... Seeing as it was Halloween last night, what better film to review than Kiki's Delivery Service, first released in 1989 (and the fifth of the Studio Ghibli releases) & directed by the Dappa Don that is Miyazaki.
~The Plot~
Kiki is a young witch who is approaching her 13th birthday. Now ... Read review
Rarely does a film touch so many hearts or reach such artistic heights as the enchanting ... more
and highly acclaimed animated adventure Kiki's Delivery Service...a story of magic wonder and discovery you'll long remember and cherish. It's easy to fall in l...
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It's witch meets world, as teenage Kiki chooses to live on her own in a new town, using ... more
her magical powers to get by. But Kiki is poor with potions and second-rate at spells - instead, she sets up a courier service, using her broomstick to deliver ever...
Rarely does a film touch so many hearts or reach such artisticheights as the enchanting ... more
and highly acclaimed animated adventure,Kiki's Delivery Service...a story of magic, wonder and discoveryyou'll long remember and cherish. It's easy to fall in love with Kiki, a gentle and kind-heartedyoung witch who soars away on her broomstick to practice witchcraftfor a year, as tradition calls for. Along with her wisecrackingblack cat Jiji, Kiki settles in a picturesque seaside town andstarts a high-flying delivery service. Here begins her magicalencounter with independence and responsibility, making lifelongfriends and sharing in an extraordinary adventure with a boy namedTombo as she finds her place in the world. Breathtaking animation with exquisite attention to detail burstsinto a stunning feast for the eyes in this imaginative full-lengthfeature. From creator Hayao Miyazaki, hailed as one of today'sgreatest animators, Kiki's Delivery Service transcends all agebarriers to delight everyone in your family. Special Features: Alternative Angle Storyboards Ursula's Painting Original Japanese trailers Studio Ghilbli trailer reel
Advantages: teaches kids responsibility (LoL!) Disadvantages: er....er.....come back to me on that one!
...better film to review than Kiki's Delivery Service, first released in 1989 (and the fifth of the Studio Ghibli releases) & directed by the Dappa Don that is Miyazaki.
~The Plot~
Kiki is a young witch who is approaching her 13th birthday. Now it is tradition that every young witch has to leave home at the age of 13 and establish herself in a town or village where there are no other witches, the reasoning is that witches ... ...bit bumpy at first) on Kiki's mothers broom with Kiki's Dad's transistor radio hanging from it, to find their new home. There are a couple of small humorous adventures on the way and eventually Kiki and Jiji end up in a lovely little seaside town called Koriko. Initially Kiki finds it hard to adjust to town life, as she has come from a tiny little village, but she needs to find a job and start to develop her skill.
Having just posted my Studio Ghibli review, I am now confident that I have whetted your appetite enough to submit my first review on a Ghibli Film. Seeing as it was Halloween last night, what better film to review than Kiki's Delivery Service, first released in 1989 (and the fifth of the Studio Ghibli releases) & directed by the Dappa Don that is Miyazaki.
~The Plot~
Kiki is a young witch who is approaching her 13th birthday. Now it is tradition that every young witch has to leave home at the age of 13 and establish herself in a town or village where there are no other witches, the reasoning is that witches are now very rare and their powers are very weak, and by spreading themselves out it ensures the survival of their species.
Now the main purpose of moving to a new town is so that young witches can become full witches and develop their own special skill. The only problem is that Kiki doesn't have a skill to develop, the only skill that Kiki has is flying, well she can fly, but not really that well!
The film opens with Kiki listening to her father's transistor radio (it appears to be 1950's) and upon hearing that the night is going to be a perfect night for flying decides that tonight is the night and rushes off to her bedroom to pack, where we meet her talking (obviously black) cat - Jiji. Jiji is cute, with very appealing large googly eyes and huge ears, and a ridiculously dry sense of humour.
Anyway, that evening Kiki and Jiji set off (admittedly it is a bit bumpy at first) on Kiki's mothers broom with Kiki's Dad's transistor radio hanging from it, to find their new home. There are a couple of small humorous adventures on the way and eventually Kiki and Jiji end up in a lovely little seaside town called Koriko. Initially Kiki finds it hard to adjust to town life, as she has come from a tiny little village, but she needs to find a job and start to develop her skill.
After a couple of mishaps and finding that people don't really remember witches anymore or really understand them, she is wandering past a bakery where a heavily pregnant lady (Osono) is trying to return something one of her customers has left in the shop, so Kiki offers to return it for her. Osono takes Kiki & Jiji in and helps Kiki to adjust to life and helps Kiki decide to start a delivery business, her special skill will be flying!
~Where & when is it set?~
Ok not a normal thing to put in a film review as a separate point on its own, but this is actually quite interesting. Miyzaki claims that Kiki's Town, Koriko is a mishmash of lots of different cities and countries. Koriko is mainly based on Stockholm & Visby - 80 rolls of film were shot for inspiration, and a street called Gamla Stan is one of the many models that appear in the film. Other parts of the town can be found in Ireland, Paris, San Francisco (lots of trams) and Tokyo.
*Tazzy fact alert* The first country that Mizaki ever went to was Sweden, it was in 1970 to find locations for a Pippy Longstocking TV series, unfortunately they never managed to get permission from the author.
It is said that Kiki's Delivery service was set in an alternate Europe in the 1950's where World War II never happened, this answers the questions as to why some characters are watching black and white TV's and why some planes that appear to be Handley-Page HP42's are spotted - back in the real world, there were 8 HP42's and they were all decommissioned or destroyed by 41.
~Who is it aimed at? What did I love about it?~
This is a brilliant film for young children, it is rated U and I would say it is suitable for children as young as 3 (I have no children of my own and not really sure if younger children will sit through a film - but if they do, then suitable for them too), there are plenty of things to keep children's attention such as Kiki flying on her broom, Kiki's friend Tombo's home made flying machine, a talking cat and much more. For slightly older children there is a message of responsibility, self-reliance and independence, and of course, as with all good children's films hope & above all strong spirit.
This is also a brilliant Sunday afternoon film for adults - I will go into a bit more of the story (no plot spoilers don't worry) in the next bit, but this is definitely a film that the whole family can sit and watch together and thoroughly enjoy. The whole story and plot is heart warming, even though not much happens in it, all the characters are strong and you warm to each and everyone of them. I would highly recommend this film to anyone.
~How does the film translate into English?~
For any of you that are either already aware of Studio Ghibli's works or any of you who have read my Studio Ghibli review (G = hot wind blowing through the Sahara Dessert) you will know that these films are all Japanese anime and obviously are originally in Japanese. This is the first film that Disney released, on Ciao there is also another Kiki's Delivery Service listed, which is the original, but more about that in a minute. Unfortunately, a lot of the detail has been left out of the Disney version, but it does not make the film any less enjoyable. This film was based on a children's book, which I believe was quite a popular book, so there are something's that we, as foreign viewers are not aware of.
The first instance is Kiki's cat Jiji, in the book, witches and their black cats are bought up together, which is why they can talk to each other, this also lends to the suggestion that Jiji may actually be Kiki's "other-self". In the film Kiki looses her powers after a spell of sickness, her broom breaks and from that point on can no longer speak to Jiji. Kiki and Jiji never manage to speak again, but Miyazaki intends this to show that Kiki has grown up and become independent, so has no need for her "other-self".
During the film Kiki meets an older sister figure named Ursula who lives in the woods and is an independent character who knows exactly who she is and is very comfortable with herself. In the Japanese version Kiki and Ursula are voiced by the same actress to indicate that they are the same character, Ursula is an older Kiki, but this is lost in the Disney Version.
In the Japanese version Kiki flies along listening to her radio and it is in English, which would obviously be foreign to the viewers, this is to symbolise her lonliness and the foreigness (is that a word?) of the situation.
I mentioned earlier that Ciao list two DVD's when searching for Kiki's Delivery Service, the other is the original version and was dubbed especially for JAL flights and is now only available on a box set, which I can't seem to find for sale.
~Bits you might want to know~
Kiki is voiced on this version by Kirsten Dunst & her smart talking cat Jiji is voiced by Phil Hartman, this was to be his last performance before he was murdered by his wife.
Running time is approx 103 mins
Computers were not used on this film and 67,317 cells & 462 colours were used.
Available widely at your local HMV, Virgin, Amazon or whatever you want to use. If you order off Amazon it is going for £8.97 or you can buy it with Laputa, Castle in the Sky (brilliant film) for £19.94 and qualify for free delivery (unfortunately not by Kiki herself).
This is not at all related and is a bit of a Tazzy fact, but in the original version you can see Miyazaki (director) watching a TV screen towards the end of the film, this for some reason is not visible in the Disney version!
Thanks for reading guys x
p.s. when released in spain they renamed the Kiki Nicky as Kiki is slang for sex(!)
Advantages: Story | Characters | Looks | Hayao Miyazaki's Disadvantages: Not For Everyone
...ripe year of 1989 called Kiki's Delivery Service. Which was done a few years after Nausicaa (another film done by Hayao Miyazaki) and before he ventured to the likes of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.
It starts off with a thirteen year old witch that has been waiting for the perfect night for her to go on her travels. As when you become 13, you will have to settle into a town for a whole year to continue with your witch training, and she has ... ...their lives after what happens. Kiki's animated performance is very good, as how she settles in, and how she gets through her life as a young witch. The characters in the film you will like, there is no one in it that you wish was not in it, so it is all good.
There is no real special effects in this, like there isn't really any I any animated films, so can't really comment about it. The soundtrack of the film is very good, the music is pleasant ...
DBZKing 25.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kiki's Delivery Service (Animated) (DVD)
Advantages: Lyric story of coming of age Disadvantages: Sorry, no violence or major antagonists
Of the many "coming of age" stories, this is one of the sweeter looks at what it takes to become an adult. Kiki is a young witch who, upon turning 13, must leave home to find her place in the world. Her only talent is flying - in fact, while the main character is a witch, there is nothing beyond flying a broom that pertains to magic or the occult. Well, there is Jiji, the talking cat, but while he starts out as that "little voice in your head", he ... ...reproduction)
Her search for a place to start brings her to a city that looks like San Fransisco, with its cablecars and hills, but with narrow, cobblestone streets, Italian belltower and Mediterranean-blue seas.
By happenstance, Kiki helps a bakery owner with a customer's missing pacifier, proving herself an effective air delivery service. The bakery has a loft that becomes a home, and Kiki finds a base of operations.
In her flights, she meets ...
cowtown 10.04.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Kiki's Delivery Service (Animated) (DVD)
Advantages: Beautiful music and storyline Disadvantages: WARNING: Spoilers towards the end in the plot if you haven't seen the film
Like all of Hayao Miyzaki's films they all protect as well as represent the innocence of children, which I think is just perfect, especially when you have young children watching these films as in most by Miyazaki films have some kind of moral to them and the moral in this film being, 'Just do what you do best and you'll go far' which is a moral anyone should follow if they can and I know it is a moral I follow daily with my school work and daily ... ...seem to be many more anime films that are full of violence rather than ones that are based on the innocence of children which is a bonus factor for parents and what draws the child in.
The film itself is rated U in the United Kingdom, U basically means it is suitable for all ages. So of course, when myself, my brothers and sisters and parents all sat down to watch this film we all agreed upon that the film was fantastic and an excellent film for ...
KellytheGreenStar 05.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Kiki's Delivery Service (Animated) (DVD)
OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT; SONY DADC, Buena Vista Home Entertainment; Technicolor Distribution Services
Release date
27/02/2006, 10/11/2003
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
OPTD 0303, BED 888798
Barcode
5060034573425, 5017188887984
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Animated
Animated
DVD Description
The story of Kiki, a thirteen year old witch, who is asked by her mother to start a twelve month long apprenticeship. Kiki finds herself in a coastal town that doesn't welcome witches...
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