Japan plans huge Studio Ghibli theme park, bringing to life the fantasy worlds of Totoro, Kiki and more
The park is set to open near Nagoya in 2022, featuring rides and forest trails based on the beloved works of animator Hayao Miyazaki
The fantasy world of Oscar-winning animator Hayao Miyazaki will come to life as a theme park set to open in central Japan in 2022, the regional government said Wednesday.
Miyazaki is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Japan’s premier animation studio, and renowned internationally for works including Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.
Studio Ghibli has released a basic concept for the vast park to be built by 2022 near Nagoya in Japan’s Aichi region.
It will feature rides and forest trails based on the master animator’s fantasy films, including the immensely popular My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle, according to the Aichi government.
The park will also be dotted with the European-themed brick towers that appear frequently in Miyazaki’s work, as well as giant installations of spider- and boar-shaped spirits in imaginary landscapes that evoke Japan’s mythical and idyllic past.