Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
June 15th, 2009 | 41 views | Posted by in DVD, Blu-ray & Digital Video
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) [Studio Ghibli]
Rarely does a film touch so many hearts or reach such artistic heights as the highly acclaimed KIKI’S DELIVERY SERIVCE, the magical adventure of an enterprising young girl who must follow tradition to become a full-fledged witch.
Venturing out with only her chatty black cat Jiji, KiKi flies off for the adventure of a lifetime. Landing in a far-off city, she sets up a high-flying delivery service. Here begins a wonderful experience of independence and responsibility as she finds her place in the world. The breathtaking animation of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki and the star voice talents of Kirsten Dunst (KiKi), Phil Hartman (Jiji), Matthew Lawrence (Tombo), and more make KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE soar with an energy, excitement, and the kind of imagination that entertains again and again!
In Hayao Miyazaki‘s magical Kiki’s Delivery Service, a 13-year-old girl meets the world head on as she spends her first year soloing as an apprentice witch. Kiki (Kirsten Dunst) is still a little green and plenty headstrong, but also resourceful, imaginative, and determined. With her trusty wisp of a cat Jiji (a gently subdued Phil Hartman) by her side she’s ready to take on the world, or at least the quaintly European seaside village she’s chosen as her new home. Miyazaki’s gentle rhythm and meandering narrative capture the easy pulse of real life (even if his subject is a girl flying high upon a broomstick) and charts the everyday struggles and growing pains of his plucky heroine with sensitivity and understanding. Beautifully detailed animation and the rich designs of the picture-postcard seaside town of red-tiled roofs and cobblestone streets only add to the sense of wonder. This charming animated fantasy is a wholesome, life-affirming picture that doesn’t speak down to kids or up to adults. –Sean Axmaker
Kiki’s Delivery Service Review
It’s great that Americans are finally discovering the dazzling animation of Japanese genius Hayao Miyazaki (whose film “Spirited Away” won the award for Best Animated Film in 2003), and that Disney has started to release excellent DVD editions of his films with both Japanese and English language options. Miyazaki’s 1989 film “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (“Majo no takkyubin” in Japanese; literally “Witch’s Express Mail”) is his most easily accessible and the best place to start in watching his movies. “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is an honest-to-goodness `family’ film. Children will adore it, and adults will find themselves enchanted with its charm, delightful characters, and the sheer beauty of the animation. I once watched the film with a room of twenty and thirty year-olds, a few young children, and an 84 year-old woman, and everybody LOVED it and cheered the heroine on at the end. Simply put, there are few films out there that are as loveable and likable as this.
In terms of story, it’s an odd film: there’s not much in the way of `plot.’ The film depends strongly on its heroine and the way she learns from the world and the people around her as she grows up. Kiki is a thirteen-year-old witch in training who leaves her home to start her required period of living on her own to discover her talents. Kiki and her cat sidekick Jiji jet out on her broom to a city (vaguely European, with traces of Paris, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam) and settle down at a friendly baker’s shop, where Kiki establishes her own broom-powered delivery service (look out, Fed-Ex!). The story follows her troubles and joys, such as her friendship with a local boy inventor Tombo, her meeting with nature-loving artist Ursula, the tricks and difficulties of making deliveries, and the possible loss of her powers when she starts to lose belief in herself. It all climaxes in a thrilling action sequence that Superman would be proud of.
There are some extras, although a lot less than you would expect for a 2-DVD set. John Lassiter (director of “Toy Story”) introduces the film, and there’s a short documentary about the English language actors. The second disc contains the whole film in storyboard and rough sketch form: this will really only be of interest to animators and hardcore Miyazaki fans.
Every family should have “Kiki’s Delivery” service in their library, although the adults may find themselves returning to it as much as the children; and it’s a great introduction to Miyazaki. Make sure you also watch “Castle in the Sky,” “Spirited Away,” and “Princess Mononoke” (the last one isn’t really for kids, however).
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