World’s Only Dragon Ball Theme Park Launched in Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya City

This never-seen-before anime theme park is set to become a jaw-dropping spectacle, spanning more than half a million square meters, bringing to life the most iconic storylines, moments, and characters across all Dragon Ball sagas. (SPA)
This never-seen-before anime theme park is set to become a jaw-dropping spectacle, spanning more than half a million square meters, bringing to life the most iconic storylines, moments, and characters across all Dragon Ball sagas. (SPA)
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World’s Only Dragon Ball Theme Park Launched in Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya City

This never-seen-before anime theme park is set to become a jaw-dropping spectacle, spanning more than half a million square meters, bringing to life the most iconic storylines, moments, and characters across all Dragon Ball sagas. (SPA)
This never-seen-before anime theme park is set to become a jaw-dropping spectacle, spanning more than half a million square meters, bringing to life the most iconic storylines, moments, and characters across all Dragon Ball sagas. (SPA)

The Board of Directors of the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) announced on Friday the launch of Dragon Ball theme park, as it continues to set new standards in the entertainment industry, offering anime fans, families, and entertainment seekers an immersive journey into the iconic Dragon Ball universe.

Nestled within Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya City, just 40 minutes from Riyadh, this never-seen-before anime theme park is set to become a jaw-dropping spectacle, spanning more than half a million square meters, bringing to life the most iconic storylines, moments, and characters across all sagas.

Inspired by the seven legendary Dragon Balls, visitors can navigate seven distinctively themed zones within the park, catapulting guests into the heart of the anime action to experience the historic journey from the first Dragon Ball series to the latest Dragon Ball Super.

Park-goers can embark on a journey and immerse themselves in interactive and explorable landmarks from the Dragon Ball sagas, such as “Kame House”, “Capsule Corporation” and “Beerus’ Planet”.

The anime theme park offers over 30 rides with five groundbreaking attractions, accessible to everyone, pushing the boundaries of ride experiences. A flagship attraction located at the center of the park has a rollercoaster passing through a massive 70 m Shenron landmark.

Visitors will also have the option to stay at themed in-park hotels and build long-lasting memories with family and friends while indulging in exotic cuisines inside towering structures, where one day can never be enough.

The announcement comes after Qiddiya entered into a long-term strategic partnership with Toei Animation, Japan‘s leading animation company and original animators of Dragon Ball. The partnership aims to preserve and elevate the franchise, with a shared vision to fulfill visitor’s dreams of bringing Dragon Ball to the real world and will pave the way for Qiddiya and Toei Animation to broaden their existing collaboration.

Commenting on the launch, Managing Director of Qiddiya Investment Company Abdullah Aldawood said: “We are pleased to be partnering with Toei Animation, bringing their rich legacy of pioneering contributions to the anime industry to Qiddiya City.”

“Dragon Ball theme park is a celebration of the diverse and vibrant world of anime, offering a unique blend of thrills, family-friendly attractions, and immersive entertainment for everyone,” he added.

“This announcement only marks the beginning of many promising projects. The theme park embraces the City’s power of play philosophy, and solidifies our commitment to provide world-class entertainment, as a global leader in groundbreaking and diverse attractions,” he stressed.

Katsuhiro Takagi, president of Toei Animation, said: “Our collaboration with Qiddiya marks a key milestone, offering fans a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the epic adventures of Dragon Ball first-hand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The reveal of the world's only Dragon Ball theme park is a testament to the timeless legacy of the Dragon Ball franchise.”

Dragon Ball theme park will further cement Qiddiya City’s position as the worldwide capital of play. The play concept leverages decades of research showing that play is vital for human cognitive development, emotional expression, social skills, creativity, and physical health. Studies have demonstrated the positive effects of recreational activities on society, their ability to bridge differences between cultures, and bolster levels of empathy and social cohesion.

The unveiling of the Dragon Ball theme park follows the launch of Qiddiya City's world-first multi-use Gaming and Esports District, the high-tech Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium and Speed Park Track. More announcements from Qiddiya are due in the coming weeks.



Alfonso Cuarón, Cate Blanchett Bring Series ‘Disclaimer’ to Venice Film Festival 

Cast member Cate Blanchett poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the mini-series "Disclaimer", out of competition, at the 81st Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy August 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Cast member Cate Blanchett poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the mini-series "Disclaimer", out of competition, at the 81st Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy August 29, 2024. (Reuters)
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Alfonso Cuarón, Cate Blanchett Bring Series ‘Disclaimer’ to Venice Film Festival 

Cast member Cate Blanchett poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the mini-series "Disclaimer", out of competition, at the 81st Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy August 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Cast member Cate Blanchett poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the screening of the mini-series "Disclaimer", out of competition, at the 81st Venice Film Festival, in Venice, Italy August 29, 2024. (Reuters)

Alfonso Cuarón is the first to admit that he does not know how to make a television series. He might even be too old to learn how, he said.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker has technically now made a series, the seven-part AppleTV+ show “Disclaimer,” four episodes of which premiered Thursday at the Venice Film Festival. But he did it his way: Like a film.

Based on Renée Knight’s 2015 book of the same name, “Disclaimer” is a psychological thriller about a documentarian and journalist, Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett), who discovers she’s a character in a novel that reveals her darkest secret.

Cuarón, Blanchett and Kevin Kline all made the journey to the Italian film festival to debut and speak about the show before it begins streaming on Oct. 11.

“I read the book and immediately in my mind I saw a film, but I didn’t know how to make that film,” Cuarón, the director of films including “Gravity” and “Roma,” said in a news conference Thursday. “It was way too long. I could not shape it as such.”

It was only later, he said, that he thought it might work in longer form, inspired by predecessors like Rainer Werner Fassbinder, David Lynch and Krzysztof Kieślowski.

“I was intrigued and that was the point of departure,” Cuarón said.

He started writing with one name in mind for Catherine: Blanchett, terrified that she might say no. Not only did she not say no, she also was the one who suggested Kline for a British character. Sacha Baron Cohen plays her husband in the show and Kodi Smit-McPhee plays her son.

All soon realized that approaching it as a film, and shooting it as a film, would take much longer than a normal series. He even enlisted two cinematographers, Emmanuel Lubezki and Bruno Delbonnel, to add a distinct visual language to the different perspectives in the story. All told, it took about a year.

“It was a really long process,” Cuarón said. “And I really feel for the actors because they were stuck with the characters for way too long.”

Blanchett laughed that they were “still recovering.”

The final three episodes will screen Friday at the festival. Though the festival is most known for its feature film premieres, it does play host to select series as well. This year those also include Joe Wright’s Mussolini biopic “M: Son of the Century,” Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The New Years” and Thomas Vinterberg’s “Families Like Ours.”