How to watch Studio Ghibli’s new anime in Japan, with a special after-dark outdoor screening for Halloween

First-ever nighttime screening takes place in the real-world setting for A Night in the Valley of the Witches.

This autumn looks set to be a very good time to be a Studio Ghibli fan in Japan , as there are a number of special events scheduled to be held at the studio’s theme park in Aichi Prefecture.

The first thing to make fans smile is the screening of a brand new Studio Ghibli short directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son Goro , who also serves as park director.

Called Majo no Tani no Yoru , or A Night in the Valley of the Witches , the film has been co-directed by Akihiko Yamashita, the character designer and animation director for several Ghibli films, including Howl’s Moving Castle . ▼ Howl’s Moving Castle, as seen inside Ghibli Park.

With this being the first new Ghibli short anime since 2018 , the film has already been attracting global interest, but there’s only one place in the world where you can see it – at Ghibli Park .

The short began screening in the park’s Orion cinema in July, and although the 170-seat theatre usually rotates through a series of 10 other Ghibli shorts on a monthly basis, the park has confirmed that the short will continue screening through September and October .

This is great news for Ghibli fans who missed out on seeing the film in summer, and the park has another extra special treat in store for its youngest fans, as it will be holding its first-ever outdoor nighttime screening of A Night in the Valley of the Witches , exclusively for elementary school-age children. ▼ This one-night only event will be held in Valley of Witches, which serves as the real-world setting for the film.

According to the official synopsis, the movie follows a “new guy” who has just been hired to work at Ghibli Park .

After a series of requests to repair its buildings, he encounters some unexplained phenomena, which leaves him spooked, but his senior colleague Kikue doesn’t seem fazed by it at all.

Then, one night after the park closes, the new guy heads to Valley of Witches to work the night shift for the first time, and there he sees Kikue in a cloak, who tells him: “ I’m a witch. ” ▼ She begins chanting a spell, and when she swings her lantern down… the magic begins.

Though this magical story usually plays out on the screen of the Orion cinema within the Grand Warehouse complex, the special nighttime screening is set to take place in the great outdoors, giving little ones the space for their imaginations to run free against the backdrop of the witch-themed park area . ▼ Valley of Witches is home to a number of buildings with connections to Ghibli’s witchy films, including this recreation of the Okino Residence from Kiki’s Delvery Service .