Move Over, Disneyland; Studio Ghibli has their eyes set on opening a theme park according to the studio’s producer, Toshio Suzuki. The park, which is set to open in 2020, will bring the world of one of Miyazaki’s most popular films to life: My Neighbor Totoro.
The Studio Ghibli themed park will be located in Aichi’s Expo Park, or also known as Moricoro Park, in Nagoya, Japan. While the theme park will be completely new, Moricoro Park already has a touch of Totoro’s mythical world. A replica of Satsuki and Mei’s house, the two main characters of the film, can already be found in the Expo park. It was revealed in 2005 during the World’s Fair and has been the home of exhibitions in 2008 and 2015. Aside from the new theme park, the studio behind Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke also runs a museum in Mitaka in West Tokyo that features interactive exhibits featuring some of its most famous creations.
Studio Ghibli and the park administration are splitting the costs for the building of the theme park, and they are hoping that it will encourage domestic and foreign tourists to visit the Expo park. With a whopping 200-acres to the park, this will be the largest installation that Ghibli has done to date. As of right now, there is no word on whether the park will eventually grow to include other Ghibli favorites other than My Neighbor Totoro.
This is an exciting time for Studio Ghibli fans with the news of the theme park and the king himself, Hayao Miyazaki, coming out of retirement to work on a new film. Needless to say, we are excited to see what Studio Ghibli has in store for us in the next few years. What would you like to see out of the coming Ghibli theme park? Let us know in the comments below!
