Ghibli Park, the world’s first theme park dedicated to Studio Ghibli, will have a fleet of real-life ‘Catbus’ shuttles by March next year.
The new Catbuses were unveiled at a press conference by Aichi governor Hideaki Ōmura and Studio Ghibli director Goro Miyazaki (via SoraNews24).
The My Neighbor Totoro-inspired electric vehicles are based on Toyota’s APM (Accessible People Mover), originally developed for the Tokyo Olympics.
They are designed to look and feel like Catbuses, and feature furry seats. They can fit six people including the driver and travel at a top speed of 19 km/h.
There will be five Catbuses travelling across the theme park, which will have five themed lands by 16 March 2024 when the Valley of Witches area debuts.
As above Ghibli Park is separated into five themed areas, three of which are now open. These are Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Hill of Youth, and Dondoko Forest.
My Neighbor Totoro-themed electric vehicles
The two remaining lands, Mononoke Village and Valley of Witches, launch on 1 November and 16 March respectively. When all five areas are open, Ghibli Park is expected to attract around 1.8 million visitors annually.
Mononoke Village is a Princess Mononoke-themed area inspired by the film’s Irontown (Tatara) setting. Valley of Witches is based on Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle.
Ghibli Park already boasts a redesigned Catbus, located in the My Neighbor Totoro-themed playground at Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse. The playground also contains a replica of Satsuki and Mei’s house.
