Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsHeart-Warming Story of a Young Girl's Growing Up: Simply a Must
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2005
One of the most incredible things about the filmography of Hayao Miyazaki happened in 1988 when they released delightful 'My Neighbor Totoro' as part of a double feature in Japan. (The other film was 'Grave of the Fireflies' and these films had to wait a while to gain deserved popularity they have now after repeated showings in theaters and re-runs on TV.) You believe that? double feature program of new films, one of which is Miyazaki's!
One year later, in 1989, things suddenly changed when 'Kiki's Delivery Service' was released theatrically. I clearly remember watching it the first show of the first day, which started very early in the morning, and the theater was already full-packed. Since then, Miyazaki and his films have been Japan's household name.
'Kiki's Delivery Service' which is based on a children's book by Kadono Eiko shows what a good animation film can do without violence, CGIs, or obligatory musical scenes. It's about a girl Kiki who must leave her house flying on a broomstick in order to live alone among the strangers. Kiki, warm-hearted, strong-willed, but still a novice witch, must learn many things in this town where she gets a job at a kind baker's -- and of course her job is delivery service of the film title.
There is one hair-raising big action sequence, but the film' charms are all based on credible characters including Jiji a talking cat, Tombo (meaning dragonfly in Japanese) a boy who dreams of flying, and Ursula, an artist living in the woods. Even minor characters are memorable not because they are eccentric but because they are realistic, like someone among your relatives or friends you no longer meet but still remember.
The film is entertaining and fun for kids and adults alike, and is strongly recommended, as well as Miyazaki's 'Totoro,' another favorite of mine.
[ENGLISH VERSION] English-dubbed versions of non-English films are often criticized for many reasons, but I didn't find anything wrong with this version featuring the voice of Kirsten Dunst as Kiki's. Interestingly in Japanese original version the voice of Jiji is played by actress Sakuma Rei while in American by Phil Hartman. The voices sound considerably different with Sakuma's high-pitched voice. If you have a chance to see the original version, compare them.
[JAPANESE VERSION] Just one trivial thing about this original version which I hope might interest you. ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW is that in the original version, the voices of Kiki and Ursula were played by same actress Takayama Minami. The casting is intentional, suggesting that independent woman Ursula shows the image of younger Kiki in the future. This clever idea is not somehow used in the English-dubbed version, in which Janeane Garofalo provides Ursula's voice.
But whichever version you see, one thing I am sure: 'Kiki's Delivery Service' is beautiful, immaginative, and most of all fun. You will love it, trust me.