Ghibli Park has already drawn visitors from all over the world even if all its areas haven’t opened yet. Next year though, the park will finally be complete. To hype up its fifth section, Ghibli Park shared teaser images of what to expect in the Howl’s Moving Castle area.
Along with the new images, a special illustration was also shared by Goro Miyazaki, the son of Hayao Miyazaki and the director of several Studio Ghibli movies.
These new teasers are shared just a few weeks after the opening of the park’s fourth themed area.
Ghibli Park’s Fifth Area Is Finally Set to Open in 2024
Studio Ghibli is easily one of the most popular anime studios in Japan. Thanks to its legendary works like Spirited Away, Ghibli is often considered the Disney of Japan.
Previously, Ghibli fans were drawn to the Ghibli Museum on the outskirts of Tokyo. Last year though, fans of the studio were treated to the first-ever Ghibli theme park.
Ghibli Park opened in November 2022, and it is located in Nagakute, Aichi, which is near Nagoya.
When it opened, the park had three themed areas which are each inspired by films like Castle in the Sky and My Neighbor Totoro.
One year after its opening, the park opened its fourth themed area called Mononoke Village. As the name implies, this area is inspired by Princess Mononoke's Irontown and Emishi Village.
Finally, the fifth area will open next year. Called the Valley of Witches, this area takes cues from two Ghibli films: Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle.
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Goro Miyazaki Shares Special Illustration Teasing Howl’s Moving Castle Area
To hype up the area’s opening, Goro Miyazaki shared a special color illustration of the castle from Howl’s.
Instead of looking exactly like the film version, this castle features European-style houses. This is a reference to the new area’s two film inspirations.
Along with the illustration, Ghibli Park also shared renders of the area via its official X (formerly Twitter) account. There, it’s revealed that a replica castle from Howl’s will be seen by visitors.
Even though these aren’t actual pictures, they should still give fans a good idea of what to expect in the park’s final themed area. From the looks of it, even those who already visited the park might want to return next year.
The Valley of Witches will open in Ghibli Park in March 2024. When this area opens, the park will move to a different ticket system where each regular ticket will let visitors visit all five areas.
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