Time to have another look back at a classic Studio Ghibli film!
Find more Studio Ghibli animated classics reviewed here!
Movie: Kiki's Delivery Service (in Japanese Majo no Takkyūbin, "Witch's Delivery Service")
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Release date 1989
Genre Anime fantasy
Country Japan
After the 1988 Grave of the Fireflies, Totoro diptych, the animation company Studio Ghibli started working on new animated features regularly.
Their first new feature after that was based on a 1985 novel of the same name written by children's literature author Eiko Kadono. The original "Witch's Delivery Service" went on winning several awards in Japan and has since become a series, the 6th and last book so far was published in 2009.
The studio began working on "Delivery Service" as early as spring 1987. They were interested in adapting the first book but they weren't sure who of Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata would direct the feature.
Near Totoro's completion they decided it would be Sunao Katabuchi's directing debut, who had worked previously on Hayao Miyazaki's Sherlock Hound.
But Miyazaki ended up taking over the production since he did not like the first drafts of the script.
He went to Stockholm and the island of Gotland for references with part of his crew. Which shows a lot in the finished project, taking as much as the look, tone and atmosphere of the local towns they visited.
What it meant for Kiki was probably giving it some depth making it not only a success but probably also one of the most memorable films of Studio Ghibli.
Kiki's Delivery Service tells the story of a young "Takayama" witch.
Kiki is 13 years old.
By tradition she is now old enough to leave her village for a year and live on her own before coming back. It's a why to give a more practical use of their magical abilities and learn magic.
On that faithful night, Kiki lives for a big city with her companion Jiji, a talking black cat.
She settles on Koriko, a port city. It's difficult at the start. She wants to make a living one her own but she only really mastered one proper skill - flying on her broom. And she's not that good at it actually.
She ends up opening a delivery service and help a local bakery, finally earning a living!
Tombo, a local boy who adores aviation slowly falls for Kiki and follows her around.
Kiki loses her ability to fly suddenly..
She meets a young painter in the forest during a delivery. She thinks Kiki is having an "artist's block" of sort.
Later, there is an accident with a dirigible and Tombo's in danger.
Kiki must face her fears and fly again if she wants to save her friend...
This 1989 was written, produced and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
And it shows.
He was able to make the story both more faithful to the source material, unlike the early screenplays before he come on board, but also touch themes closer to his own personal experience and tastes.
It's difficult to not see the link between Tombo and Miyazaki, or the freedom and beauty found in flying/aviation.
It's a story about independence, growing up and finding your own foot.
With the little typical European port town, it's also a story of a "fish out of water" both from a Japanese point and view and Kiki's.
It's a beautiful work of animation, the painted backgrounds are so well detailed, the characters so much full of life..
Probably a much simpler work than My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies, but at least as imaginative.
The score was once again composed by Joe Hisaishi. Pretty close to Totoro's, as enthusiastic, fun and playful. With a more "European tone" to it.
"Rouge no Dengon" (Message of Rouge), the theme from the film was performed by Yumi Matsutoya and is probably as catchy as Joe Hisaishi's music.
The film went on winning and being nominated to several awards all over the world and is still fondly remembered by fans to this day.
Overall, Kiki's Delivery Service is a classic animated movie feature.
Full of a certain poetry like the rest of Hayao Miyazaki's work.
It's a more straightforward story than Totoro or Castle in the Sky, but just as sweet and heart warming.
After some failed American adaptation around 2000, a live action movie based on the first two books is actually currently in development in Japan* **. Although it will actually be closer to the book than the animated film.
The USA saw the release of Kiki's Delivery Service around 1998 both on home video and through a limited screening on theaters. I personally never watched the American dub by Disney but from what I gather, it has some minor edits and changes, and even new score cues here and there, and Disney also replaced the original opening and ending theme songs (!).
I give it:
2.5 / 3 DonPatchis!
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