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| Kiki's Delivery Service |
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  (9/10)
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Runtime: 105 |
| Public Rating: 8.65 (48 votes) |
Director: Hayao Miyazaki |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Comedy/Drama |
Year: 1989 |
| Writer(s): Eiko Kadono (book), Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay), Jack Fletcher & John Semper (U.S. dialogue script) |
| Distributor: Buena Vista Home Video |
| Reviewed by: Le Apprenti |
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Once upon a year, audiences worldwide were introduced to A Little Mermaid and a young mermaid named Ariel became ‘part of their world’. Her international appeal relegated another girl, who appeared in the same year and of almost the same age as Ariel, to little fanfare. Like Ariel, she journeys to another world and experiences its life. Unlike Ariel, her story is a stark contrast to the mermaid’s curiosity and romantic fancies. This girl bids her parents farewell, travels alone to a place she has never been, and sets up an air courier service call Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Kiki is a 13-year-old witch in training from a family line of witches on her mother’s side. She has a black cat Jiji for a companion like a certain teenaged witch from Sabrina the Teenaged Witch (except that the show did not come out of the broom closet until the late 90’s). On her 13th, she has to leave home to spend a year in the civilian world to complete her training to be a witch, sort of like an internship program minus the compulsory parent consent form. Her only skill is flying on a broomstick so she decides on an air delivery service based in a bakery, whose owners Osono and her husband provide her room and board, and help set her up in their shop. She makes plenty of friends – Osono, flying enthusiast kid Tombo, artist Ursula, the elderly but kind customer Madame among others – experiences working life and day-to-day living like an adult would, and journeys on a road of self-discovery.
This light-hearted story is a reflection of trials and tribulations that viewers at an age when they will be making the “rite of passage” from juvenile into adulthood will face and learn to cope with. Kiki learns, at a tender age of 13, to fend for herself without her parents around to help her, to cope like an adult would that includes responsibility and accountability to herself and her job, as well as the importance of friendship and trust. She cannot afford to be careless or thoughtless without bearing far-reaching consequences, and discovers that every good deed has its own reward. The only criticism regarding all this is that all of the people she comes into contact with are far too nice and friendly. She is never in any real danger from potential sex offenders or pedophiles, unlike real-life kids of her age. But otherwise, the message of being independent and self-reliant is clear.
There is plenty to admire about Kiki besides the most important lesson all teens should learn. Kiki’s flying sequences are probably the best parts of the film. The views of the city areas that she flies over (sometimes around and through) are breathtaking and quite realistic from an aerial point of view. One particular sequence that stands out is her departure from home on a clear starry night (yep, she travels at night when it’s past her bedtime and she’s only 13!). As the opening credits roll, the scene shows first the view she sees below of road traffic and every gravity-grounded activity, and then switches to the view above as she watches in awe of a large airplane soaring over her head. It is an amazing experience of dual perspectives that would make any aerial athlete or pilot proud.
Every frame is picture perfect. The opening scene of Kiki lying down in the meadow listening to the radio, her interactions with Jiji, her initial spurning and subsequent rescue of her friend Tombo, and the landscape view of Korico (production designs suggest a Scandinavian city despite the Japanese-sounding name); all are rich in depth and detail. The airship crash scene is exquisitely animated with plenty of quick cuts from one shot to another shot for maximum energy, and complete with an elaborate Kiki flying sequence. Miyazaki frequently sustains a shot after an event has ended to reinforce its dramatic or emotional impact. He can also make a character interesting without the need of a voiceover. In the case with Osono’s husband, his personality is shown without him having to speak a word. Another noteworthy mention is Miyazaki’s integration of the credits sequences into the story. What he does in the opening credits sequence is already mentioned. In the closing credits sequence, he shows Kiki’s parents reading a letter she sends to them.
As is the case with all foreign language films, the biggest flaw is the dubbing. It is worse than Spirited Away, and the dubbing for that film is already lacking in itself. Kirsten Dunst’s version of Kiki is anemic, particularly in tensed situations. Jiji undergoes the most character makeover through dubbing. In the Japanese track, he is a smart alec with a juvenile demeanor albeit a sense of devotion to Kiki. Phil Hartman gives him an obnoxious somewhat incorrigible tone. Janeane Garofalo is surprisingly in character with her Japanese voiceover counterpart as Kiki’s artist friend Ursula.
Despite the drawbacks of English language dubbing, I recommend watching the film on DVD in both English and Japanese. Each has its merits, both in the revealing of plot details that may be absent in the other language track and the music tracks. The latter has its own set of songs for each language: Arai Yumi’s 70’s style pop flavor in Japanese, and Sydney Forest’s country pop ballads in English. Both sets of songs are lovely and blend very well with the opening credits and closing credits sequence.
The story of Kiki’s Delivery Service is wonderfully animated and carries itself well without the need for token comedy goofs or villains. Kiki herself is adorable, caring, selfless and a bubble of optimism, in all a likeable character. Through her, the film’s message of learning to be independent can be related to by any viewer (even kids 12 years old and under) regardless of ethnicity, nationality, social background or age group. A truly wonderful film.
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