The Houkoku logging company is cutting down trees when a tractor hits a large rock formation. The supervisor of the operation, Yuichi Goto, finds a metal symbol embedded in the rock. He digs it out and takes it home for his daughter Wakaba.
What Yuichi doesn’t know is that millions of years ago a space monster called Desghidorah came to Earth to strip it of its life force. Desghidorah is a three headed dragon monster. At that time there was a race of Mothra creatures that fought with the alien dragon. They managed to seal it in a magical prison beneath the Earth. The battle resulted in only one remaining Mothra. The last Mothra laid an egg to preserve her species. Now, exhausted the old Mothra is unable to defend the Earth should Desghidorah be released from its tomb.
At the same time the Mothras were around there was also a race call Elias. The Elias were tiny humanoid beings. There are three Elias left in the world. Of the remaining Elias, Moll and Lora are good but Belvera is evil. Belvera believes that mankind will destroy the last of the Elias and wishes to destroy them first.
The seal is magical and keeps Desghidorah trapped. When Yuichi dug it out he brought about a chain of events that will release the demon. Belvera takes Garugaru, a robotic dragon, and flies to Yuchi’s home. She places a spell on Wakaba and takes the seal from her. Moll and Lora go after her riding a fairy moth to try to get the seal back. Unfortunately they are not successful and Belvera uses the seal to release Desghidorah from its prison.
With Desghidorah on a rampage sucking all the energy out of the Earth, Mothra tries to do battle but is exhausted and in no shape to defeat Desghidorah. The egg responds to Mothra’s waning life and hatches early. The Mothra larva, known as Mothra Leo, attacks using its silk. Eventually Desghidorah overcomes the young Mothra larva and its mother tries to come to its rescue. With the last of her strength, Mothra takes her baby to safety in the ocean. She then dies and sinks down to the ocean depths. Mothra Leo swims off to transform into the new Mothra and once again due battle with Desghidorah.
“Rebirth of Mothra” was released in 1996 and was directed by Okihiro Yoneda. This is a re-boot of the Mothra Kaiju by TOHO studios and is the first in the new Mothra trilogy.
Desghidorah looks a little like King Ghidorah just not quite as impressive in size or as dazzling in color. Although not as big as King Ghidorah its still sufficiently nasty looking. Perhaps even more so.
The Elias are no longer called Shobijin (Small beauties) and they are no longer twins but are still sisters. The Elias, instead of being priestesses or fairies are the last of a race of tiny humans. They can still commune with Mothra telepathically and they still sing the Mothra song created by Yuji Koseki as well as a couple new songs. Belvera is their older sister.
Mothra Leo is a male Mothra. There had been male Mothra’s before but they were usually part of a set of twins with the other twin being a female. The death of the mother Mothra is actually a sad part of the film. Mothra has, so far, been in fifteen films. As a Kaiju she is second only to Godzilla. Up until the Mothra trilogy Mothra was a female. It figures that when she gets her own movies she is replaced by a male.
The movie was a little more subdued than a Godzilla movie would be and actually a little sad in parts. Many think it is geared more towards children and that’s possible. If it is then it’s almost like watching “Bambi” 1942 when his mother dies. Only in this one there’s a three headed death dragon wanting to kill both your mother and you. And I don’t think that Bambi comes back when he’s an adult and kills the hunter that killed his mom. Granted it’s not as much the tear jerked Bambi is but it does have some sad parts.
English dubbed