Kiki's Delivery Service

About Kiki's Delivery Service

Kiki's Delivery Service is a wonderful Japanese animated coming-of-age fantasy film produced by Studio Ghibli. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the mastermind behind several critically acclaimed animated movies. It was released in 1989. The story revolves around a young witch, Kiki who is now 13 years old and as per the tradition in witch's world, she must leave home for a year to learn how to live independently. She uses her skill at flying to start a delivery service, and with her cat, Jiji they manage to save the town and find the confidence in herself she needs to become an independent woman.

Making / Production

The production of Kiki's Delivery Service was a intricate process combining both traditional and digital techniques. Studio Ghibli, with Miyazaki directing and Eiko Kadono (author of the original book "Kiki’s Delivery Service") providing the story, leveraged their signature hand-drawn animation to create the whimsical world in which Kiki lives.

Actors

• Kirsten Dunst as Kiki: Kirsten brought life to the protagonist Kiki with her youthful and enthusiastic voice, perfectly portraying the young witch's journey to independence.
• Phil Hartman as Jiji: As the witty and sarcastic sidekick, Phil Hartman's performance added humor and depth to the storyline.
• Matthew Lawrence as Tombo: Matthew adroitly portrayed Tombo, Kiki's friend, by lending his voice.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• This was the first Studio Ghibli film to be released in North America.
• It was originally a novel written by Eiko Kadono before being adapted into a film.
• The movie diverges from its source material in several ways, primarily in its larger focus on the 'coming of age' aspect.
• A real town in Sweden, Visby, was the model for the city in the film.

Awards

The movie won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 1989. It was also selected as one of the 20 "Must-See" Japanese Animation films.

Quotes

• "Jiji, I’ve decided to leave tonight." - Kiki
• "Kiki, can you hear me? It’s me, Jiji. I’m scared." - Jiji
• "Don’t panic, don’t panic." - Kiki

Music, Soundtrack

• The film's soundtrack was composed by Joe Hisaishi, including the charming opening song 'Rouge no Dengon' and 'Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta nara' at the end.
• Joe Hisaishi has scored the soundtracks for nearly all of Miyazaki’s films.