Let's think about something nice for a minute, like the Studio Ghibli theme park
It’s a lousy world out there, folks, full of assholes, harassers, and inescapable arguments about the Dilbert-based marketing strategies of Kanye West. Sometimes you just need somewhere sweet to retreat to, a place where buses are cats, monsters are friendly, and all the cats are voiced by the late Phil Hartman. A Studio Ghibli kind of world, if you will.
Luckily, such a place is a little closer to being a reality, with Japan Times reporting on a recently expanded plan to build a theme park out of some of director Hayao Miyazaki’s most beloved animated works. The last time we reported on this story, it was sounding like the park—planned for a spot near Nagoya, Japan—was only going to be focused on Miyazaki’s kid-friendly favorite My Neighbor Totoro, but now it sounds like plans have been significantly expanded, into an entire Ghibli world.
According to JT, the park—scheduled to open some time in 2022—will feature areas and rides based on Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Totoro. It’ll also feature a number of aesthetic details based on Miyazaki’s work, including “the European-themed brick towers that appear frequently in Miyazaki’s works, as well as giant installations of spider-and boar-shaped spirits in imaginary landscapes that evoke Japan’s mythical and idyllic past.”
Anyway, congratulations, Ghibli fans: You now have a reason to live through 2022. Hooray!