Countdown To Godzilla 2014: MogeGoji/DesuGoji Suit

Films: Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994) and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).

The 1994 Godzilla costume was perhaps the best proportioned of the Godzilla suits since Godzilla vs. Biollante. Featuring a stocky, triangular build, broad shoulders and heavy legs, the 1994 Godzilla combined the best featured of the 1992 and 1993 suits. The neck of the 1994 suit was quite wide at the shoulders and featured much less pronounced ribbing. The face of this costume was basically the same as the 1992 and 1993 costumes. However, the eyes of the 1994 Godzilla appeared bigger than those of the previous suits, while the white areas of the eyes become more pronounced, thus giving this suit a slightly less menacing expression than its predecessors. The head of the 1994 Godzilla could also fully rotate independently of the body. However, this new feature was barely seen in the final film, perhaps because it caused a visible fold in the nape of costume’s neck.

The 1994 Godzilla suit was employed again for Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. To create the critical mass appearance of Godzilla for this movie, sections of the costume were removed and approximately 200 tiny orange light bulbs were inserted. These areas were then covered with semi-transparent vinyl plates. The suit was also fitted with a mechanism that allowed steam to pour from various parts of Godzilla’s body. The eyes were also modified to glow electronically. When enhanced with computer graphics, these changes to the 1994 Godzilla suit made the image of Godzilla reaching critical mass appear very convincing. Incidentally, Godzilla actor Ken Satsuma reported that the steam generated from the costume was pure carbon monoxide and that it caused him to faint several times during filming.