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Studio Ghibli theme park coming to Japan, reports say

Get ready to hug Totoro, fight battles with Princess Mononoke and feed everything to No-Face.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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MCM London Comic Con

Studio Ghibli's Totoro and The Catbus at MCM London Comic Con.

Ollie Millington/WireImage/Getty

A Studio Ghibli theme park is being built in Japan, reports say.

The park, based on the Tokyo anime studio's films, will be in Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park near Nagoya, according to Variety, and will open in fall 2022.

It's expected to have five themed areas, including Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle. My Neighbor Totoro will also be featured in the park, IGN reported. Academy Award-winning film Spirited Away was not mentioned in either report.

During a press conference Friday, Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki reportedly said film creator Hayao Miyazaki is working on the park's creative side.

"[Miyazaki] can't leave anything up to other people. He's a meddlesome old man," Variety reported Suzuki as saying. "[He] is not the type to look on supportively from a distance. He starts in right away with 'do this' and 'don't do that.'"

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