It’s about time that the iconic work of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli stepped into the real world, and thankfully it’s been confirmed that it’s about to happen thanks to a new theme park.
As reported by Variety, Ghibli – along with the Chunichi Shimbun newspaper and the government of Aichi Prefecture – will be creating the theme park in Japan, with an expected opening date of sometime in 2022.
Announcing the news during a press conference, it was confirmed that the park will be built in Aichi Commemorative Park, in central Japan.
It will consist of five different themed areas, each based on one of the studio’s beloved movies. So far, the only two confirmed movies to have their own areas are Howl’s Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke. It’s a safe bet that My Neighbour Totoro! will be getting its own section of the park too, though this has yet to be confirmed.
Speaking of theme parks, we’ve been hearing about the upcoming Nintendo theme park for a while now, and it looks like it’s going to be up and functional by next year – just in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Japanese theme park is set to feature a range of Nintendo-themed rides, and we already know there’s going to be a Mario Kart ride. Check out some leaks from the upcoming park right here.
In the images a very traditional-looking Mario build can be seen, complete with cloud detailing and – of course – the ever-iconic flagpole.
It’s only a snippet, but Super Nintendo World can already shut up and take my money even in its current form.
I’ll be booking a one-way flight to Japan now, thanks.
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Featured Image Credit: Studio Ghibli