Google honors Ultraman creator's birthday with interactive Doodle

 

 

What better way to celebrate the 114th birth anniversary of Ultraman's creator than with an Ultraman-themed video doodle?

 

Google did just that on Tuesday, with a lengthy interactive doodle tribute to Eiji Tsuburaya, who pioneered the "Tokusatsu" live-action genre, which is credited for spawning similar shows in the US like "Power Rangers."

 

Visitors to Google's home page will be treated to an interactive doodle showing how the live-action "Tokusatsu" shows are made.

 

The doodle credited Tsuburaya as a "quiet pioneer" who created Ultraman, co-created Godzilla, "and brought Tokusatsu to the global cinematic mainstream."

 

"Director Eiji Tsuburaya is best known for the famous characters he brought to life, like Ultraman... It’s fascinating to me how long-lasting the results of his work has been – it’s easy to see remnants of the Tokusatsu style in Benicio Del Toro’s Pacific Rim, Evangelion, and even the Power Rangers," said doodler Jennifer Hom.

Click here to try the Tokusasu maker Google Doodle yourself.
 

Hom said their construction process involves their costumes and props made by hand, in a secret studio.

 

"And there was a palpable respect for the tradition and legacy that they’re upholding through their craft,” she said.

 

She added she wanted the tribute doodle to "show how fun, fast, and totally chaotic the Tokusatsu filmmaking process can be."

 

Hom said she thought it would be more interesting and engaging to recreate the filmmaking experience from scratch, showing creative challenges Tsuburaya had to face.

 

Hom also said their challenge in creating the doodle was to make sure the beasts "were both charming and Googley, and that the mini-challenges were appropriately fun and frantic!”

 

Other doodlers in the team included Mark Holmes and Olivia Huynh. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News