Ani-MAY-tion: Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

My memory isn't what it used to be, and even some years ago it wasn't always the sharpest when compared to some others, but I MAY have ended up seeing Kiki's Delivery Service before I saw any other Studio Ghibli movies. It was certainly one of the first that won me over, alongside Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. And it remains a firm favourite, absolutely up there with the best of them.

The story is simple. Kiki is a young witch. At the age of thirteen, tradition dictates that she leaves home and looks to make her own way in the world. She flies through the sky on her broom, accompanied by her feline familiar, Jiji. Eventually landing in a town that she thinks may need a witch, Kiki struggles to come up with a plan to best make use of her particular talents, until she helps a woman by making a quick delivery. That leads to her gaining somewhere to live, a job, and a connection with various town citizens, including a young boy named Tombo.

Okay, for the sake of full transparency, when I first watched Kiki's Delivery Service I watched the English-language version (I cannot recall if any other version was available on the disc when I first bought it) and that remains the preferred version for me to choose, although I did also put on the subtitles to check for any major differences in the translation. I'm sorry, Kirsten Dunst has a voice that works very well in the role of Kiki, and Phil Hartman is great as Jiji. You also get good performances from Tress MacNeille, Janeane Garofalo, and Edie McClurg, to drop the names you may recognise, and Matthew Lawrence is fine as Tombo, the boy who takes an interest in Kiki from the first time that she arrives in town.

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on the book by Eiko Kadono, this is as gorgeous as you'd expect, and as imaginative and lovingly crafted. It may not delve into the pure fantasy elements that are contained within his more celebrated works but, don't be fooled, every frame of this movie has a delightful serving of magic mixed in.

And the gorgeous animation is just a cherry on top. Kiki's Delivery Service is also similar to the other Studio Ghibli greats in the way that it delivers some meaningful lessons to younger viewers in a way that never feels patronising or silly. Kiki may be a witch, but she may as well be any young teen who has started trying to sample independent life, be that in the form of getting a paper delivery round to earn pocket money or being brave enough to head along to a party full of new faces not all guaranteed to be friendly. Every child will identify with aspects of Kiki's journey.

One last thing worth mentioning. People are alarmed at times to see Kiki on her own. They are concerned for a child who may not be able to look after herself. But nobody is ever phased by the fact that she's a witch. It's just something that everyone accepts, which is another lovely plus that you don't think of as being so important for children until you watch something aimed at them that is so beautifully put together. Whatever the youngsters who watch this want to be, they should feel comfortable in the knowledge that so many other people in the world will accept them. That feeling may become worn away over time, as reality sadly erodes the optimism, but I hope they cling to it for as long as possible, and use it as a powerful core that helps them bat away more and more assholes as they eventually have to deal with more aspects of adulthood.

9/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.