Official Ghibli theme park called Ghibli Park to open in 2022, concept art revealed

Studio Ghibli is already planning to make its own official theme park in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It’s called Ghibli Park, and it will boast a unique “19th century science fantasy style,” which fans might remember from such Ghibli films as Howl’s Moving Castle. Now,the prefecture has revealed one of the concept designs, and it truly fits the Ghibli theme.

Originally, both Ghibli and Aichi Prefecture planned to open the theme park on 2020. But now, they revealed that they’re gonna be pushing its opening a bit further, on 2022.

ジブリパーク…ジブリそこまで詳しくないけど、近いからできたら何回も行くかもね～??ハウルも耳をすませばも最後まで見たことないけどw

それよりも、この下に書いてある『はしか』の記事が気になる…( ˙-˙ )#ジブリパーク pic.twitter.com/jQUh3t3NiK

— えいと@( ˙-˙ ) (@eight8008er) April 24, 2018

They will be opening this “Ghibli Park” within a 200-hectare area called Expo Park. It will be recreating Totoro’s forest home, as well as adding a recreation of the antique shop from Whisper of the Heart inside the park.

For its construction, Ghibli doesn’t want to cut down trees, or damage the environment of the Expo Park through the many methods of construction. This means that they want to create an environmentally-friendly park, as expected of the nature-loving Hayao Miyazaki. “Studio Ghibli’s films have love toward living creatures and Earth, which fits the concept of the expo,” Oomura said. “I would like to pass down this idea to future generations.”

【速報】愛知県は長久手市に整備する「ジブリパーク」の基本デザインを発表しました。『魔女の宅急便』のキキの実家や『耳をすませば』の「地球屋」などを再現する計画で、2022年度の開業を目指すとしています。（岩佐雄人） pic.twitter.com/YsUvM6BXkz

— 【公式】高井さんのニュースOne (@tokai_newsone) April 25, 2018

Found in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, Expo Park was the site of the 2005 World Expo. It already contains a replica of Satsuki and Mei’s House from My Neighbor Totoro, which Ghibli unveiled back in 2005 for that event. The studio actually held exhibitions in that house as well.

The park is actually a collaboration between Studio Ghibli and the Aichi Prefecture government. Both parties will be funding the operations for the park, as they aim to attract both local Japanese and foreign tourists alike.