The History of Cosplay: Cosplanet

Cosplay is still a pretty nerdy hobby, but its popularity has exploded in recent times. A new crowdfunded effort from Respect Films wants to tell the story of its massive rise in a documentary they’re calling Cosplanet.

The idea for the project came about during the filming of She Makes Comics, which examined the influence of women on the comic book industry. The producers explain that there was a lot of material left on the cutting room about cosplay after they finished their film, and it inspired them to take it up as their next subject.

Respect Films has put together a great trailer for their new effort, with shots of some amazingly intricate and realistic costumes from recent events. However, some of the most interesting aspects in the preview are clips with longtime cosplayers discussing what it was like before the movement really took off. Two great examples one woman recalls involve a person covering themselves with peanut butter and showing up at an event as a piece of poo, and another who arrived as Eve wearing nothing but a giant snake. The trailer even has an excerpt of their interview with Stan Lee, who comments on how much more sophisticated and elaborate the fans’ costumes have become (even though it’s not hard to be more elaborate than a piece of poo).

The project still has a ways to go until it’s fully funded, so check it out and pitch in if you want to help it reach the finish line.