Summary
Since it opened back in November 2022, theStudio Ghiblitheme park in Aichi, Japan has been slowly expanding and adding more and more things. Each area of the park is based on some of the production company’s most famous movies, letting fans ofStudio Ghibli’s movies feel like they can experience them firsthand. Now, another greatly anticipated and fun new element has been unveiled at the theme park - the Catbus.
The first images and videos of the real-life Catbus were revealed just this past week, with the actual buses set to hit the park later this month, on March 16th, 2024. Not only are the buseseven cuter than we imaginedthey would be, but they also add a practical transportation option to the huge park. The Catbus may be one of the parts of the Studio Ghibli Park that fans have been waiting for the most, so let’s look at the details, and why it’s such an anticipated addition.
Apr. 16th, 1988
1 hour, 26 minutes
MyAnimeList Rating
8.25
While Studio Ghibli fans will all have differing opinions over which of the many incredible movies is the best one, it only takes spending a little time in Japan to see which is the most famous there.My Neighbor Totoro, which was released in 1988, remains themost popular Studio Ghibli movieat least in Japan, if not around the world, too. Totoro himself is even part of the Studio Ghibli logo, and it is the movie that really put the studio on the map, so to speak.
Any element ofMy Neighbor Totorobrought to real life makes people happy, and there are plenty of giant Totoro statues to be found around Japan. But one of the most famous characters in the movie is the Catbus, a huge cat in the shape of a bus that ismagically able to transportSatsuki and Mei to where they need to go through the forest. Watching the movie, it’s hard not to whimsically imagine what it would be like to ride the Catbus yourself.
Currently, though, the only way thatTotorofans could even come close to experiencing a real Catbus is at theStudio Ghibli Museum in Tokyo. One of the exhibits inside is a model of the Catbus that you can go inside, but pictures are strictly forbidden. For years, there was only one for children available, but in 2016 the museum staff realized that adults wanted to ride on the Catbus as well and made a bigger version. Now, though, the new Catbus will let everyone experience riding the Catbus outside, and it actually will take you somewhere.
The Real-Life Catbus
The Catbus will join the five sections of the Studio Ghibli Theme Park, which are Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Hill of Youth, Dondoko Forest, Mononoke Village, and Valley of Witches. It was created byHayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki, who understood the desire of Ghibli fans to ride a real Catbus. The Catbuses themselves have been made by Toyota and Monet Technologies, and feature seating for six. The seats are even soft and fur-like, just like the original Catbus. Plus, the eyes light up as real headlights, too.
The Catbuses have been created to connect Mononoke Village and Dondoko Village, a ride that will take about ten minutes. In addition to giving fans the dream ride that they have always wanted, the Catbuses also make the park more accessible for visitors with disabilities, and people who are elderly or pregnant. They can even be converted to hold a wheelchair easily. Tickets to ride the Catbus will be 1,000 yen (USD $6.65) for adults and 500 yen (USD $3) for children. All passengers will receive a souvenir illustration of the Catbus drawn by Hayao Miyazaki himself, and the back features a map of the park drawn by his son, Goro.
