Mosura
(Mothra )
1961
Another Ishiro Honda allegory filled classic.
Nuclear tests are being done, once again in a Pacific Paradise. This one is named Infant Island, and is being bombed by the nation of Rosilica. (Boo! Hiss! ... Huh?) Guys shipwrecked on the island mysteriously survive without radiation sickness. They attribute this to the juice (likely made of berries one would assume) the natives gave them.
A group including a Plucky Reporter and awesome scientist Chujo (who will return with his family in a future story) go to investigate. They find a lot of radiation damage, except for a tiny jungle paradise section inhabited by natives with fake tans (to be polite about it) and funny hats. The Shobijin are there! WOO! Most of the group decides to leave the locals in peace and work on their request of not having their homeland get the snot bombed out of it for no reason.
Sadly, part of the expedition was Evil Capitalist from Roslica. (Hmmm, I wonder what country that was supposed to symbolize?) He returns to Infant with equally evil friends, shoots some natives and captures the Shobijin. (Again, Boo! Hiss!) He ignores the fact that the Islanders have a giant egg, which will probably be important later.
Evil Capitalist puts the tiny girls in a show, and charges people to hear them sing. Not only are they teeny and musical, they are also telepathic and reach out to Plucky Reporter and Chujo because their other rescue option leads to a lot of urban redevelopment. Sadly, our human heroes are good hearted, but kind of useless. Therefore, The Shobijin telepathically join the Infant Islanders for a sing along. WOO!
Their giant egg hatches and an equally giant caterpillar emerges. She swims VERY SLOWLY for a VERY LONG TIME from Infant to Japan. On the way she passes through a cruise ship, some military attacks and (after landfall) quite a few buildings. She fails to find the Shobijin, because, being a giant caterpillar, locating a small suitcase in a large metropolitan area is beyond her. Mosura (for it is she) makes an enormous cocoon leaning against poor, abused Tokyo tower. Whether it is peanut shaped as a reference to the Shobijin actresses is an exercise left for the viewer.
Plucky Reporter and Chujo finally turn the people of Japan against the Evil Capitalist (Boo! Hiss! once again!) and demand the twin fairies' release. However, being an Evil Capitalist, he throws them in their case and runs off like the Evil Capitalist weasel he is.
Mosura hatches and is a giant moth.
I know, shocking.
She's freakishly giant in this outing having a whopping 250 meter wingspan.
(That length is equal to FIVE GODZILLAS!)
Our heroes get the twins back after a police chase ends Evil Capitalist. (Woo!) Chujo is given custody, and has no idea how to get the attention of the enormous insect creating hurricane force winds as it flitters about hunting for its teeny friends...
with less efficiency than she did as a caterpillar.
Fortunately, a conveniently placed church reminds Chujo he saw the Mosura Signal (which I did not make up) back on Infant Island.
Then there is much singing (woo!) bell ringing, and the painting of a colossal Mosura Signal on an equally conveniently placed airport runway.
Astonishingly, this works. Mosura lands, picks up the Shobijin (somehow) and flies back to Infant Island using "gentle mode" because she's suddenly stopped generating hurricane force winds while flying.
Click for Rodan (after the Christmas Shenanigans) if you're like me and never remember the order of these two films.
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