Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no Takkyūbin) | rel. 1989/Disney re-rel. 1998 | dir. Hayao MiyazakiI think I may be in love. After seeing Kiki's Delivery Service, it left a goofy smile on my face and that smile just won't go away.
Short Review
Hayao Miyazaki's gorgeously animated masterpiece, Kiki's Delivery Service is about a young witch-in-training, Kiki, who must leave her tiny village at thirteen to pursue an independent life as a witch. Kiki, along with her broomstick and wise-cracking black cat, Jiji, finds a lovely seaside city to reside in. With the help of Osono, a local and very pregnant baker, she discovers a cozy place to settle. Kiki cooks up an idea to run a local delivery service and befriends several eccentric characters in the city. In her various adventures, Kiki catches the eye of a teenage aviation nerd who takes an interest in Kiki's flying abilities (and later Kiki herself) and Ursula, a young artist.
I love pretty much everything about this film. From beginning to end, it is a lighthearted feel-good fest with a bunch of enchantingly lovable characters. Without being too blatantly preachy, the film is about fitting in, growing up, finding yourself, and utilizing your abilities for the greater good. Many of the things Kiki experiences what most people (like myself) go through in their lives, especially during their teenage years. Miyazaki's creation of the seaside city is full of vivid details and crackling energy. Kiki's Delivery Service is often touching and completely hilarious on a very human level. Kiki may be a witch, but the fact that she doesn't have a ridiculous amount of magical powers make the coming-of-age journey all the more magical.
The Disney re-release (which my entire review is based on) has some terrific voice work by Kirsten Dunst, Matthew Lawrence, Phil Hartman, Janeane Garofalo, Tress MacNeille, and Debbie Reynolds.
Rating: 9.5/10
I have been wanting to get into some Miyazaki, most notably Spirited Away, but have yet to put aside my intitial disdain for anime and just sit down and surely enjoy one of his films.
ReplyDeleteGhibli is so above whatever your views of anime are. They're a world-class studio that makes some of the best films by some of the best directors (and the best).
ReplyDeleteThat said, MARCY!!!!!! ♥ ♥ ♥
Shawn, definitely start watching Miyazaki's films. J.D. is absolutely right about Studio Ghibli--and he knows what he's talking about, considering he's already seen so many of them! Many animes produced by Studio Ghibli have been considered as several of the best films ever made. I'm just on my way to discovering each and every one of them.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a problem with anime, mainly because I grew up with Pokemon and always loved it.
In particular, the animation for Miyazaki's films are stunning and the stories are always compelling. Miyazaki knows how to create characters that the audience can easily care about. Spirited Away is an excellent film and just about everyone I know (anime fan or not) loves it. It's also one of the most imaginative films I've ever seen. So yes, I highly recommend it.
Marcy, I heart you so much right now.
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