The Studio Ghibli Theme Park

[bluesonichd]

https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/studio-ghibli-theme-park-confirmed-2020

Being built on the former home of the 2005 World Expo.
Will be no theme park rides, but so cool to walk around the home of Totoro

love love love

 

[Skyscraper]

https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/studio-ghibli-theme-park-confirmed-2020

Being built on the former home of the 2005 World Expo.
Will be no theme park rides, but so cool to walk around the home of Totoro

love love love

The concept art shows a few rides though:

 

[shawnoc]

If they put as much detail into this park as they do in the films, this place will be stunning.

 

[Rowe]

Reviving the topic, as the park opened on November 1st this year and because I've got this Grand Opening Day vlog on.

 

[Eidderf]

It looks like a pleasant place to wander around but a bit sparse and underwhelming in a way. Like a nice nature area with a sprinkling of themed items.

 

[NuttySquirrel]

Definitely looks as though it has more of the feel of a studio tour, a bit like the Harry Potter experience at Leavesden studios. Difference being that there are no actual 'sets' all being animated films. I don't really mind the fact that it has no rides, but it seems to be lacking any big centrepiece constructions like Howl's Moving Castle or the Castle in the Sky - essentially it needs a Ghibli equivalent of the big pink castle at Disney parks. I did like the look of the Arrietty house though.

The grand warehouse or whatever they're calling it looks a bit odd - sort of reminded me of Wuze Town at Phantasialand for some reason. Something that isn't really sure what it's trying to be perhaps?

Also seems to not be geared up for any amount of visitors at all which given the popularity of Studio Ghibli both in Japan and globally seems a huge oversight. That shop didn't look particularly large or exceptionally busy to me but a 2-hour wait to pay? Ridiculous. Also some of the merch didn't look as premium to me as I would expect given the cult following of the franchise. To go back to the HP studio tour comparison again, superfans will pay silly money for branded merch and I would have expected them to go really high end with that.