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The worlds portrayed by Studio Ghibli are so vivid, colorful and imaginative, it seems almost silly to try and picture them realistically. They’re animated for a reason. One film that has a particularly grounded feel though, at least as far as Ghibli goes, is Hayao Miyazaki‘s Princess Mononoke, and that’s probably the reason why Ghibli has officially licensed a London theater group to put on a live-action stage production. It’s the first-ever of its kind.

Princess Mononoke, adapted by the Whole Hog Theatre, will run from April 2-6, 2013 at the New Diorama Theatre in London. This announcement was originally made in July and prompted quite the response, with the run completely selling out in 72 hours. After the jump, find out more about how Whole Hog plans on adapting one of Miyazaki’s masterworks and how you might be able to see it yourself. The news came to our attention from the MTV Geek blog. There’s also info on the Whole Hog website, which describes the show as follows:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
In 2008, Stephen Schwartzsaid, “I think we’re starting up Hunchback of Notre Dame, hopefully, next year (2009). Rumor has reached my ear that it’s happening.” Thomas Schumacher, head of Disney Theatrical, discussed current and future stage productions in an article published by the Columbus Dispatch on September 21, 2008. In the article, a US-version of Hunchback is listed among others as being in development, “Disney’s first original foreign-language production, which ran from 1999 to 2002 in Berlin, is being revamped for its U.S. premiere.” In a recent interview, Alan Menken confirmed an American revival coming soon to New York. No casting has been announced.