It’s being reported that the Studio Ghibli theme park which was scheduled to open its doors in 2020 is still likely to stick to schedule, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The Jakarta Post notes that the Japanese theme park has officially begun construction as of this week, and aims to be at least partially open by the end of 2022.
This is great news for fans of the iconic Ghibli movies, which include the likes of My Neighbour Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle. Although 2022 might still seem like a long way away, at least it’s not yet another delay!
As reported by Variety last year, 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 2019 press conference, it was confirmed that the park will be built in Aichi Commemorative Park, which is located in central Japan.
The park 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.
The park has even got itself some new concept art, which you can check out in the tweet below. Although it’s definitely some of the most whimsical art we’ve seen for a theme park, something tells me it’s probably going to be fairly accurate for Studio Ghibli park!
If you’ve been planning a big blow-out holiday for when lockdown is over, you might want to make your destination Japan in 2022!
Featured Image Credit: Studio Ghibli