The worlds we get to see take form in Hayao Miyazaki films are nothing short of magical, and I think we all wish we could experience those worlds firsthand. If John Ramirez has his way, we might get to. Ramirez designs rides for Disney—the coolest job ever—and has dreamed up a ride based on Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky.
Ramirez imagined the ride as part of the flying variety, in which participants would get to soar over several vastly different and intricate scenes from the film. Riders would load up in the crystal caves, zip through a mining town, dodge a robot in the burning fortress, soar through cloud mist, searchlights, and a thunderstorm, and finally arrive safely at Laputa. Check it out:
The ride is incredibly intricate, but what makes it awesome is how vastly different each area of the attraction would be. Experiencing the Castle in the Sky ride would really make the riders feel like they’re right in the middle of that world Miyazaki created in 1986, and would leave them off with the memories of an epic journey. Basically, that awesome feeling after finishing the film, only amplified to about 1,000.
Of course, this is nothing more than concept art for now. This isn’t the first time Ramirez has used a Miyazaki film for ride design inspiration. A few months ago we got to see the AMAZING ride he dreamed up based on My Neighbor Totoro. He told Kotaku back in April that he would keep asking Miyazaki until he got a yes (or a ban from the studio, whatevs), so let’s hope Miyazaki is blown away by the continuous stream of awesome ride ideas based on his amazing films. Until then, we’ll just have to make due by imagining riding Ramirez’s rides IRL.
What do you think of John Ramirez’s latest Miyazaki ride? What other Miyazaki movie would you like to see Ramirez convert into a ride? Tell us in the comments, and be sure to check out John’s Instagram to see all the other awesome stuff he’s working on.
Featured Image: Studio Ghibli
Image credit: John Ramirez
