Kiki's Delivery Service

Year: 1989
Country: Japan
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Watched through: library DVD
Also known as: Maho No Takyubin, The Witch’s Express Mail

The scenario: As a thirteen-year-old witch in training, Kiki has to leave home and strike out on her own. She ends up in a seaside town, where she decides to set up a flying delivery business.

First impressions: My first exposure to this film was the Disney channel; I recorded the dubbed version and thought it was alright, but several years later I mentioned the film to a friend, who insisted that I borrow her DVD and watch the subtitled version. And, wow, what a difference it made. The different versions of this film could be a case study in how a character’s voice can change their personality; there were some pretty surprising story differences, too, which make it hard for me to recommend the dub. Overall, the original version is vastly superior, so seek out the subbed version if you’re interested in seeing this film.

Plot and story: The story of this film is very loosely constructed, and the plot has a deliberate pace that suits the “slice of life” content well. After Kiki leaves her parents’ house and arrives in her new city, the rest of the film shows her daily struggles with her job, her peers, and her own confidence. Kiki goes through swells of self-assuredness and self-doubt, just like any young teen, and the film’s most dramatic point is when her loneliness and homesickness cause her to lose her magic. She manages to pull herself together in the end, however, and the epilogue confirms that she has “found herself,” so to speak. More than anything, this is a coming-of-age story, with the emotional ups and downs, difficulty fitting in, and importance of finding one’s place in life played out superbly in the story. 18/20

Characters: Among other things, Miyazaki is known for his realistic, appealing heroines, and Kiki is no exception. As mentioned above, she acts a like a real thirteen-year-old, and responds to the pressures of her life in realistic ways. You can’t help but root for her, whether she’s cheerful or depressed. Her cat, Jiji, is her foil in some ways, being aloof when Kiki is intent and skeptical when Kiki is certain; their interactions are always interesting because of this. The secondary characters, such as Tombo, the artist, the bakers who take in Kiki as a tenant, and the elderly woman she befriends, are all likeable, and they all eventually help Kiki find herself. 19/20

Voices: This is a review of the original Japanese version of the film, so judgments about the English dub don’t apply. However, I feel I have to mention my biggest beef with Disney’s version: the casting. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Kirsten Dunst is a good actress, but she is extremely wrong for Kiki. Primarily, she sounds way too old. Secondly, she’s too high-pitched, changing Kiki from a plucky adolescent to a whiny teen. Even stranger, though, was the choice for Jiji. The late and great Phil Hartman did the voice of Jiji as his last film role, and I can’t say his performance is bad. It’s great, in fact. But it changes Jiji into an entirely different character. In the original, Jiji has a cute voice, and occasionally has sardonic dialogue. By contrast, the Hartman Jiji is a cynical smart-alec with a drawling northeastern accent. Overall, the dub can’t hold its own when compared to the original. All of the original actors perfectly suit the personalities the characters were meant to have, and the performances are great all around. 18/20

Music: The original film features two Japanese pop songs (“Message in Rouge” and “Surrounded by Gentleness”), but neither of these was used in the dub, probably for licensing reasons. This is yet another thing that hurts the quality of the dub, since the original songs are more fitting in both theme and tune than the pale imitations used in the English version. The score is great as well, with the most memorable music being in the scenes with Jiji and the dog. 18/20

Visuals: Studio Ghibli is incapable of producing a bad-looking film; this film showcases the sumptuous color, simple character design, masterful movements, and beautiful backgrounds that the studio is known for. It lacks the computer-aided flair that some of their more recent films have, but what else can I say? Fantastic animation for a fantastic film. 18/20

Overall grade: 91/100 (A)