logo
GODZILLA MINUS ONE Director Takashi Yamazaki Is Bringing Kaiju Chaos to a New Theme Park Ride — GeekTyrant

GODZILLA MINUS ONE Director Takashi Yamazaki Is Bringing Kaiju Chaos to a New Theme Park Ride — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant09-05-2025

The Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Godzilla Minus One , Takashi Yamazaki, isn't just diving into a sequel, he's also stepping into the world of theme park thrills with a brand-new ride that puts fans face-to-face with the King of the Monsters.
Premiering this summer in Japan at the Seibuen Amusement Park, Godzilla The Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle is gearing up to be a next-level kaiju experience, and Yamazaki is directing original footage for it.
It will eventually roll out to other locations using the 'iRide system,' and Yamazaki is directing new original footage for it.
While Toho International is keeping plot details under wraps, they've promised a bigger and bolder experience than the first Godzilla the Ride .
According to the official release: 'While there are few specifics about the content of the new attraction, the plan is for the scope and scale to surpass that of the original acclaimed theme park experience, offering fans once again an experience unlike anything they've ever witnessed featuring the King of the Monsters.'
Yamazaki seems more than ready to deliver, and said: 'I'm thrilled to return to Godzilla's world from the passenger seat. What powerful foes will emerge? Where will this ride take us next?
'As a ride enthusiast myself, I can't wait for my first spin—and I'm working day and night with our team to make this the most terrifying ride in the world.'
Yamazaki has also teased before that he'd love to introduce new kaiju to the Minus One universe, though which monstrous guest stars might crash this ride is anyone's guess. With a legacy of enemies like King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Hedorah, and Biollante to draw from, there's no shortage of nightmare fuel.
And this is just one piece of Godzilla's ever-expanding empire. Legendary's MonsterVerse is set to continue in 2027 with a third Godzilla x Kong film. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ is deep into season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters , and teasing a still-mysterious spin-off series.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Miyu Backs Bittersweet Coming-of-Age Tale ‘We Are Aliens' From Music Video Maestro Kohei Kadowaki (EXCLUSIVE)
Miyu Backs Bittersweet Coming-of-Age Tale ‘We Are Aliens' From Music Video Maestro Kohei Kadowaki (EXCLUSIVE)

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Miyu Backs Bittersweet Coming-of-Age Tale ‘We Are Aliens' From Music Video Maestro Kohei Kadowaki (EXCLUSIVE)

French animation powerhouse Miyu Productions has teamed with Tokyo-based upstart Nothing New to co-produce 'We Are Aliens,' a coming-of-age tale now in development, and slated for completion by March 2026. The project marks the first animated feature from 28-year-old director Kohei Kadowaki, best known for his visually striking music videos for chart-topping acts like Yoasobi and for his experimental blend of live-action and animation. More from Variety 'Odd Taxi's' Baku Kinoshita on His Melancholic Feature Debut 'The Last Blossom,' Premiering in Annecy Sentient Acorns, Badass Grandmas and Underwater Knights Feature Among MIFA's 2025 Feature Pitches Key Latin America Animation Titles to Come Under the Spotlight at Annecy-MIFA's La Liga Focus 'We Are Aliens' tells the story of two boys, Tsubasa and Gyotaro. Tsubasa is quiet and serious, while Gyotaro is a cheerful genius. As kids, they were close friends, but jealousy and misunderstandings drove them apart. Years later, their lives have gone in different directions—but when memories from the past come back, both must face what happened between them. 'This film turns the spotlight on the half of adolescence anime rarely touches,' says director Kohei Kadowaki, promising a bittersweet film redolent in both pain and joy. 'Through children's quarrels and first loves—small events in a small place—the film poses universal questions: What does it mean to grow old? What is happiness? By affirming the Tsubasa and Gyotaro that dwell in every heart, it aims to become a story cherished across time and borders.' 'We are constantly seeking bold, singular voices in animation,' add Miyu producers Emmanuel-Alain Raynal and Pierre Baussaron. 'From the moment we saw the first images of 'We Are Aliens,' we were convinced of the strength of the project—and that we were witnessing the emergence of a major new voice in global animation.' Miyu Productions previously collaborated with Tokyo-based Shin-Ei Animation on 'Ghost Cat Anzu,' which premiered out of Directors' Fortnight at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Miyu's new partnership with Nothing New was born of that same trip down the Croisette, where the two companies connected over a shared commitment to ambitious, director-driven animation. 'We met our like-minded partners during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and have since held detailed discussions,' says Nothing New producer Kentaro Hayashi. 'It is an honor to announce our collaboration at this juncture, and we will continue working together to deliver this film to the widest possible audience. [Director] Kohei combines breathtaking visuals with delicate storytelling. With his distinctive style—unlike anything in Japanese animation to date—we intend to set a new benchmark for coming-of-age cinema.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar

‘Odd Taxi's' Baku Kinoshita on His Melancholic Feature Debut ‘The Last Blossom,' Premiering in Annecy
‘Odd Taxi's' Baku Kinoshita on His Melancholic Feature Debut ‘The Last Blossom,' Premiering in Annecy

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

‘Odd Taxi's' Baku Kinoshita on His Melancholic Feature Debut ‘The Last Blossom,' Premiering in Annecy

There's a deep melancholy emanating from 'The Last Blossom,' Baku Kinoshita's anime feature, playing in competition at this year's Annecy Animation Festival. Kinoshita's directorial debut tells the story of Minoru Akutsu, a former yakuza dying in a solitary prison cell after a life sentence. His only company is a potted balsam flower. The filmmaker puts a whimsical twist on a rather dark tale by having that flower converse with Akutsu, who tells it the story of his life before imprisonment. The flower is animated with expressivity and liveliness, speaking to Akutsu and questioning why he didn't take certain paths, as if his own conscience were talking back to him. More from Variety Sentient Acorns, Badass Grandmas and Underwater Knights Feature Among MIFA's 2025 Feature Pitches Key Latin America Animation Titles to Come Under the Spotlight at Annecy-MIFA's La Liga Focus 'Edmond and Lucy' Returns With Season 2 From MIAM! Animation: Feature Adaptation in Development Variety spoke to Kinoshita about the adjustments of making a first feature following the film's screening at the festival. When 'Odd Taxi' came out, many people compared it to Martin Scorsese's work. I wondered what character dramas you had in mind for 'The Last Blossom.' A friend told me it reminded them of Takeshi Kitano. Exactly that. I love Scorsese and Takeshi Kitano has been a big, big influence on me, and so I guess with this, yeah, I was influenced by [Kitano]'s worldview and the way he structures his stories, the way the shots are pieced together. With Takeshi Kitano's films, you might have a blue sky and lovely sunny sky and some beautiful greenery, and then behind the bushes someone's being murdered, 'cause it doesn't matter what the weather's like or if someone's being murdered. It gives you a sense of truth or reality. It's quite a sorrowful story. Why did you want to tell it? I like this idea of finding release from something restraining you psychologically. It was the same in 'Odd Taxi' and in 'The Last Blossom,' and I got to share that with the screenwriter [Kazuya Konomoto] as well. So, while this film is about a yakuza, the heart of the story is showing the life of someone who's kind of gone off the rails in society. So yes, his job is being a yakuza, but I wanted to focus on his life and, you know, the space that he lives in, how he talks to his family, what his interests are. The animation is very reserved; in much of the film, there's a lot of stillness, but here you have this character of a very animated balsam flower. Since the rest of the film is more realistic in tone, I wanted to ask what inspired you to have this kind of character. I wanted the flower to be the opposite character to Akutsu. I thought it would be an attractive contrast if I made this huge gap between their characters. Well, maybe it's obvious, but Akutsu doesn't change shape or take different forms; he's very quiet, whereas the flower is funny and flexible and has a lot of freedom, very animated, as you say. I thought the freer I made the flower, the bigger the contrast with Akutsu, and the more his particular characteristics would stand out, which in turn makes the characteristics of the flower more obvious. And so for me, it was very important to create the atmosphere of the film by making the flower very elastic. Speaking of that atmosphere, I remember in your work-in-progress session from last year you spoke about the film being about 'stillness, movement and stillness' in its rhythm, and I wanted to ask your thoughts on the most important way of creating that rhythm. I think – and this is sort of instinctive – but you'll see that after there's a really still scene, sometimes I'd put in a burst of action without anything in between. So just quiet, quiet, and then action. I've done that on a few occasions throughout the film, to stop the audience getting… bored? That's intentional, and it's also kind of instinctive, but it's very important, I think, for the rhythm of the film. Zooming out a little bit, were there any major adjustments from directing a series to directing a feature? A film is just much shorter, and that means that you can focus much more on every single shot, which makes it feel like you're doing something worth doing, because you can put so much energy into the quality that you're creating. Was there a moment during the 'The Last Blossom' production that made you realize that? Well, with this film, I checked every single frame. All the background art, all the character movement, every inch of every frame I checked myself. So it was just a different level of detail in the checking that I did, a different quality and a different quantity. 'The Last Blossom' is grounded and original. In animation, it's often difficult to get an original drama, let alone one this understated, off the ground. Well, I do feel that I was very, very lucky to get the opportunity to make an original animation like this. I've always wanted to make animation that doesn't exist in Japan or hasn't existed in Japan in the past. I also thought that I had a chance with this and that there was probably someone out there who wanted to see this film. Going back to the process of making the film, you spoke before about referring to anime from the '80s in terms of the tone of the sequences set in the past. Could you discuss how you went about that? For example, with the background arts, I used vivid, close-to-primary colors. I wanted to rely as little as possible on filming effects, so with the background colors I referenced films like – well, it wasn't from that long ago – but 'Lilo and Stitch' and its use of strong color. A lot of this process sounds like you wanted to be quite restrained in the techniques you're using, you wanted to be economical and straightforward. I can imagine that there's the temptation to keep adding elements. It's tricky for me. Trying a whole bunch of different things is quite risky. My philosophy is to try not to overreach, to make the most beautiful thing I can within my abilities. I did get told off quite a bit from the team for changing things partway, though. For example, after I'd drawn Akutsu's face quite a bit, it gradually got more refined, and I quite liked the way it changed, so then I went back to the beginning and said we had to change him from the beginning. Because this film runs on a theme that's so personal to you, what were you hoping an audience would take away from it? This idea of being released from something that's holding you in. I think, to put it another way, quite simply, it's change, and I see value in people changing. For example, if you have a boy at school who's really shy, really inward-looking, and then the next day he manages to say 'hello.' There's change. It's the same idea that I'm getting at – the opportunity for huge richness, which applies to everybody. No matter how small the change is. However small the change, I think it's beautiful and worthwhile. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar

‘No Soy Sauce!': Anthony Bourdain's ‘Get Jiro' Introduces Future Where Chefs Have the Most Power – and a Brand New Catchphrase
‘No Soy Sauce!': Anthony Bourdain's ‘Get Jiro' Introduces Future Where Chefs Have the Most Power – and a Brand New Catchphrase

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

‘No Soy Sauce!': Anthony Bourdain's ‘Get Jiro' Introduces Future Where Chefs Have the Most Power – and a Brand New Catchphrase

Based on Anthony Bourdain's graphic novel, the upcoming animated series 'Get Jiro' welcomes the audience into a world where people will literally kill themselves to get into good restaurants. 'The only thing they actually enjoy anymore is eating, so chefs in the future have the most power. They're like influencers, warlords and drug dealers – all the good things together,' said Peter Girardi, EVP at Warner Bros. Animation at an Annecy Festival presentation. More from Variety Sébastien Laudenbach's 'Viva Carmen' Reimagines Bizet's Opera for Contemporary Young Audiences 'Anime is Niche No More': Crunchyroll EVP Mitch Berger Teases 2025 Slate at Annecy Kid Koala Talks Processing Grief Through 'Space Cadet' as His Debut Feature Sells Wide: 'People Keep Telling Me it Made Them Cry' (EXCLUSIVE) Beloved chef, author and host, Bourdain passed away in 2018. He wrote 'Get Jiro!' with Joel Rose, with art by Langdon Foss. 'Tony was a huge fan of Japanese film and television, manga, anime and all the big directors, like Ozu and most importantly, Kurosawa,' added Girardi, presenting the show at Annecy. In the series, overseen by Adult Swim, sushi chef Jiro will need to face two very different villains: Bob and Rose. 'Rose is a vegan, in case you can't tell from her outfit, and Tony had some big thoughts about vegans,' laughed Girardi. In his book 'Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,' Bourdain described vegans as a 'Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.' 'Early on, I said to Tony: 'Why did you give Rose that crazy hat?' He said: I don't like vegans.' This is really a big commentary on Anthony's view of the culinary world, which got pretty dark at times.' While the team played with various references, from Kurosawa's 'Yojimbo' to 'Mindgame,' Golgo 13, 'Scavengers Reign,' Moebius, Geof Darrow and classic Westerns, they decided to go into a more grounded direction. 'We love the graphic novel, but we wanted to change some of the forms [and opt for] more realistic proportions. The kinds of stories we're telling are very emotional, it's a real character arc and there's real consequences to the violence,' explained Girardi. They also ended up with a 'more grizzled and world-wearier' Jiro, said director Rick Morales, with Girardi adding: 'Tony was still around for this and agreed. Jiro's not Batman. He's just this in-shape sushi chef. We all know one of those.' Introducing new characters and expanding the universe where 'cuisines are like cartels' was intriguing: 'They had to demolish LA to rebuild it into this food ring mecca thing,' said art director Jonathan Hoekstra. But it's not a 'Blade Runner' future, assured Girardi. 'At that point, Tony was no longer alive, so we went to Joel. It's dystopian, but not a lot, although the haves and the have-nots are much more separated. There's an inner ring where all the fancy restaurants are, and people will murder each other to get a reservation. Then there's a middle ring, with restaurants like Olive Garden – my grandmother would kick me in the shins if she heard me say that name – and then on the outer ring, it's a wasteland. That's where Jiro's at.' Still, getting the food right was their biggest goal. 'We worked on developing food styles as hard as we did on character designs,' admitted Morales. 'I've never worked on a show that incorporated cooking in any real way, but my wife and I are watching a lot of Food Network. It felt interesting to combine this samurai chef with real cooking elements.' Girardi observed: 'Tony said that all the stuff in the kitchen and the way the food is prepared had to be right. It had to be the right kind of spoon, the right pot. If we were going to prepare sushi in the show, people should be able to use that as a recipe. It was a skill we had to learn.' They also worked with culinary consultants, including Matt Goulding, who collaborated with Bourdain on his shows. 'We would have something in the script about food preparation and he would do a review, checking if our technique was proper. He would tell us how to twirl noodles before you put them on a plate or how a real sushi chef wouldn't have blood on his cutting board. This is the Anthony Bourdain show. The food had to be accurate,' said Morales. While Hoekstra snuck into actual kitchens to take photos, real-life chefs will be featured as well. That includes Eric Ripert, David Chang and José Andrés cast as 'villains, friends or people getting murdered,' explained Girardi. 'We are doing it to honor Tony's memory, too,' he added, before treating the audience to the very first footage and a new catchphrase that might rival 'I am not drinking any fucking Merlot!' from 'Sideways.' Turns out, there's only one thing chef Jiro has absolutely no tolerance for: 'No soy sauce!' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store