Sora Tanka
As a lifelong otaku and pop culture enthusiast, I spend my time exploring underground animation, vintage cinema, and the hidden gems of streaming media.
Published: August 28, 2026 | 9 min read | Last updated: August 28, 2026
A Saudi backed Dragon Ball theme park already failed once on this exact patch of French farmland, back in 1991, and almost nobody remembers it. Now history is circling back. On August 24, 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed off on a six billion euro plan for three theme parks outside Paris, one of them built around Dragon Ball. There's just one problem: the people who actually own Dragon Ball haven't agreed to any of it. Here's the real timeline, where the park is supposed to go, and why the announcement is already drawing pushback from the fandom it's named after.
⚡ Quick Answer
France and Saudi Arabia announced a Dragon Ball themed park near Paris on August 24, 2026, backed by Saudi investment group Qiddiya. As of the following week, Toei Animation, Bird Studio, and Shueisha, the franchise's actual rights holders, had not licensed the project.
What Did France and Saudi Arabia Actually Announce?
The deal came together during a two-day state visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, timed alongside the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris. The office of the French presidency confirmed a memorandum of understanding for a six billion euro, roughly seven billion dollar, investment building three amusement parks near Cergy-Pontoise, about 30 kilometers northwest of the capital. One park is expected to be manga themed, and multiple outlets, including the BBC and the Japan Times, reported that theme is specifically Dragon Ball.
Macron posted about the deal on social media, calling it "nothing like this has been seen since Disneyland Paris" and pointing to an estimated 22,000 new jobs. The funding comes from Qiddiya Investment Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which is also behind the kingdom's own official Dragon Ball park under construction near Riyadh.
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📊 Key Stat: Toei Animation's stock rose 2.4 percent on the Tokyo exchange the day after the announcement, even though no licensing terms for Toei's involvement had actually been disclosed.
Why Hasn't Toei Animation Approved the Project?
This is the part most of the initial coverage buried. Three days after the big announcement, French newspaper Le Monde reported that the project had not secured approval from Dragon Ball's actual rights holders, according to anonymous sources close to the deal. Those rights holders are Bird Studio, the late Akira Toriyama's studio and estate, Japanese publisher Shueisha, and Toei Animation, which controls the anime rights.
In plain terms, France and Saudi Arabia announced the use of someone else's intellectual property before that someone had signed anything. Industry observers quoted by IBTimes UK suggest the early publicity was meant to pressure the Japanese side into a deal, and that going public this soon may have actually weakened France's negotiating position. Toei already has a working relationship with Qiddiya through the Saudi park, so a similar arrangement in France isn't impossible, but nothing has been confirmed on the record.
Where Is This Park Supposed to Go, and Why Does That Matter?
Local reporting points to Courdimanche, in the Val-d'Oise department, on or near the site of Mirapolis, a French theme park that opened in 1987 and closed just four years later. That detail is where this story gets genuinely strange: Mirapolis was also bankrolled by a Saudi investor, businessman Ghaith Pharaon, and it collapsed after drawing only 400,000 annual visitors against a projected 2 million. The park was dismantled, and its giant Gargantua statue stood alone on the abandoned lot for years before finally coming down in 1995.
I've spent enough time digging through the wreckage of failed French theme park projects for old blog research to know this pattern by heart: grand Saudi financed promises, a scale comparison to Disneyland, and then years of silence once the press conference ends. That doesn't mean this project is doomed, but it's worth knowing that the ground it's being built on has broken this exact promise before.
Is This the Same Park as the One in Saudi Arabia?
No, and mixing the two up is the most common error in the coverage right now. Here's how they actually compare:
| Category | France (Val-d'Oise) | Saudi Arabia (Qiddiya) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Announced, not licensed | Under construction, officially licensed |
| Announced | August 2026 | 2024 |
| Funding source | Qiddiya Investment Company | Qiddiya Investment Company |
| Rights holder involvement | Not yet confirmed | Confirmed Toei partnership |
| Expected opening | Not announced | Targeted around 2029 |
Why Are Some Dragon Ball Fans Pushing Back?
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Part of it is simple licensing skepticism. Kazuhiko Torishima, the editor widely credited with shaping Dragon Ball's success alongside Akira Toriyama, has been openly critical of handing the franchise's first theme parks to Saudi backed projects. Speaking about the Qiddiya park specifically, he put it bluntly:
"If I were still at Shueisha, I would never have approved the project."
The rest of the criticism is political. Critics have labeled the broader arrangement a form of "parkwashing," arguing that high profile entertainment deals help soften Saudi Arabia's international image despite its human rights record. Some fans have raised a more specific point: Toriyama's stories are frequently built around characters standing up to tyranny and oppression, which makes the funding source feel uncomfortable to a segment of the fandom. None of this means the park won't happen, but it does explain why the reaction hasn't been pure excitement.
⚠️ Important: Nothing about this park is locked in yet. There's no master plan, attraction list, or opening date, and construction on the Dragon Ball section can't legally begin until Bird Studio, Shueisha, and Toei Animation sign off. Treat any leaked map or fan render you see online as pure speculation for now.
Macron's own manga fandom is a big part of why this story has legs. It's not a new act for him. Back in April 2026, he and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi performed a Dragon Ball "Kamehameha" pose together during a press event, and in his tweet announcing this deal he wrote plainly that everyone already knows his passion for manga.
What Happens Next?
Realistically, years. Even the Saudi park, which already has Toei's cooperation, isn't targeted to open until around 2029, and it started construction well before this French announcement. The France side still needs a signed license, an environmental and planning review for the Val-d'Oise site, and an actual design. Skeptics have also pointed to Saudi Arabia's uneven record of finishing announced megaprojects, including the widely scaled back NEOM "Line," as a reason to wait for construction to actually start before treating any of this as certain.
💡 Pro Tip: Skip the fan renders circulating on social media for now. For verified updates, check Toei Animation's official statements directly, since French language outlets like Le Monde and Sortiraparis are consistently breaking details before they reach English language fan sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Toei Animation approved the Dragon Ball theme park in France?
No. As of late August 2026, Le Monde reported that Toei Animation, Bird Studio, and Shueisha, the three rights holders behind Dragon Ball, had not licensed the project. French officials confirmed the funding and site, but the franchise's actual owners haven't publicly endorsed the manga theme yet.
Where will the Dragon Ball theme park in France be built?
Reports point to Courdimanche in the Val-d'Oise, about 30 kilometers northwest of Paris, on or near the former Mirapolis site, France's first major theme park, which closed in 1991. No official address or site plan has been confirmed.
How much does the France Dragon Ball theme park cost, and who's paying?
The wider three park complex is valued at roughly six billion euros, about seven billion dollars, funded by Saudi Arabia's Qiddiya Investment Company, a subsidiary of the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund. No cost breakdown has been released for the Dragon Ball section specifically.
Is this the same as the Dragon Ball theme park in Saudi Arabia?
No. Qiddiya is already building an officially licensed Dragon Ball park near Riyadh, announced in 2024. The France location would reportedly be a separate, smaller park built on different land, financed by the same Saudi investment group.
When will the Dragon Ball theme park in France open?
No opening date has been confirmed. Officials have only said the wider three park complex will take years to complete, and construction cannot legally begin on the Dragon Ball portion until a licensing agreement is finalized with the rights holders.
Why are some Dragon Ball fans criticizing the deal?
Critics call the timing "parkwashing," arguing Saudi Arabia is using a beloved manga to soften its global image despite its human rights record. Others note Dragon Ball's story often champions resistance to tyranny, which some fans find at odds with its funding source.
The Bottom Line
Right now, France's Dragon Ball theme park is a signed political and financial commitment sitting on top of an unsigned licensing deal, built on land that already broke this same promise once before. That's not necessarily a red flag, plenty of major projects announce funding before locking in every partner, but it does mean the confident headlines are ahead of the facts. Until Toei Animation, Bird Studio, or Shueisha issue their own statement, everything about the park's design, timeline, and even its final theme remains an open question. We'll keep this page updated as the licensing situation develops.
📚 Sources & References
- France's Theme Park Project Lacks Approval From Dragon Ball's Rights Holders, Anime News Network, August 27, 2026
- France, Saudi Arabia Green Light $7 Billion Dragon Ball Z Theme Park, CNBC, August 25, 2026
- Toei, Dragon Ball Rights Holders Yet to Green Light Paris Park, IBTimes UK, August 2026
- Toei Animation Shares Jump as France, Saudi Arabia Unveil Dragon Ball Z Park, Investing.com, August 2026
- Mirapolis, Wikipedia
- Dragon Ball Editor Decries the Anime's Saudi Arabian Theme Park, CBR
