Studio Ghibli is legendary in the sheer amount of animated masterpieces that they’ve created. From Spirited Away to Princess Mononoke to Ponyo, the animation house continues to create some of the most critically acclaimed and financially successful animated films in their corner of the world. Building upon their success, Ghibli intends to follow the path of Disney by creating its own Theme Park, with more details and a first look at a tentative theme for the park. Let’s see if your favorite Ghibli film will receive its own attraction!
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The governor of the Aichi Prefecture, Hideaki Ohmura, released a look at the first logo for the park on his Twitter Account:
今回の合同記者会見にあたって、スタジオジブリの鈴木総合プロデューサーがサプライズで用意してくださったジブリパークのロゴです。「ジブリ」の文字は宮崎駿監督、「パーク」の文字は鈴木プロデューサーの作です。 pic.twitter.com/dCYFWA4weR
— 大村秀章 (@ohmura_hideaki) May 31, 2019
Aside from simply showing the tentative logo for the park, there were also some details released by Hideaki about the park and some of the attractions that lie within. Attractions include, but aren’t limited to, the following sights: a full replication of the Chikyuya antique shop from Whisper of the Heart, the Ghibli Large Warehouse Area, Dondoko Forest Area, Princess Mononoke’s Village Area, and the Witches’ Valley Area. Construction on these attractions will range from 2020 to 2021, with a projected opening for the park in 2022!
Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985, being put together originally to create the animated movie, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and has since been creating animated movies, and even assisting in the creation of video games such as Ni No Kuni. The upcoming theme park is going to specifically, at first, shine a spotlight on Spirited Away, Princess Monoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Howl’s Moving Castle. We’re excited to see what additional attractions and rides are created for the park itself, and hope that even more Studio Ghibli movies get highlighted to boot.
Ironically enough, Hayao Miyazaki has had a close hand in the development of the park and is “worried about the detail” of the attractions themselves. Considering the level of attention that Miyazaki puts into all his work, its no wonder that such a large undertaking would be driving him up the wall. Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki even went so far as to comment with describing the legendary animator as a “meddlesome old man who can’t leave things to other people”. We’re sure that Miyazaki’s perfectionism will shine through each of the areas and attractions of the park.
What do you think about the upcoming Studio Ghibli theme park? What are you most excited to see in terms of the attractions that we currently know about? Let us know in the comments or feel free to hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Miyazaki!
