Japan’s Ghibli Museum in Tokyo is planning to create a life-sized replica of the famous Catbus from anime classic
My Neighbour Totoro.
The Ghibli Museum – which opened in 2001 as a showcase for the work of animation studio Studio Ghibli – has an existing replica of the Catbus, though it is only large enough to fit small children.
As part of upcoming renovations to the museum, a new exhibit,
Ride the Catbus to Ghibli Woods, will celebrate the museum’s 15th anniversary by creating a much larger version of the Catbus, one that adults will be able to enjoy.
In addition to its main Catbus exhibit, the museum is planning to celebrate its 15th year with a lineup of exhibitions from previous years, including
Spirited Away,
Ponyo,
Castle in the Sky,
Heidi and more.
The museum closed on 9 May for wider maintenance and renovations to take place. Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki is personally overseeing the renovations, to retain the sense of wonder seen in his animations. The Ghibli museum reopens on 16 July, with the temporary Catbus exhibit on display until May 2017.
