Sustainability
www.parkworld-online.com
It’s electrifying!
From March next year, Japan’s Ghibli Park - the magical theme park featuring attractions based on the stunning movies produced by Studio Ghibli - will feature an all-electric Catbus. All aboard!
S
tarting next spring, visitors to Japan’s Ghibli Park will be able to hitch a ride in Toyota- made electric vehicles resembling the iconic
Studio Ghibli character Catbus. The Catbus, drawn directly from Hayao
Miyazaki‘s My Neighbor Totoro, is the vessel by which Ghibli Park attendees can drift between universes. Beginning operation next year, the beloved Catbus has come to life, reimagined as a fully functional electric low-speed vehicle. Research has shown that electric vehicles are better
for the environment. They emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants than petrol or diesel cars - and this takes into account their production and electricity generation to keep them running. Studio Ghibli showcased a prototype of the all-
electric Catbus vehicle during a press conference at Aichi prefecture’s main government office. The joint effort of Toyota and technology
powerhouse MONET, the smiling, twelve-legged Catbus was crafted using a Toyota APM (Accessible People Mover) electric trolley and can comfortably seat six guests in addition to the driver. Initially created for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,
the vehicle will offer smooth transit across the park, reaching a maximum speed of 19 kilometers/hour. Seeing a sleek matte finish and plush seat covers, the detailing on the Catbus is striking identicality to Miyazaki’s on-screen creation. Toyota Motor is producing the Catbus vehicle,
with the mechanical design based on its low-speed Accessible People Mover. The fleet of five Catbus vehicles will be introduced at the theme park in March 2024 to ferry visitors between attractions.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 31 “A challenge was to convey the impression of a
living creature that can move at any time,” says Keiji Yamamoto, a senior fellow at Toyota. “We gave [the bus] a round shape and a matte coating. For the seats, we used material that is soft and fluffy.” “Seeing Toyota’s craftsmanship up close was an
incredible experience,” adds Goro Miyazaki, director of three animated films for Studio Ghibli. Goro Miyazaki is the son of Hayao Miyazaki, the studio’s co-founder and director of “My Neighbor Totoro,” the animated movie where the Catbus character appeared.
The elder Miyazaki was pleased to hear
about the real-world Catbus, according to Goro Miyazaki, who added that his father had readily taken on the job of drawing artwork to appear on the Catbus tickets. Ghibli Park opened last November in Aichi’s
Nagakute city outside of Nagoya. The park started with three attractions and will add two more by next March. “This is the only Catbus in the world that runs in real life,” comments Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura.
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