Toho Studios, the company that created Godzilla back in the 1950s, has a long history of using practical effects with great success. In fact, the Japanese Godzilla films used an actor in a Godzilla suit for all their movies up until “Godzilla: Final Wars” in 2004. In 2016’s “Shin Godzilla,” VFX artists used CGI to create the iconic monster, though an earlier version of Godzilla was created in puppet form. As shown in this behind-the-scenes video, the large puppet came to life using remote controls and a weighted pulley system. This puppet wasn’t put to work in the final product, but it’s an impressive creation nonetheless.
Though co-director Hideaki Anno previously worked on several Tokusatsu shows, which use live-action practical effects, CGI was the name of the game for “Shin Godzilla.” Atsuki Sato, the VFX supervisor for the film, shared that none of the animatronics they created made it into the final product.
They did have an actor do motion capture acting for Godzilla, which helped bring the creature to life. Instead of basing Godzilla on real animals, the director wanted Godzilla to “have the texture of rubber,” which harkens back to the material of some of the early Godzilla suits. All in all, this CGI Godzilla appears for 18 minutes and 8 seconds, which accounts for 15% percent of the movie.