What was the inspiration for Godzilla?

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The first movie to popularize the idea that nuclear weapons could “awaken” something monstrous was The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. It is cited as having inspired the movie Godzilla. Based in part on a short story by Ray Bradbury and with stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen, Beast was one of the top grossing films of 1953. (This editor saw it several times on tv as a kid and loved it.)