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‘Leave it to Goro’: Studio Ghibli co-founder’s change of heart on upcoming Japanese theme park project

Long-time Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki has detailed how studio co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki, was convinced to go ahead with the project

It took a visit to the Ghibli Park site to convince Hayao Miyazaki to be in favour of the theme park project

Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki was initially against the idea of a theme park based on his creations but eventually changed his mind when he saw how the studio’s IPs would be brought to life.

During an interview with Yahoo Japan, long-time Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki, detailed how Miyazaki was going to give the developers “a piece of his mind” before changing his own mind following the visit and leaving the task to his son, Goro Miyazaki.

"I came with him, and he was really worked up, fuming about how he was going to give them a piece of his mind,” said Suzuki.

“But then we got to the park, and it felt so spacious. There was rain falling on that day, and that probably made the atmosphere even better, and he suddenly said, 'I've made up my mind! Let's leave it to Goro!"

Goro already has experience with attractions, with the younger Miyazaki also responsible for the design of the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo. His father might not be completely out of the project, however, with Suzuki revealing, “a few days after he said that, I peeked into his private studio, and saw him drawing sketches of his ideas for Ghibli Park.”

The highly-anticipated attraction will soft open later this year, with only one of the park’s five areas open to the public. Suzuki says he is excited by what he’s seen so far.

“I’ve only seen part of what it will be,” the producer said, “but I’m very happy to be involved in this project. The spirit of the Ghibli Museum is alive here, and I can feel things truly starting to take shape.”

Ghibli Park is set to open in Japan this November   CREDIT: Studio Ghibli

The park, which was first announced in 2017, is being built inside the Aichi Earth Expo Park in Aichi Prefecture and is the result of a collaboration between the Japanese animation studio and the Aichi Prefectural Government.

Occupying 71,000sq m (764,000sq ft), once complete, the park will consist of five themed lands: Witch Valley, Ghibli’s Giant Warehouse, Princess Mononoke Village, Dondoko Forest and Springtime of Life Hill.

The first land to open is Dondoko Forest, themed around My Neighbor Totoro, with Witch Valley and Princess Mononoke Village expected to follow in 2023.

Once open, the park, which is costing ¥34bn (US$323m, €267m, £235m) to build, is expected to attract up to 1.8 million guests a year.

Studio Ghibli has retained complete creative control over the project, with Hayao Miyazaki insisting that no trees be cut down during the park’s construction. The park’s layout was also planned around existing clearings.