Studio Ghibli Has a Surprise New Release

Princess Mononoke, one of the most beloved Studio Ghibli creations, is becoming a real-world theme park attraction.

Ghibli Park, a massive theme park in Aichi, Japan, which opened in 2022, has finally announced opening dates for its two newest attractions, which will be based on the films Princess Mononoke (1997), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004).

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According to a Twitter post by Ghibli Park, “The opening date of the Ghibli Park Phase 2 area has been decided. “Mononoke no Sato” is Wednesday, November 1, 2023, and “Valley of Witches” is Saturday, March 16, 2024.” The post also gave us a glimpse of what the long-anticipated park areas will consist of.

【ジブリパーク第2期エリアの開園日が決まりました。】「もののけの里」が2023年11月1日(水)、「魔女の谷」が2024年3月16日(土)です。詳しくはこちら https://t.co/c2E2SEfQmB
（画像は1枚目がもののけの里、2枚目が魔女の谷のイメージです。） pic.twitter.com/UT5LwlO9sk

— ジブリパーク GHIBLI PARK (@ghibliparkjp) July 20, 2023

Currently, the theme park consists of three areas: Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, The Hill of Youth, and Dondoko Forest. Although the park was initially announced as being based entirely on My Neighbor Totoro (1989), the attractions have expanded to include elements of and characters from Castle in the Sky (1986), The Cat Returns (2004), Whisper of the Heart (1995), and many more films.

Ghibli Park (as with the studio itself) is overwhelmingly dominated by the influence of legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, whose uniquely animated, symbolically dense films have essentially become a genre unto themselves. When a theme park creates an entire attraction just based on Howl’s Moving Castle, an anti-war fantasy movie involving witches and fire spirits, you know a director has had a strong influence.

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Mononoke Village will focus on one of Studio Ghibli’s most notable films and replicate many of the features of the movie, including a traditional charcoal burner’s hut and iron forge bellows, which park guests can work themselves. While Disneyland and Disney World might have Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, there is likely no other theme park in the world where one can learn how to become an integral part of an archaic iron smelting process.

 

Hayao Miyazaki just released The Boy and the Heron, his first movie since announcing his retirement in 2013 and changing his mind. Seems like the perfect time for Ghibli Park to expand into some of the darker parts of his filmography.

What other Studio Ghibli films should the park adapt? Let us know in the comments below!