Movies / Animé and Toons

Kiki's Delivery Service

By Hervé St-Louis
April 5, 2010 - 09:36

Kiki is a young witch and on her thirteenth birthday, like all witches, she has to leave her town and move elsewhere for a year to learn more on her own. Impatient about her departure, Kiki flies all night, falls asleep in a train and emerges in a beautiful city near the ocean where she decides to settle in. But Kiki has to adjust to life in the coastal town and one of the best way for her to do that is to establish and delivery service for residents. She will deliver their packages using her flying broom. While things seem to go well for Kiki, she suddenly lose her powers. What can Kiki do to gain them back?

One never know what to expect from a Miyazaki film. I certainly had no idea of what I would discover in this movie. To be sure, I encourage viewers to skip the introduction by studio producer John Lasseter. It’s not necessary. You don’t need some 50 years-old guy’s take of this great film. He’ll only spoil it for you. Just put the film, skip the Lasseter part and enjoy. It’s kind of patronizing that Disney think they have to explain to people that they are about to watch a great film.



A great film it is. It’s simple and shows that one of the strength of Miyazaki is writing strong female characters of any age. I expected Kiki to be the typical Miyazaki front running character. She wasn’t. She’s Kiki and has her own personality and quirks. What I like about her is her conflicted nature. She rebels and get angry about silly things that eludes most people. Yet she’s a great person who only wants to help. There isn’t an inch of badness in this film. It manoeuvres out of the typical popular girl versus geeky girl movie genre even if there are aspects of that on hand.



I’m beginning to see a pattern with many Miyazaki films. He has his blockbuster classics, like Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky, where there is a real conflict and a clear message that will appeal to North American viewers. Then he has those slice of life movies where the ride is far more important than the actual destination. Kiki’s Delivery Service is one of those films. It’s not about a heavy handed message against war or in protection of the environment. It’s just about a girl on the way to becoming an adult. I will say no one writes young girls as well as Miyazaki . Whereas much of animation is usually focused on making young boys the heroes, Miyazaki shows it’s possible to have strong female leads that will inspire whole generations. I am definitely not the intended demographic group for this film, yet I feel it’s universal enough to recommend it to big macho guys too.



The animation features a staple of the Miyazaki film – something flying. Here it’s Kiki on her broom and there are a few fun shots showing her debatable flying skills. The characters’ designs in a Miyazaki film is always the same, so they all look the same in the end, but it doesn’t matter. I like the Iberian setting of the film. It’s not clear where it takes place but the town really felt like a place people would live in.



The DVD extras include the same features about Miyazaki that viewers will find in the other films released by Disney, such as Castle in the Sky and my Neighbor Totoro. It also includes a storyboard version and language tracts in Japanese and French. I would argue that Miyazaki runs circle around stuff like Newmoon and the original Twilight. People who like Twilight and any smart film should really spend an evening with Kiki’s Delivery Service!

Rating: 9 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12