Today’s quick review: Kiki’s Delivery Service. Kiki (Kirsten Dunst), a young witch, leaves her hometown to set up shop in a distant city, a rite of passage for witches. With her talking cat Jiji (Phil Hartman), she opens up a delivery service in the spare room of a kind baker (Tress MacNeille), using her broom to carry packages around the city. Kiki must overcome a skeptical public, the perils of the delivery business, and her own doubts to make it on her own.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is an animated family adventure from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Kiki is a plucky young girl who ventures into the city for the first time. With no friends or city experience, Kiki relies on determination and a bit of good fortune to make her start. Her struggles form the heart of the movie, touching on themes of hard work, self-reliance, and adapting to new situations.
As with most Miyazaki films, Kiki’s Delivery Service has gorgeous animation. Studio Ghibli pays attention to the smallest details, from the way Kiki kicks off the rooftops while riding her broom to the minutiae of the city’s architecture. Coupled with the film’s beautiful landscapes, the animation gives Kiki’s Delivery Service a remarkably consistent tone and makes it a deligh to watch.
The setting blends early 20th-century technology with picturesque architecture, sprawling forests, and ocean vistas. Kiki’s new home evokes all the wonder and trepidation of moving to the big city with none of the skyscrapers, noise, or pollution. The result is a pleasant, idealized story backdrop that lets Kiki’s adventures play out in a relatable way without undue cynicism.
The only real weakness of the film is its lack of plot. The story follows Kiki as she moves to the city, sets up shop, and tries to make it on her own. The progression is natural enough, and the events of the story are tied together by Kiki’s excellent character arc, but the absence of an overarching plot means that the ending feels tacked on and arbitrary. As such, Kiki’s Delivery Service joins My Neighbor Totoro as a Miyazaki movie more notable for its tone than its story.
Watch Kiki’s Delivery Service if you are looking for a cute, gorgeous film with lots of heart. The production quality is high all around, from Studio Ghibli’s lovely animation to the excellent translation and voice cast provided by Disney. While the light plot keeps it from firing on all cylinders, Kiki’s Delivery Service is a wonderful watch that any Ghibli fan should check out.
7.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for excellent charm hampered only by an unfocused plot.