Widely loved by children and adults alike all around the world,
Studio Ghibli will be bringing the enchanting worlds from its timeless
anime films to life in an exclusive theme park slated to launch in
November this year.
From the Japan cult animation house that produced the Oscar-award-winning Spirited Away film, and fan favourites like Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, and My Neighbor Totoro, Studio Ghibli will be fulfilling fans’ dreams of stepping into the films’ magical scenes with the Ghibli Park.
When is Ghibli Park’s officially opening?
Ghibli Park has five themed lands inspired by its multiple anime films. Photo Credit: Studio Ghibli
After months of teasing its audience with infuriatingly short
snippets of information about the theme park, Studio Ghibli finally
announced in a tweet on 27 January that Ghibli Park will be opening its
doors to the public on 1 November 2022.
Ghibli Park was initially scheduled to open in 2020, however the
Covid-19 pandemic caused a halt to construction works, which only
resumed in July 2020. Thereafter, Aichi Prefecture governor Hideaki
Omura confirmed that the park is “still on track” and is planned to open
in fall 2022.
How can travellers get to Ghibli Park?
Mononoke Village will bring Japanese folklore to life with sculptures of forest gods. Photo Credit: Studio Ghibli
Located in Nagakute, Aichi in Japan, Ghibli Park is accessible by a two-hour train ride from Kyoto.
The theme park will occupy a portion of the grounds in Aichi Expo Memorial Park, specifically 71,000sqm of land.
What can visitors expect to see at Ghibli Park?
On the Hill of Youth, there stands World Emporium, the antique shop from Whisper of the Heart. Photo Credit: Studio Ghibli
On its official opening day, three of Ghibli Park’s five themed lands
will be ready: Ghibli’s Giant Warehouse, Hill of Youth and Dondoko
Forest. The remaining two zones, Princess Mononoke Village and Witch
Valley will launch only in March 2024.
Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse draws inspiration from Spirited Away, and will house easter eggs from past films such as the robot soldier from Castle in the Sky and the iconic cat bus from My Neighbor Totoro.
According to Entertainment Weekly, it will also feature F&B
establishments, retail shops, an exhibition room, a video exhibition
room, and a children’s playground.
Located near the park’s entrance is the Hill of Youth, featuring many aspects of Howl’s Moving Castle.
It will be equipped with a giant elevator that can take guests to the
top of a tower, a gift shop that appeared in Whisper of the Heart, and will
be furnished with elements from The Cat Returns.
An accurate representation of the house in My Neighbor Totoro
will be situated amongst the lush natural greenery in the Dondoko
Forest zone. Visitors can be transported into the Showa period (1926 –
1989) from the illusion of the surrounding rural landscape.
Mononoke Village is based on the Princess Mononoke film’s
setting in Irontown (Tatara) which is enclaved by a lake and high walls.
It will house a sculpture of a Tatarigami spirit monster, the boar god
Lord Okkoto and more mystical creatures from Japanese folklore.
The Witch Valley features restaurants, amusement facilities, the home of the characters from Kiki’s Delivery Service, and most notably, a life-size replica of the steampunk architecture from Howl’s Moving Castle.
How popular will Ghibli Park be?
Visitors can find fantasy-filled exhibitions at Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse. Photo Credit: Studio Ghibli
According to UK-based research firm Broadband Choices’ study on the
popularity of Studio Ghibli’s films, Google search results show that the
biggest Studio Ghibli fans originate from Australia, followed by
Canada, US, Singapore, UK, New Zealand, Sweden, Iceland, Norway and
Ireland. The analysis excludes Japan, which would presumably dominate if
taken into account.
If Spirited Away’s US$395m local box office revenue and My Neighbor Totoro’s
$1.4b home video and licensed merchandise sales is any indication of
Studio Ghibli’s immense popularity, it seems that the Studio Ghibli
theme park is set on the right path towards becoming a worldwide
phenomenon.