Kiki’s Delivery Service

• (Japanese: 魔女の宅急便, Hepburn: Majo no Takkyūbin, lit. ‘Witch’s Express Home Delivery’)
• Written, Produced, and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
• July 29, 1989
• Based on the 1985 novel Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono

Voice Cast

• Kiki-Kirsten Dunst
• Ursula-Janeane Garofalo
• Jiji-Phil Hartman
• Tombo-Matthew Lawrence
• Osono-Tress MacNeille
• Bertha-Edie McClurg
• Madame-Debbie Reynolds
• Kiki’s Father-Jeff Bennett
• Radio Announcer-Corey Burton
• Young Senior Witch-Debi Derryberry
• Kiki’s Mother-Kath Soucie
• Ket-Pamela Adlon as Pamela Segall
• Dirigible Captain-John Hostetter
• Policeman, Receptionist-Matt K. Miller
• Madame, First Woman Kiki Meets-Melanie MacQueen
• Kiki’s Father-John Dantona
• Opening Radio Voice-Carl Macek
• Senior Witch, Hometown Adult 2, Madame’s Granddaughter, Additional Voices-Wendee Lee
• Additional Voices-June Angela, Lewis Arquette, John DeMita, Fay DeWitt, Susan Hickman, Sherry Lynn, Scott Menville

A young witch in training moves to a city with her cat and starts a flying courier service.

Kiki’s Delivery Service is a satisfying if not mildly flawed little piece of fluff. Not a knock against it. That just means you will feel good after watching this. It’s a light and simple metaphor-as-story about a child growing into themselves. Yet this metaphor/message does not beat one over their head allowing this animated feature to be enjoyed as entertainment if you do not get what they are actually going for.

In this world Kiki is a good witch. I’m not even sure if there are any bad ones in this reality. On the night of a full moon (preferably on a night of good weather) go out and find her place in the world and train for a year. How does she train? She wings it. Kind of like life. Is this some type of metaphor for adulthood? Maybe.

That was something that stuck in my proverbial craw. The overlapping plot element is that this is all about Kiki training but she never does any training. She moves around until she finds a roof over her head and some steady employment. Kiki also must determine what her special witch skill is. Adulthood metaphor? But why is it called ‘training’? I really wish they had come up with some other word to use.

The metaphor is driven home in a scene early on when Kiki has just left home and is trying to find someplace any place to be a witch at because that’s what witches do. She comes across another witch that may be on their way home. The snobby witch and Kiki chat and we are introduced to the idea of witches finding their special skill. You would think it is a magical ability, but you clearly forgot the title of the movie. Why is it not some very helpful bit of magic society would like to have?

I like the idea of a metaphor. I like the idea of using a movie to teach a lesson to kids but not being so overt it becomes a lecture. I just am annoyed at some aspects of how they went about it. Hayao Miyazaki is a master of the craft and often does better than the movie-by-committee-factory that is Disney. I just think referring to being tossed into the pool of life with no guidance as ‘training’ and the skill not being magical as flaws.

There are a few side elements such as a friendship with a boy named Tombo who is in an aviation club. Kiki is invited because she has a flying broom. The more I write the more I nitpick. You could get into so much with Tombo inviting her just because she can fly. His initial interest in her is not based on Kiki’s personality but on something she can do that he cannot. As it is this looks like it might be a kiddie love story but never gets beyond the two being good friends.

It’s an entertaining story. Not particularly involving but entertaining and fanciful. It makes you feel good. But I felt that it just kind of ended. There’s a mild situation and then she writes home to her parents she’s doing well. That’s it. Because of that the story itself never comes into focus. It never feels like it gets to its ultimate point or develops a strong one. It just moves along and then calls it a day. Doesn’t mean Kiki’s Delivery Service is terrible, but it’s not nearly as strong had it had a more defined resolution to it all.

I do feel my concerns are minor since I did enjoy myself and was feeling good. I’m not hating on Kiki’s Delivery Service. I did enjoy it. It’s fun and colorful and by the end of the movie you’ll feel good. This is good family viewing adults can enjoy too.