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Studio Ghibli museum saved by crowdfunding

Low ticket sales meant drastic measures

A museum dedicated to the anime movies of Studio Ghibli has been given new life thanks to crowdfunding. The Ghibli Museum started the campaign in order to compensate for reduced visits due to Covid-19.

At time of writing, over 23 million Yen had ben raised through an official Furusato Choice page, which translates to around $200,000. The campaign was initially set to just 10 million Yen, but managed to double that in less than a week. Only Japanese residents can contribute, and donations are still welcome for the remaining 195 days the page will be up for.

The Ghibli Museum has incurred sizeable costs over the pandemic, since tourism has way down over the last year. According to Anime News Network, the company writes that while a grant from Mitaka City was awarded in March, that won’t cover maintenance costs required for the exhibits. The museum offers a wide range of activities related to Ghibli, like a ridable Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro, a rotating selection of Ghibli sorts on screen, and a tour of famed animated movie director Hayao Miyazaki’s influences.

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The museum was opened in 2001, in the Mitaka region of Tokyo, and a limited amount of tickets are available each day that must be purchased in advance. Given Studio Ghibli is such a beloved production house, this institution offers a wonderful way for tourists and fans to engage in this favourite kids movies for a day, and it’d be a shame to lose it.

Studio Ghibli’s latest movie, Earwig and the Witch, had a short theatrical run in the UK this past May. You can find many of Studio Ghibli’s films on Netflix in the UK, and HBO Max in the US.