Toei Animation Confirms No License for French Dragon Ball Theme Park

Toei Animation issued a statement on Monday to confirm that it has not made a license agreement for the planned French manga-themed theme park project. Toei Animation explicitly stated that it (and related rights holders) have not granted a license for a planned Dragon Ball theme park in France.

Toei Animation added that reports on the French project have used concept art and videos that it and Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya Investment had originally used to announce plans to build a theme park in Saudi Arabia in March 2024. Toei Animation emphasized that these concept art and videos are completely unrelated to the planned theme park in France.

As of press time, Bird Studio (the late Akira Toriyama‘s studio) and Japanese publisher Shueisha have not released similar statements regarding a license for a Dragon Ball-themed theme park in France.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the 6 billion euro (about US$7 billion) manga-themed theme park project on August 25. Reports by The Japan Times and British public broadcaster BBC stated one of the theme parks is “expected to be themed on the Dragon Ball series.”

Following the announcement, French newspaper Le Monde reported the project has not received approval from the Dragon Ball rights holders. “Several sources familiar with the project, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the proposal…has not – at least not yet – secured this essential golden ticket,” the outlet wrote.

Sources: Toei Animation, Toei Animation‘s YouTube channel, via Anime! Anime!