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franchise is a series of films, television programs, and other media productions featuring the character Godzilla, created and owned by Toho. It is recognized by Guinness World Records to be the longest continuously running movie franchise, having been in on-going production from 1954 to the present day (with several hiatuses).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=TRANSLATION: Guinness World Records® certification )〕 The film franchise consists of 28 films produced by Toho (three of which had American adaptations) and two Hollywood reboots.〔(Geek Lust, Alex Langley, Page 127 )〕 A reboot by Toho is scheduled to be released in 2016〔 while Legendary Pictures is proceeding with a shared cinematic franchise of their own with their second Godzilla film set for a June 2018 release〔 while a cross-over film with King Kong is targeted for a 2020 release date.〔 The first film, ''Godzilla'', directed by Ishirō Honda, is an early and influential classic in the genre and was initially released by Toho in 1954. Utilizing an atomic bomb incident to unleash the monster, the film tapped into political undertones and feelings common to Japan at the time. The original introduced an acclaimed music score by Akira Ifukube, which was reused in many of the later films. The original also introduced the work of Toho special effects master Eiji Tsuburaya who used miniatures and "suit-mation" to convey the large scale of the monster and its destruction. For its North American release, the film was reworked as an adaptation and released in 1956 as ''Godzilla, King of the Monsters!''. The film featured new footage with Raymond Burr edited together with the original Japanese footage. This "Americanized" version was released internationally, becoming a widespread and long-time commercial success and the only version of the original Godzilla film available outside of Japan until 2004. Toho was inspired to make the original ''Godzilla'' after the commercial success of the 1952 re-release of ''King Kong'', and the 1953 success of ''The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms''. The success of the ''Godzilla'' series itself would go on to inspire ''Gorgo'', ''Gamera'', ''Yonggary'', and many other monster films worldwide. The popularity of the films has led to the introduction of the character in other media such as television, music, literature, and video games. Its character has been one of the most recognizable symbols in Japanese popular culture worldwide and remains an well-known facet of Japanese films, and was the first example of the popular ''kaiju'' and ''tokusatsu'' subgenres in Japanese entertainment. The tone and themes of the individual films vary widely. Several of the films have political themes, others have dark tones, complex internal mythology, or are simple action movies featuring aliens or other monsters, while others have simpler themes accessible to children. Godzilla's role varies from purely a destructive force to an ally of humans, or a protector of Japanese values, or a hero to children. The name Godzilla is a Romanization of the original Japanese name Gojira—which is a combination of two Japanese words: ''gorira'' (ゴリラ), "gorilla", and ''kujira'' (クジラ), "whale". The word alludes to the size, power and aquatic origin of Godzilla. As developed by Toho, the monster is an offshoot of the combination of radioactivity and ancient dinosaur-like creatures, indestructible and possessing special powers. ==History== The ''Godzilla'' film series is broken into three eras reflecting a characteristic style and corresponding to the same eras used to classify all kaiju eiga (monster movies) in Japan. The first two eras refer to the Japanese emperor during production: the Shōwa era, and the Heisei era. The third is called the Millennium era as the emperor (Heisei) is the same but these films are considered to have a different style and storyline than the Heisei era. Over the series history, the films have reflected the social and political climate in Japan. In the original film, Godzilla was an allegory for the effects of the hydrogen bomb, and the consequences that such weapons might have on earth.〔Godzilla 1954 Toho〕〔The Return of Godzilla 1984 Toho〕 The radioactive contamination of the Japanese fishing boat ''Daigo Fukuryū Maru'' through the United States' Castle Bravo thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll, on March 1, 1954 led to much press coverage in Japan preceding the release of the first movie in 1954. The Heisei and Millennium series have largely continued this concept. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Godzilla (franchise)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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