Studio Ghibli and The Walt Disney Company have a lot in common. First, both are world renowned for their work in the animation medium. Second, they’re both highly regarded for the creativity and heart their projects have. Lastly, they’ve actually partnered up several times in the past including Disney releasing Ghibli films in America and Totoro — arguably the Japanese studio’s equivalent of Mickey Mouse — making a cameo in Pixar’s Toy Story 3. For those reasons and others, it’s not really a stretch that many fans of the Mouse might also hold an appreciation for Hayao Miyazaki and his films.
Now a Disney artist who has worked on movies from The Lion King and Hercules has shared his idea for theme park attraction based on Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. Take a look:
According to Kotaku, John Ramirez who created this concept art is a huge Studio Ghibli fan and has even tried to convince Miyazaki to let Disney build this ride in one of their soon to be 12 theme parks around the world. He also claims that he won’t stop “until they bar me from the studio or until he says yes!”
So could we eventually see this Totoro ride or other Miyazaki-inspired attraction in a Disney park? And where would you put it? Let us know!