Mothra! Godzilla creators reportedly taking Honda to court over Odyssey ad [w/video]

Honda is feeling the heat of anger Godzilla at the moment. No, for once we are not talking about the Nissan GT-R, but the real star of the daikaijū almost 30 films. The Japanese company, the rights to Godzilla and produces the corresponding films Toho Co. and according to Automotive News, it's not very happy with a recent commercial for the 2011 Honda Odyssey.
The ad, entitled "The Van Beckons" shows a man walking out of a grocery store where he is confronted by the 2011 Honda Odyssey. The attempt to show that a minivan can be male, is Judas Priest The Hellion plays during pyrotechnics ignite the vehicle. The camera moves to show in Honda-widescreen monitor which is displaying an image of a heavy metal band on one side and Godzilla on the other.
This shot of Godzilla's what Toho Co. a little annoying, there was the use of its star lizard apparently not licensed. Toho Co. has a restraining order with the Los Angeles Federal District Court stating Honda has filed violated his copyright-protected material. For its part, Honda does not have a comment regarding the legal aspects of the matter, but one finds that the commercial be exposed issued. Click past the jump to see the place and see for yourself why Toho Co. legal breathes fire at Honda.

Review: 2011 Honda Odyssey

While we shouldn't be shocked by anything coming out of Madison Avenue, part of me is incensed to hear Honda using Judas Priest to advertise its new Odyssey. That's right, the opening riff of the greatest album from the gods of heavy metal deployed, not in the service of Satan, but to sell a minivan?

While the 18-year-old headbanger in me would like to stand up and rail against Honda ("If you think you're going to make me think your stupid soccer mom taxi is cool, well, You've Got Another Thing Coming!"), the truth of the matter is that Honda's ad agency nailed it. We're not teenagers anymore. We've grown up and had families. I even own a minivan, and, indeed, there is at least one Judas Priest CD that lives in the center console. And after driving the new Odyssey for a week, I have serious van envy. Honda has crafted the ultimate, state-of-the-art people mover, even if it's not much more than some flashy design and incremental improvements in areas like powertrain, fuel efficiency and equipment.

The biggest changes in the redesigned Odyssey are obvious at first glance, as it no longer looks so much like a conventional minivan. Honda's ideas on styling have been polarizing as of late (read: the Accord Crosstour is ugly as sin), so it's smart that the company chose the Civic as the donor of the new minivan's face. The venerable compact is still the most complete and fluid execution of modern Honda design language, and what it lends to the Odyssey works to make Honda's largest vehicle appear smaller and sleeker. It helps that the Odyssey has a lower and much wider stance, having been stretched over two inches across.