Godzilla is a giant monster, or kaiju, based on Toho Co., Ltd.'s character of the same name. The character first appeared in the 1998 film Godzilla, released by TriStar Pictures. Designed by Patrick Tatopoulos, he was modeled after iguanas with a slim theropod appearance rather than the thick, bipedal designs of Toho's Godzilla. He is the second incarnation of Godzilla to be created by an American studio, after Hanna-Barbera's 1978 animated series Godzilla.