The Japanese legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, who started Studio Ghibli, may be retired from making feature films, but he still wants to bring his magical vision to the world.
Miyazaki, the creator of Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and other animated films, announced that he will invest 300 million yen (about $2.5 million USD) to create a 10,000-acre nature park called The Forest Where The Wind Returns. With his visual attention to environment in his films, and their themes of conversationism, the park seems like a great way to show kids the beauty of nature.
A rendering of Miyazaki's vision (Kume Creation)
The park will be located in the Zendo Forest Park on Kume Island in Okinawa, Japan. Miyazaki aims to turn the landscape into a tranquil, natural playground, using trees and boulders rather than swing sets and trampolines in order to encourage children to explore the natural world. The park will also include a library and sleeping quarters for about 30 people. Construction will begin in 2016, and it's expected to open 2 years later.
Miyazaki has expressed his concerns in the past about how hard it has become to erach children's souls "because of increasing consumerism and the virtual world. Television, video games, email, mobile phones and manga are sapping children of their strength, he worries." He said:
"Utopia exists only in one's childhood life. Rather than looking at how to stimulate domestic demand by building bridges or roads, we should provide a proper environment for our future generations because children are Japan's best investment."
And that's why he decided to invest in this park, and I think it's wonderful how children will have the chance to play in a Miyazaki movie.
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