Rebirth of Mothra
Rebirth of Mothra is a 1996 Japanese kaiju film directed by Okihiro Yoneda, with special effects by Kōichi Kawakita. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, the film serves as a reboot for the fictional giant monster character Mothra, and is the first installment in the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy. It was the final kaiju film produced under the supervision of Tomoyuki Tanaka, who produced such films as the original Mothra, which was released in 1961, as well as every film in the Godzilla franchise up to this point. He died of a stroke several months after the film's release.
Rebirth of Mothra stars Sayaka Yamaguchi, Megumi Kobayashi, Aki Hano, and Kazuki Futami. It was released theatrically in Japan on December 14, 1996. It was followed in 1997 by Rebirth of Mothra II.
Plot
Millions of years prior, a giant three-headed space dragon called Desghidorah arrives on Earth and battles a species of enormous and highly advanced moths who serve as protectors of the "Elias", a race of tiny, humanoid beings. After the battle, Desghidorah is defeated and sealed under the Earth while three Elias, the benevolent Moll and Lora and the vengeful Belvera, and one moth, Mothra, remain.In the present, as Mothra exhausts energy to lay an egg and preserve her species, a logging company uncovers Desghidorah's subterranean prison and inadvertently break the seal containing it. Moll and Lora sensed something was awry and goes to Japan to investigate. One of the workers, Yuichi Goto, takes the seal home and gives it to his young daughter Wakaba as a souvenir. Taking advantage, Belvera, believing humans are the enemy, controls Wakaba, and makes her torture her brother Taiki. Moll, Lora, and a smaller Mothra named Fairy battle Belvera for control of the artifact, though Belvera prevails. Moll and Lora befriend Taiki, Wakaba, and their mom and they all travel to the site containing the seal in hopes of stopping Belvera. But she releases Desghidorah and uses him to help her destroy humanity before they can destroy her race.
As the dragon drains the environment's lifeforce, Mothra is summoned to fight it despite her condition. Amidst the battle, Mothra's larva senses her mother's deteriorating strength and hatches prematurely to help her. Though her energized silk seems to turn the tide of battle, Desghidorah bites the larva and drains its energy. Desperate, Mothra airlifts her child to safety and lures the dragon to a dam to distract it. After lowering her child into the sea, Mothra collapses from her age, wounds, and weariness and sinks to her death. The distraught larva attempts to save her mother, but to no avail, and swims away. Moll and Lora are able to take the seal back from Belvera, and give it to Taiki and Wakaba for safekeeping while they search for the larva.
Angered, the young moth creates a cocoon and metamorphoses while Desghidorah goes on a rampage. While Taiki and Wakaba are witnessing the destruction left in the wake of the monster, Moll and Lora encourage them not to lose hope. Soon after, the new Mothra emerges in her imago form and battles Desghidorah. Drawing upon an ancient legacy, Mothra eventually renews the seal that originally bound the dragon, defeating him, and saving Earth. Belvera then escapes, vowing for revenge. After restoring a blasted region he had destroyed, Mothra travels to her ancestral home as Moll and Lora thank the children for helping them and return home to Infant Island with Fairy.
Cast
- Sayaka Yamaguchi as
- Megumi Kobayashi as
- Aki Hano as
- Kazuki Futami as
- Maya Fujisawa as
- Kenjiro Nashimoto as
- Hitomi Takahashi as
- Mizuho Yoshida as King Ghidorah