#140RVW
1st Studio Ghibli film distributed in States by Disney is typically beautiful & lighthearted fare from Miyazaki-san. Short but not slight…
ディズニーで米国で配布さ第一スタジオジブリフィルムは宮崎さんからの通常美しい＆気軽運賃です。短いが、わずかではない···
What’s more:
Kiki’s Delivery Service takes place in a world that is familiar yet seemingly more pleasant. For one thing, no one seems uneasy with the idea of witches flying around; it’s nearly commonplace. The story also takes place in a beautiful seaside city that seems generically European, combining the best elements of all of the major cities. I usually do some reading after watching a film and before writing about it (so I don’t influence my opinion of the film on first viewing), and I found comments by Miyazaki that he intended this to be set in a n alternate 1950’s Europe where no world wars had ever taken place.
So Kiki is born into an idyllic time, and when she turns thirteen, like all young witches, she is to go off and live alone for one year in training. It’s a perfect vehicle to examine how young girls explore their independence & no one writes for young girls better than Miyazaki.
Kiki’s constant companion is her cat, Jiji, who helps her work through her growing pains as she attempts to make a home for herself in the big city. Jiji speaks to Kiki but no one else. I asked why this was so and received a nasty look from my daughter, so just go with it.
Kiki finds the townspeople ill-disposed to a young witch, but after performing a small service for a local baker, finds herself a home and the means to start up a local delivery service. As she can make deliveries via flying broomstick, she seems to have made a good career choice, as long as she can sort out her feelings for a local boy.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is a fun little movie. It’s colorfully designed and beautifully realized. It’s not as serious or weird as some of Miyazaki’s movies, yet not as layered or ambitious either. It might be a good introduction to the style for newcomers. It’s very enjoyable.
As with all of the English dubbed films, it’s a mixed bag. While Kiki doesn’t have any of the serious cultural themes that get lost in translation, there may be subtleties lost in the subtitles.
The voice acting is unremarkable, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Kirsten Dunst does a credible job voicing a thirteen year old, as she wasn’t much older at the time, and she isn’t bad, which is usually the best you can hope for from her. Janeane Garofalo is also in it. Take everything I just said about Dunst and repeat.
Jiji the cat, is voiced in the US dub by Phil Hartman. While I absolutely love Hartman, it’s sort of an unfortunate choice, as they went for a very sarcastic approach that apparently isn’t consistent with the original Japanese version. The film was one of his last, released posthumously and dedicated to him.
I’d heartily recommend Kiki to Miyazaki newbies, particularly young girls and their families.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: A (13 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Kirsten Dunst Kiki (voice: English version), Minami Takayama Kiki/Ursula (voice), Rei Sakuma Jiji (voice), Kappei Yamaguchi Tombo (voice) |
| Rating | G |
| Release Date | Sat 29 Jul 1989 UTC |
| Director | Hayao Miyazaki |
| Genres | Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy |
| Plot | A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 103 |
| Tagline | I was feeling blue, but I’m better now. |
| Writers | Eiko Kadono (novel), Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay) |
| Year | 1989 |