Rebirth of Mothra 1996

Rebirth of Mothra  (モスラ  Mosura , lit. " Mothra ") is a  1996   tokusatsu   kaiju film  directed by  Okihiro Yoneda  and written by  Masami Suetani  from a story by  Tomoyuki Tanaka , with special effects by  Koichi Kawakita . Produced by  Toho Pictures  with special effects produced by  Toho Eizo Bijutsu , it is the first entry in the  Rebirth of Mothra  trilogy. It stars Sayaka Yamaguchi,  Megumi Kobayashi , Aki Hano, Kazuki Futami, Maya Fujisawa, Hitomi Takahashi, and Kenjiro Nashimoto. The film was released to  Japanese  theaters by  Toho  on December 14, 1996.  Columbia TriStar Home Video  released an English-dubbed version of the film on VHS and DVD in North America in  2000 , with the DVD part of a double feature with its sequel,  Rebirth of Mothra 2 . Following the suspension of the  Godzilla  series  the previous year, Toho developed a film focusing on its second-most popular monster,  Mothra . Set in a continuity unconnected to any previous films,  Rebirth of Mothra  sees the  titular goddess  summon an egg in her old age to carry on her legacy after her impending death. Meanwhile, a logging company in  Hokkaido  unwittingly uncovers the tomb of the evil space monster  Desghidorah . Belvera, the evil  Elias  sister bent on the destruction of  mankind , intends to use the monster to achieve her goals. With the help of two children and their miniature guardian  Fairy , Belvera's sisters Moll and Lora call upon Mothra to stop Desghidorah and ensure humanity's future. But when Mothra seems hopelessly outmatched, her  larval son  hatches prematurely and joins the battle. Rebirth of Mothra  became the first entry of a trilogy with the next entry,  Rebirth of Mothra 2 , released the following year. A giant, mysterious rock is discovered by the Houkoku logging company in  Hokkaido . Embedded in the rock is a symbol, which when tampered with by an employee breaks a magical seal that traps the ancient three-headed  kaiju   Desghidorah . The  Elias  sisters Moll and Lora are immediately aware of this, and their evil sister Belvera is too. The twins call upon  Fairy , a small moth, to help them retrieve the seal and stop Desghidorah from being freed by Belvera, who plans to take the seal for herself and make the evil kaiju destroy  humanity . Meanwhile, Yuichi Goto, one of the logging company workers, returns home late and gives the seal to his daughter Wakaba, unaware of its importance. He is scolded by his wife Makiko, and it is evident that their family isn’t stable due to his working hours. That night, Belvera visits Wakaba, who is wearing the seal on a necklace, and hypnotizes her. Imbued with psychic powers, Wakaba terrorizes her brother Taiki the following morning and throws him around the room before he eventually escapes to leave for school. Yuichi leaves for work in Hokkaido at some point. Worried about his sister, Taiki decides to return home, and encounters Belvera and her pet dragon  Garugaru , who sends a dog she's controlling after him. Makiko is currently tied up inside the house and Wakaba is mindlessly watching television and eating snacks. Moll and Lora eventually arrive on the scene and save Taiki from the dog, and they decide to help each other infiltrate the house and stop Belvera. Belvera discovers the location of Desghidorah’s tomb in Hokkaido from watching the television, but is distracted by Garugaru finding Taiki. An extended battle sequence between Moll, Lora, and Belvera ensues, the Goto family caught in the middle of it. The fight ends with Fairy being wounded and Belvera escaping with the seal, and Wakaba is broken from her mind control. Moll and Lora explain to the family that Desghidorah is of extra-terrestrial origin and came to Earth 65 million years ago to absorb its energy, but was defeated by the Elias and sealed inside a giant rock in Hokkaido. Unable to reach Hokkaido with Fairy, the Goto family agrees to help the twins get there. Meanwhile at the Hokkaido construction site, a spontaneous explosion occurs that reveals the giant, jagged rock Desghidorah is sealed in. Yuichi, mind-controlled by Belvera, commandeers a caterpillar vehicle packed with dynamite and drives towards the rock structure. A sudden movement causes him to fly out of the vehicle, which continues to drive towards the rock and explodes with the help of Garugaru’s energy blast. Makiko arrives, but it’s already too late, as Belvera uses the seal to awaken Desghidorah from his slumber. Moll and Lora hitch a ride on a kite controlled by Taiki and knock Belvera out of the sky. They retrieve the seal, which they use to restore Fairy. Makiko finds and wakes up an unconscious Yuichi and helps him get away. Having absorbed enough energy from the surrounding area, Desghidorah emerges from the giant rock and goes on a rampage through the forest valley. With no other choice, Moll and Lora decide to call  Mothra , although they worry that she may be unable to stop Desghidorah without the aid of her species. Mothra, sitting atop a giant egg, responds to the Elias' song and sets off to battle Desghidorah. Meanwhile, the Goto family search for each other amidst Desghidorah’s rampage. Mothra arrives on the scene and immediately attacks Desghidorah, but the Elias' worst fears are confirmed when Mothra begins to struggle. Across the sea, the egg Mothra had laid hatches and a  larva  emerges, who sets out to save its mother. Meanwhile, Belvera attacks Wakaba and Taiki, but are saved by a downed Mothra. The two successfully use the seal to restore Mothra’s strength, and the larva finally arrives on the battlefield. The larva’s attacks have no effect on Desghidorah, and the evil three-headed dragon tortures it until Mothra intervenes. The Goto family reunites during the battle. Despite their combined strength, Mothra and her larva are no match for Desghidorah, both getting blown away by its attacks. Mothra tricks Desghidorah into destroying a dam, the ensuing torrent of water engulfing the evil space dragon and distracting it enough for Mothra to use the last of her energy to carry the larva away from the fight. Mothra, dying, interacts with the larva one more time. Moll, Lora, and the Goto family watch on in grief as Mothra sinks into the water, leaving the larva as the only one capable of stopping Desghidorah. Motivated by the loss of its mother, the larva goes off to cocoon itself. Hundreds are injured in Desghidorah's rampage, and the Goto family watches the developments from the television in the hospital. Startlingly, it is reported that Desghidorah has sprouted wings and is now airborne. Elsewhere, the larva has found an ancient 10,000-year-old tree to cocoon itself under. The morning comes and, strengthened by the Elias'  song , Mothra Leo emerges from the cocoon as a swarm of butterflies that form together into one giant moth, fueled with the energy from the ancient tree. Leo immediately sets out to face Desghidorah, and the two clash in an airborne battle, Belvera and the Elias twins caught in the middle. Leo bombards Desghidorah with a variety of multi-colored energy attacks, and for once it seems as though he has the upper-hand instead of the other way around. During the fight, the Elias save Belvera from one of Desghidorah’s attacks. In a climactic final move, Mothra Leo circles Desghidorah from above and forms a circle-shaped energy and, with the help of Taiki throwing the seal, the energy forms a symbol similar to the one on the seal and Desghidorah is sealed away once more. With the great evil gone, Belvera warns Moll and Lora that if they continue to trust humans then they will eventually meet their destruction, and she flees. Taiki and Wakaba are given a ride on Mothra Leo, Yuichi and Makiko reconcile and wonder how humanity’s effect on the environment could affect the planet. Mothra Leo restores color to the forest that Desghidorah stole energy from, leaves returning to dead trees and flowers blooming. Taiki and Wakaba are returned to their parents, and they say their farewells as the Elias and Mothra Leo take off. The kids wave goodbye as Mothra Leo disappears into the distance.