Studio Ghibli is on a high these days. Last year, the company extended itself globally with the release of The Boy and the Heron. The movie marked director Hayao Miyazaki’s return to work, and the venerable filmmaker made one impressive comeback. Now, it seems Miyazaki has been roped into a new project, and it is a special new promo for Studio Ghibli’s theme park.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Yes, you read right! Miyazaki was brought in to animate a gorgeous new promo for the park. The director worked with two other gifted animators to bring the PV to life. So if you want to check out how Miyazaki sees the park, this new promo has everything you need!
According to Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki storyboarded the commercial himself while Akihiko Yamashita oversaw animation. Noboru Yoshida was brought in to handle art direction, and the trio was hand-selected for the job given their history. The three all worked on Howl’s Moving Castle, and the film is what inspired this epic new commercial.
And why was the movie chosen? That is because Ghibli Park is getting ready to open a new area. The new park domain is called Valley of Witches, and it will pay homage to several classic Miyazaki films. Kiki’s Delivery Service will be prominent in this area, and Howl’s Moving Castle will be spotted as well. In fact, the movie’s iconic mech mobile home will be built to scale at the park, so Studio Ghibli fans are in for a treat.
If you are hoping to check out this Ghibli Park grand opening, Valley of Witches will open on March 16. Park tickets are sold in limited quantity, and new ticket batches go on sale monthly on the 10th. Currently, Ghibli Park has four open areas for visitors to explore: Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Hill of Youth, Dondoko Forest, and Mononoke Village.
What do you think about this gorgeous new promo by Miyazaki? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!
