Up from the depth!!!
The research vessel the Calico is piloted by Captain Carl Majors with a crew made up of Dr. Quinn Darien, her nephew Peter Darien, and their assistant Brock Borden and is seeking out the mysteries of the world. The crew of the Calico has a powerful ally that lurks just below the surface…with a push of a button, the Calico can summon Godzilla. As Godzilla aids the ship, his nephew Godzooky is learning what it takes to become a protector of humanity. The Calico faces many challenges…but Godzilla can save them!
Godzilla—Season 1 is an animated adventure TV series. The Hanna-Barbera cartoon aired on NBC from September 9, 1978 to December 2, 1978 and was packaged under various forms including The Godzilla Power Hour, The Godzilla Super 90, Godzilla, The Godzilla/Globetrotters Adventure Hour, The Godzilla/Dinomutt Hour, and The Godzilla/Hong Kong Phooey Hour.
Tragedy strikes when Godzilla decides “Today is the day Godzooky dies!”
When I was little, I loved the Godzilla cartoon. I spent a lot of time watching the Godzilla movies on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and on Saturday mornings I tried to always see Godzilla. While the Godzilla cartoon is no great work of art, it is a fun little Hanna-Barbera cartoon in the vein of their other series.
Much of the show has a Jonny Quest set-up. The series generally features a creature mystery or a sci-fi mystery which has the scientific Dr. Darien (Dr. Quest stand-in) looking at something while sparring with Captain Majors (Race Bannon stand-in) as Peter (Jonny stand-in), Brock (Hadji Singh stand-in), and Godzooky (Bandit stand-in) have their adventures. The mysteries and creatures are someone kind of clever than you’d expect from the show, but in some ways I kind of just wish I had more Jonny Quest.
The series has the Calico summoning Godzilla (usually twice) to help them, and in the second summoning, Godzilla usually fights a kaiju. It is pretty predictable and only a few episodes change up the format. I don’t go into Godzilla expecting much more than this, so in general, I’m not disappointed by the results.
I don’t know what the Calico was made of, but that was a solidly built ship
The animation is rather typical and also resembles Jonny Quest more-so than some of Hanna-Barbera’s other ventures at the time like Scooby-Doo or Speed Buggy. The show takes a more realistic approach to the character designs. It does have the habit of reusing a lot of the artwork (especially among Godzilla’s summoning) and I’m sure this cut down on production costs.
As a kid, Godzilla really confused me. In a lot of movies, he was a monster that was destroying cities and wrecking lives. In other movies, he was a hero and fighting monsters bent on destroying civilizations. This entry was probably the most confusing because I never could understand why Godzilla just hung around this boat, followed the boat as they travelled the world, and came when the boat called him (it also always seemed kind of arbitrary when they decided to have Godzilla help…it seems like they could have called him a lot more). I liked this weirdness however, and Godzilla remains a sentimental favorite…even if the cartoon doesn’t make much sense.
Godzilla—Season 1 Complete Episode Guide:
“The Firebird”
1.1 The Firebird Airdate: 09/09/78
A monstrous firebird is birthed from a Pacific volcano and threatens to cause a chain reaction that could ignite all the area’s volcanos. As the Calico investigates, Godzilla could be the world’s only hope.
“The Earth Eater”
1.2 The Earth Eater Airdate: 09/16/78
A trip to San Francisco finds disaster. Something is tunneling under the city and threating to destroy it. When a monster is discovered, Dr. Darien, Captain Majors, Brock Borden, and Pete Darien will need to call on Godzilla to save it.
“Attack of the Stone Creature”
1.3 Attack of the Stone Creature Airdate: 09/23/78
Stone creatures created by Ramal are able to turn desert air into a blizzard in Egypt, and Godzilla must stop them as the crew of the Calico seek answers at the Pyramid of Ramal.
“The Megavolt Monster”
1.4 The Megavolt Monster Airdate: 09/30/78
A tanker is sunk above the Valley Trench by a lightning bolt, and Dr. Quinn hopes it could be a new source of energy…but the creature creating the energy could mean death for the crew of the Calico.
“The Seaweed Monster”
1.5 The Seaweed Monster Airdate: 10/07/78
The Calico encounters a seaweed monster in the Sargasso Sea, but when the monster manages to get aboard the Calico, the danger could be unstoppable.
“The Energy Beast”
1.6 The Energy Beast Airdate: 10/14/78
An energy beast from space poses a threat to the planet by attacking Sundance Mesa Dam. When it assumes the shape of Godzilla, Godzilla must find a way to defeat himself!
“The Colossus of Atlantis”
1.7 The Colossus of Atlantis Airdate: 10/21/78
Atlantis has resurfaced, and the crew of the Calico finds themselves stranded on the abandoned island. Unfortunately, Atlantis has a robot protector, and Godzilla could be the only hope. When Brock and Dr. Quinn are trapped in the past, their fate could be the same as the people of Atlantis.
“The Horror of Forgotten Island”
1.8 The Horror of Forgotten Island Airdate: 10/28/78
The Calico becomes trapped on an island behind a force field, and Godzilla is unable to help when the crew is menaced by a monster from the island.
“Island of Lost Ships”
1.9 Island of Lost Ships Airdate: 11/04/78
Lost in a storm on their way to Greece, the Calico is drawn to an island led by a woman named Morphea. The island might be hiding a secret, and Morphea and her sisters might not be what they appears to be.
“The Magnetic Terror”
1.10 The Magnetic Terror Airdate: 11/11/78
A magnetic monster threatens to disrupt the polar cap, and it is up to the crew of the Calico and Godzilla to stop it.
“The Breeder Beast”
1.11 The Breeder Beast Airdate: 11/18/78
An energy absorbing creature could threaten the world….but the Breeder Beast could only get more powerful if Godzilla attacks him. As the monster attacks Washington, D.C., stopping it could be impossible.
“The Sub-Zero Terror”
1.12 The Sub-Zero Terror Airdate: 11/25/78
An oasis in the middle of the Himalayas has the crew of the Calico searching for information about the myth. Unfortunately, the locals believe that the location is guarded by the mythical Great Watchuka…but there is more to Watchuka than it seems.
“The Time Dragon”
1.13 The Time Dragon Airdate: 12/02/78
The crashing of a radioactive satellite has the crew of the Calico and Godzilla falling into Earth’s past. Trapped, the crew and Godzilla must find a means to return to the future before the prehistoric area is flooded and destroyed.
