Kiki’s Delivery Service, 1989.
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Featuring the voice talents of Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi, Haruko Kato, Keiko Toda (Japanese) and Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Janeane Garofalo, Debbie Reynolds, Matthew Lawrence, Edie McClurg (English).
SYNOPSIS:
Along with her black cat Jiji, Kiki settles in a seaside town and starts a high-flying delivery service. Here begins her magical encounter with independence and responsibility, making lifelong friends and finding her place in the world.
Based on the novel of the same name by Eiko Kadono, Kiki’s Delivery Service marks the beginning of a new era for Studio Ghibli distribution in the UK. Following the devastating news that Elysian Film Group entered insolvency earlier this year, anime fans across the country wondered whether the Studio Ghibli catalogue would once again fall into rights limbo. Enter GKIDS, which has stepped in to acquire the UK rights and save fans from having to hunt down the increasingly rare StudioCanal Blu-ray releases of these classic films.
As the first Studio Ghibli title to be released under the GKIDS banner and in partnership with All the Anime, this beloved masterpiece, which follows Kiki (Minami Takayama/Kirsten Dunst), a young witch who has just turned 13 and leaves home for a year to start her own delivery service despite lacking many of the skills expected of a good witch, is making its way to the UK’s biggest screens with an IMAX presentation and then to regular cinemas with a new 4K remaster.
Hayao Miyazaki was not originally meant to be the director of the film, taking over production from director Sunao Katabuchi when the film did not align with his vision. Despite this, his DNA is baked throughout, creating a truly magical and spellbinding feature that will leave you grinning from ear to ear as you watch the lovable Kiki try to survive and make a living in an unfamiliar place. Despite being only 13, she struggles with problems that everyone faces: fitting in, finding work, and keeping food on the table. Nearly 30 years later, the film still feels completely timeless.
The animation is fluid and visually striking. Kiki’s movements, whether she’s running through the streets or soaring through the skies on her broom, are nothing short of stunning. While the film is not set in any specific country and instead draws inspiration from various European nations, from France to Italy and beyond, it creates a city that feels familiar yet unbound by the confines of a named location. Even the time period is deliberately undefined; alongside tiny portable radios, biplanes and blimps fill the skies. The result is a film that is mesmerising to look at, and which feels utterly timeless and can be compared to modern anime coming out today.
It’s hard not to be enamoured by what is unfolding on screen, which is accompanied by an incredible score from Joe Hisaishi, a long-time collaborator of Miyazaki. His score enhances the magical aura created by the stunning visuals. It is utilised perfectly throughout the film and is incredible to listen to in its own right. Both voice casts, whether the original Japanese or the English dub produced by Walt Disney Studios, are outstanding, meaning that no matter which version you watch, you will still be witnessing the same masterpiece unfold on screen.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is nothing short of a masterpiece of animation, let alone anime. A timeless classic that will continue to win over future generations. It’s gorgeous animation, brilliant voice acting, and magical score combine to create a film that only Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki could have made. Truly a one-of-a-kind picture that should not be missed, whether projected on an IMAX screen or shown in a traditional cinema.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Ewing
