Kiki's Delivery Service

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! Strong female character
Review: It is so hard in this day and age to find movies for little girls to watch that have strong female role models. Kiki's Delivery Service is a movie that I am completely happy that my daughter loves to watch. It is about living life with your heart and spirt and learning to love and believe in yourself. This is a WONDERFUL movie, and we love My Neighbor Totoro for the same reasons.

Rating:
Summary: Kiki is Kawaii
Review: "Kiki's Delivery Service" is another great movie by the great anime director Hayao Miyazaki. Kiki is a 13-year old girl who's also a witch. Following tradition, she must set out on the night of a full moon to a town (with no witches I gather) and begin her training away from home -- to learn her skills.

This movie is unique in that there are no bad guys. It is simply a story of a young girl, her cat Jiji, and her coming to the threshold of womanhood. So she has her first "romance" with one of the local boys who's into flying and really digs Kiki because she can fly on a broom. The romance is sweetly done and is nothing more than the romances many of us had at 12-13 -- totally innocent.

I've not yet seen the Japanese version (though I plan to), so I don't know how well of a job at translation Disney did. I hear it is pretty good though. Certainly, the English dub is very good -- maybe some of the best for anime. Phil Hartman is perfect in the role of Jiji the black cat. There are a few areas where I suspect things didn't translate as well, but that's to be expected since there are things in the Japanese language that don't translate well into English.

My only problem with the movie is that it really feels rushed at the end. So the ending wasn't very satisfying. However, seeing scenes through the credits (especially of Jiji) helped ease my pain (if you will).

Bottom line: This is a great kid's movie and one that adults will enjoy as well.

Rating:
Summary: not much to say but THIS MOVIE ABSOLUTLEY ROCKS!!
Review: i love this movie. it rules. its so awsome. when i rented it, i fell in love with it. the pacing is slow, but the art and plot are great. it seems to take place in between 1937 and 1942. i recomend it. it has trains. i love thoes. it has cars. ilove thoes. it has a smart allek talking balck cat. i love thoes. BUY THIS MOVIE! BUY IT! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!

Rating:
Summary: There isn't a word great enough to describe this movie.
Review: This movie will make you drteam about it for years. Five stars isn't even close to what I'd give it. It just touches your heart and warms you up when you watch it. It truly is a magical movie that's IMPOSSIBLE to forget. I mean, words can't even describe the marvoulous sceneries and the cartooning is absolutely amazing. I could watch this movie 20 times and still be going strong. It completely enthralled me with it's fantasy world, and it makes you want to jump inside the movie and fly on a broomstick. The story is about a 13 year-old girl named Kiki who travels from her calm village to a beautiful port city by the ocean to train to become a witch. She arrives in the town flyng wildly on her broomstick with her talking black cat, Jiji.
A peaceful bakery shop owner named Osono takes Kiki in and gives her a room to stay in. Soon, she begins a delivery service for the bakery, flying on her broom to peoples houses.
While delivering, she meets a curious boy named Tombo about her age and it's questionable as to whether they like each other or not. She also meets a remote painter in the woods and become great friends. After some time living in this town, though, Kiki finds herself losing her ability to fly. In the end, Kiki has to muster up all of her strength and willpower to save Tombo's life. Find out what happens by watching it yourself!

Rating:
Summary: Kiki Delivers
Review: Face it: any kids' video you buy will be watched over and over, mostly in your presence. You want to choose carefully, since you will be spending so much quality time with this video. Kiki's Delivery Service won't disappoint you. This sweet, gentle movie is a coming-of-age story about Kiki, a 13-year-old witch-in-training. As part of said training, she is required to spend a year away from home practicing her craft. Her subsequent adventures are the subject of this endearing film by Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki. The animation is splendid, the casting mostly inspired (Kirsten Dunst, Janeane Garofalo, Debbie Reynolds, and even the late Phil Hartman as the voice of Kiki's companion cat). Unlike the standard Disney fare, this movie has no violence, no sex, no profanity, and not even a dysfunctional family.

The themes of Kiki's Delivery Service are noble ones. There are far worse ways to spend a few hours (or a few dozen) than watching a young girl make friends and gain self-confidence, especially one as appealing as Kiki. Buy yourself an extra copy of this video. When you wear the first one out watching it by yourself, you'll need the spare to placate the kids.

Rating:
Summary: DVD Review
Review: Kiki's Delivery Service is another masterwork in the canon of the greatest animation director in the world, Hayao Miyazaki. Disney's DVD presentation gives the picture an absolutely beautiful transfer, but is extremely spare in terms of extras. The film is a wonderful family film filled with innocence and charm. Someone said cynicism is the death of art and Kiki is a breath of fresh air to the cynical sarcasm of today's entertainment. The only drawback to the film is that some might find the film a ridiculous fantasy in regard to our violent modern world. As a college student I have found it hard to sell a film to my peer that concerns a teenage witch delivering gifts to friendly townspeople. Much of my generation will be turned off by the content. Even fans of Miyazaki might be put off in the difference between Kiki and Mononoke or Spirited Away. Others including myself love the film and continue to be touched by the universal feelings and details that Miyazaki evokes.

Picture quality on the DVD release is amazing. The gorgeous print of Miyazaki's breathtaking animation makes this one of the best looking DVDs in my collection. It has to be seen to be believed. The picture's aspect ratio is kept in 1:85:1, giving limited black for small tv users.
I'm not a sound expert but it sounded just fine. I don't have a home theater set-up, so I can't judge the audio. The Japanese track is vastly superior if only for the original Japanese version of the catching opening and the extremely different vocal performance of Jiji. This track is not in 5.1. The english dub features several celebrities and is fine, but stick with the Japanese. I guess there is Spanish, but I don't remember it being an option on the storyboard disc. The menu design is annoying in that you cannot switch the audio or subs on the fly. You have to go back to the menu and then resume play. Yellow subs are within the frame, not in black. This is good for widescreen tvs, but on my regular tv, it tends to blend with the image and cover stuff.

Extras is the weak spot on the disc. Lasseter's intros were cool the first time I heard one, but get tiring after more than one Miyazaki film. The film starts with Lasseter's comment if you change to Japanese and select "resume film" to start. The english cast interviews are nothing special, accept for a brief appearance of Toshio Suzuki and a very very young and cute Kirsten Dunst. Be sure to pause and catch the Jiji robe she wears in one scene!
I didn't finish watching the Japanese trailers, they run one after another, mostly clips with limited Japanese ad flair. Disc Two only has the storyboarding of the whole film with both soundtracks. The storyboards are more completely drawn then other Miyasaki films, but you cannot switch angles to a film comparison which made the Spirited Away disc interesting.
A total masterpiece of animation, Disney's disc has a mind blowing picture transfer with limited extras.
Highly recomended.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, uplifting, and yes, magical.
Review: I used to believe that Anime was nothing but sex and violence -- stuff for grown-ups only. However, I take it back. And I owe it to this cute little gem called KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE that really turned me around for the better. It introduced me to arguably one of the greatest animators of all time, Hayao Miyazaki, who happens to be dubbed as the Walt Disney of Japan. Having since seen virtually ALL of his films, from CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO to SPIRITED AWAY, I can see why he is such a highly acclaimed artist -- his works (and I mean every one of them) are a stroke of genius.

KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE may have been my first real exposure to Miyazaki, but this happens to be the director's fifth film, which was the highest grossing movie of its year in Japan. Adapted from a children's book by Eiko Kadono (which is to be released in America as of this writing), the film is not a typical good-versus-evil conflicted, dysfunctional story but a gentle, character-driven story with endearing characters, beautiful artistry, and a strong, positive message about confidence and independence that are quite encouraging for all, from the youngest of children to the oldest at heart. (On a side note, it persuaded me to get some exercise! The "fat, fat, FAT!!!" line did it for me.)

The story is about 13-year old Kiki, an adorable witch-in-training, who, on one moonlit night, leaves her hometown to seek her independence and fortune. She's accompanied by her wisecracking and hilarious pet black cat, Jiji, and a little wobbly when it comes to takeoffs and landings while maneuvering her broomstick. Kiki arrives at a luxurious town with an ocean view where she eventually finds work at a bakery run by the generous Osono and her silent, gruff husband. There, she starts a high-flying delivery service which opens up many new relationships for the budding witch -- including a friendly painter, Ursula, a kind old woman, Madame, and a boy named Tombo, who dreams of flying.

The above synopsis may sound dull, but KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE certainly is not. It is a joy to watch from start to finish as we see Kiki slowly grow up and learn to have faith in herself, especially when her powers begin to fade away toward the end of the movie. It's engrossing enough to keep one's attention and there are a number of tear-jerking moments that make it more than just a movie. This is a characteristic you'll only be able to find in Miyazaki, and KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE "delivers" a wonderful movie which shows that movies don't have to be about overcoming evil or action-packed or angst-ridden to be entertaining.

In 1996, Disney struck a deal with Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki's studio, to distribute the director's movies worldwide. KIKI was their first release. It proved to be a very successful release when it was released to video on September of 1998; it sold over a million copies in the US - a record for any Anime video. But since then, the movie has been out of print, and there was never a DVD release. Now, however, fans can rejoice, because Disney has just announced that (finally!) they will release this film, along with CASTLE IN THE SKY and SPIRITED AWAY to VHS and DVD this April for a new generation to discover.

The movie was originally dubbed into English by Carl Macek of Streamline Pictures, but Disney redubbed the movie for its initial release with an all-star cast that did a truly excellent job with their roles. Thirteen-year-old Kirsten Dunst is perfect as Kiki, eliciting just the right touch of cuteness, spunkiness, independence, and poignancy to her role. The other actors, which include Debbie Reynolds (Madame), Tress MacNeille - of TINY TOONS and ANIMANIACS fame - (Osono), Jeanane Garofolo (Ursula), and Matthew Lawrence (Tombo), give similarly superb performances. Of the actors, however, it is the late Phil Hartman's witty, sarcastic take on Jiji that steals the show. He added in some new dialogue and proved to be so good at his role that he actually expanded the character. I swear, I just cannot get enough laughs every time I hear his lines. ("First, don't panic! Second, don't panic! And THIRD, did I mention not to panic?!?") The opening and ending songs were replaced by two gorgeous, rollicking numbers from Sydney Forest, but even they seem to suit the story wonderful. In fact, I find myself bouncing to them every time they pop up over the opening and closing credits of the show.

If you've missed your opportunity to catch this wonderful movie, then your chance will come again soon. Either way, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE is a gem that should not be missed and deserves to be well-known in America as it is in Japan. I highly -- and I do mean VERY HIGHLY -- recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: An exciting film for all ages
Review: When enthusiastic young witch Kiki leaves home one full moonlit night to make it on her own, she discovers that more than magic is needed to overcome life's obstacles. Miyazaki has created a wonderful world not that different from our own, wherein lies the movie's appeal. Great characters and voice acting, including the late Phil Hartman as Kiki's cat, make this movie extremely enjoyable and highly recommended. You will root for Kiki all the way.

The flying scenes are especially exhilirating. Like much of the movie, these scenes are slow paced so you can enjoy them. As Kiki wends her way high over ocean, countryside, forest, city, you feel as though you are flying with her. My favorite is when she is flying over the city lights at night.

Rating:
Summary: Not Miyazaki's finest hour
Review: Once a young witch turns 13 she must go live on her own for 1 year to a town with no other witches to learn her craft. Kiki has just turned 13 and found her own city by the sea. She is befriended by a kind, and very pregnant baker woman, who suggests Kiki uses her flying broom to start a delivery service to make some money. She meets a boy a nice old lady, gets a cold, makes friends with a strange artist and delivers stuff. The End.

A few spoilers I left out aside, that's the gist of the movie. I read once in an interview with writer/director Hayao Miyazaki that he does not sit down and write scripts so much as he sits and draws, letting the story evolve from there. This method has worked beautifully for Miyazaki in movies like PRINCESS MONONOKE and SPIRITED AWAY (two far superior films). Sadly, KIKI is not such a film. The movie, like the story's heroine Kiki, just kind of wanders around, pointless. The movie tells the audience Kiki has to go away for a year to "learn how to use her powers," but how exactly is she supposed to learn without anyone to teach her? She has no real mentor. And Kiki's main ability is flying. But she can already fly before she leaves home on her journey in the first place. The reclusive artist lady who lives in the woods is also another mind-boggler. Other than a semi-sage like character (who doesn't give any really great advice), she serves no real purpose.

The translation for this film was also the worst. Stay away altogether from the English dub with a young Kirsten Dunst as the voice of Kiki and the late Phil Hartman as the voice of Kiki's talking black cat, Gigi. The translation for that dub was terrible.

A good example of the variations in translation and their impact on the film is the scene when Kiki encounters another witch while looking for her own city. The original Japanese has the witch being a bit curt, by Western standards, yet polite to Kiki. In the English subtitles she is a bit snobby and in the English dub she is an outright jerk! The suits at Disney were obviously trying to turn this into an American film and also added all sorts of unfunny, smart-aleck dialogue for Gigi the black cat that is nowhere in the Japanese dub!

I think the point the film is trying to make under all these silly adventures is that young women can be strong and independent and overcome obstacles. A good message, but one that can be gained much more effectively and entertainingly in other films, such as Miyazaki's own film SPIRITED AWAY.

Rating:
Summary: A film that everyone will enjoy. As delightful as they come!
Review: It's great that Americans are finally discovering the dazzling animation of Japanese genius Hayao Miyazaki (whose film "Spirited Away" won the award for Best Animated Film in 2003), and that Disney has started to release excellent DVD editions of his films with both Japanese and English language options. Miyazaki's 1989 film "Kiki's Delivery Service" ("Majo no takkyubin" in Japanese; literally "Witch's Express Mail") is his most easily accessible and the best place to start in watching his movies. "Kiki's Delivery Service" is an honest-to-goodness 'family' film. Children will adore it, and adults will find themselves enchanted with its charm, delightful characters, and the sheer beauty of the animation. I once watched the film with a room of twenty and thirty year-olds, a few young children, and an 84 year-old woman, and everybody LOVED it and cheered the heroine on at the end. Simply put, there are few films out there that are as loveable and likable as this.

In terms of story, it's an odd film: there's not much in the way of 'plot.' The film depends strongly on its heroine and the way she learns from the world and the people around her as she grows up. Kiki is a thirteen-year-old witch in training who leaves her home to start her required period of living on her own to discover her talents. Kiki and her cat sidekick Jiji jet out on her broom to a city (vaguely European, with traces of Paris, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam) and settle down at a friendly baker's shop, where Kiki establishes her own broom-powered delivery service (look out, Fed-Ex!). The story follows her troubles and joys, such as her friendship with a local boy inventor Tombo, her meeting with nature-loving artist Ursula, the tricks and difficulties of making deliveries, and the possible loss of her powers when she starts to lose belief in herself. It all climaxes in a thrilling action sequence that Superman would be proud of.

The movie leaps from wonderful sequence to wonderful sequence: Kiki's passionate farewell to her parents, her first flight over the city, Tombo's wild ride on his experimental flying bike, a dangerous flight through a flock of birds, the action-packed finale, and the many terrific meetings between Kiki and other charming characters. Watching Kiki learn and grow will have an affect on children young and old: everybody can take something away from the lessons Kiki learns about herself. And of course, the animation is dazzling; not only the sweeping visuals, but the nuances of the characters' expressions and movements.

The DVD offers the film in English and Japanese (oh, and Spanish too). If you watch the film in Japanese, you have the choice to watch it with two different sets of subtitles. One set is a literal translation of the Japanese script. The second are taken directly from the English version, and therefore have a distinctly "American" feel to them. I recommend when watching the Japanese version to stick with the literal subtitles. Since the English dub of the film often adds extra lines to characters (especially Jiji), it can be confusing to see subtitles pop up when nobody is speaking.

The Americanized dubbed version, however, is fantastic as well, and done with great respect and intelligence. The voice cast is superb: Kirsten Dunst as Kiki, Janeane Garofola as Ursula, and Debbie Reynolds as sweet old Miss Dora. But the scene-stealer is the late Phil Hartman as Kiki's smart-aleck cat companion, Jiji. Hartman is hysterical in every scene, totally nailing down the character, and his performance is a bittersweet reminder of what a great comedian we lost with his premature death. If you're going to watch the film with children or a large, general group of people, stick with the English version. It's quite an achievement, and just as enjoyable as the Japanese version.

There are some extras, although a lot less than you would expect for a 2-DVD set. John Lassiter (director of "Toy Story") introduces the film, and there's a short documentary about the English language actors. The second disc contains the whole film in storyboard and rough sketch form: this will really only be of interest to animators and hardcore Miyazaki fans.

Every family should have "Kiki's Delivery" service in their library, although the adults may find themselves returning to it as much as the children; and it's a great introduction to Miyazaki. Make sure you also watch "Castle in the Sky," "Spirited Away," and "Princess Mononoke" (the last one isn't really for kids, however).