Studio Ghibli is opening up its very own amusement park later this year, bringing some of the biggest locations from its award-winning films to life for the first time. With Ghibli still continuing to pump out new movies, the park has already opened up one of its first attractions to the public months before the amusement park’s official opening, which draws upon the influence of one of the studio’s earliest movies that helped Ghibli cultivate a fan base and start its journey to becoming the legendary animation house we know today.
First released in 1986, Castle In The Sky follows the story of a young boy and girl attempting to dodge the clutches of various criminal cadres while holding onto a powerful crystal and searching for a floating castle. While the film wasn’t able to win Academy Awards like Spirited Away, it has had a major influence on the medium of anime, and many fans attribute its style to the formation of the aesthetic known as “steampunk”.
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Studio Ghibli shared the first look at the “Elevator Tower”, which recreates one of the locales from Castle In The Sky and will be an entrance to the park itself:
The official description of Ghibli’s Castle In The Sky reads as such:
“In a world filled with planes and airships, Sheeta is a young girl who has been kidnapped by government agents who seek her mysterious crystal amulet. While trapped aboard an airship, she finds herself without hope—that is, until the ship is raided by pirates. Taking advantage of the ensuing confusion, Sheeta manages to flee from her captors. Upon her escape, she meets Pazu, a boy who dreams of reaching the fabled flying castle, Laputa. The two decide to embark on a journey together to discover this castle in the sky. However, they soon find the government agents back on their trail, as they too are trying to reach Laputa for their own greedy purposes.”
Even though the park itself hasn’t been opened as of yet, fans can use the Elevator Tower at right this moment, as Studio Ghibli has opened its user to attendees.
Will you try to visit Studio Ghibli’s theme park in the future? Which other anime franchises would work as amusement parks? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Ghibli.
