghidorah.
It should come as no surprise that Shin Godzilla is still being heavily marketed in Japan as the quintessential Godzilla. Shin Godzilla won numerous Japanese Academy awards in 2016, including Picture of the Year. It is also the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla film. Interestingly, TOHO plans to build a new Godzilla cinematic universe instead of following up on Shin Godzilla. This isn't shocking, because Shin Godzilla works as a standalone feature. One of the directors of Shin Godzilla, Hideaki Anno, will be the producer on Shin Ultraman, releasing in 2021. It is certainly a good time to be a fan of Godzilla and Japanese giants.
Source: Kyodo News
