ULTRAMAN: RISING Director Calls Movie a ‘Celebration’ of Family
By Movieguide® Contributor
ULTRAMAN: RISING director and writer Shannon Tindle says his movie is “an honest approach to family.”
The Netflix movie tells the story of “a star athlete [who] reluctantly returns home to take over his father’s duties as Ultraman, shielding Tokyo from giant monsters as he becomes a legendary hero,” per the streamer’s website.
“When I was a kid, I loved sitting on the floor with my parents, watching kung fu movies, GODZILLA, and, most of all, ULTRAMAN. The image of a towering, monster-fighting superhero was forever burned into my brain (and heart) and would eventually inspire this film — a celebration of the iconic superhero and my experiences as both a son and a father,” Tindle said in a statement about the movie.
He continued, “That’s the heart (and theme) of the film — how parents learn as much from their children as their children learn from them.”
When asked what he hopes audiences will take away from ULTRAMAN: RISING, Tindle replied, “I hope they’ll have fun. I hope they’ll come to love Ultraman as much as I do. But most of all, I hope the film opens a dialogue between parents and children.”
“The thing I’m proudest of when people watch it is a unanimous connection with [main character] Ken’s struggles as both a son and a parent,” he continued. “They’re pleasantly surprised by it. It’s something they weren’t expecting from a tentpole superhero film. They love the action, they love the comedy, but the thing they’ve expressed again and again is how much they appreciated the honest approach to family — the messiness of it all. You can’t ask for a better response than that.”
Co-director John Aoshima echoed that sentiment in an interview with Animation Magazine, saying, “It really goes back to what Ultraman as a franchise and the original IP represents. It’s challenging yourself to be better — to be that Ultraman, that ultra self, to do better and inspire people around you to do better.”
ULTRAMAN: RISING premieres on Netflix June 14.
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