Kiki’s Delivery Service is a 1984 American fantasy drama film based on the 1975 novel of the same name by E.T.A. Hoffmann, which was previously adapted into a ballet in 1812 and the 1911 silent film Le Diamant Noir (The Black Diamond).
The film follows Kiki, a young girl who lives in London with her domineering mother who believes she will die before her daughter does.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is the first feature-length animated film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Kiki’s Delivery Service tells the story of a young woman, Kiki, who lives with her overzealous mother in London during World War II.
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Time Period And Time Setting
The time period depicted was World War II, a major turning point in European and international history marking the end of many different traditions and years that had previously been stood at completion.
Artistic expressions such as those displayed through Hoffman’s classic novel have provided an interesting juxtaposition between reality and fantasy to represent the drastic changes occurring within both regions.
The specific era represented reflected nicely into the film’s outdated aesthetic giving it enough credence among audiences while also fitting into the historical context of London during war time.
Kiki, a young woman living in London with her overbearing mother during World War II. When Kiki’s elderly grandmother moves into the family home to tend to Kiki while she recovers from illness, her mother finds it unbearable and forbids her from interfering with Eliza’s care.
However, old Mrs .MacFarlan is not very well herself having suffered three heart attacks since moving into their house. Kiki is soon pulled into a dangerous underworld of child-slavery, neglect, and racism heading deep into the London Underground.
“Kiki’s Delivery Service” was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2003
and had its European premiere later that year on October 18 in Berlin. It received a general theatrical release in Japan and Finland but no direct US distribution at time.
Cast And Crew
The main cast of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” includes people who have been well-known to the American public. There is a larger emphasis on children in this film, with several characters that are under nine years old.
- Miyazaki Hayao – Director
- Takahata Isao – Writer/Director
- Kikuchihara Yūji – Character Designer
- Taniguchi Toshio – Music Director
- Higashide Masahiko – Art Director
- Mori Yasunari – Set Designer
- Kobayashi Yoichi – Producer
- DISC ONE – KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE
Kiki’s Delivery Service – The Movie: An Overview
- Theatrical Trailer
- Poster Gallery
- Still Galleries
- Episode Guide INFORMATION
- INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR HAYAO MIYAZAKI
DISC TWO – WEIRD HAPPENINGS WAS EXCITING: A BONUS CHAPTER FROM KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE!
The filmmakers also enlisted Maaya Sakamoto (Scarlett), who was 11 years old at the time of shooting, for a role as an underground fortune teller.
The film also features appearances by actors and musicians who are not typically associated with animated films such as Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and singer Beth Ditto.
Storyline Of The Movie Kiki’s Delivery Service
It was a place of magical, Kiki’s Delivery Service is the first service of its kind. This is So beautiful and special where Kiki will find something important in her life
. Soon enough, a new customer arrives: an eccentric cat named Jiji. Kiki befriends her and soon learns that she has the ability to talk to animals.
With this special power, Kiki helps all sorts of creatures – from mice to horses – by delivering their parcels for them.
Soon enough, word gets around town about the magical service that Kiki provides and more people are eager to order what she calls “the magic bag”. Even the most common of creatures enjoy a special treat now and then courtesy of Kiki.
But not everything is rosy in Kiki’s Delivery Service world. There are always challenges to be faced, whether it’s getting past a group of mean kittens or trying to outwit an eagle who wants his treasure back.
But with perseverance, determination, and plenty of laughs along the way, nothing can stand in Jiji’s way – not even a rainy day…and not even the most stubborn customers!
This is the only film during Miyazaki’s career in which he did not work on any of the script or storyboards. He gave input while they were developing each scene and two months before their deadline, but that was all.
“Kiki’s Delivery Service” was released on VHS and DVD by Manga Entertainment in 1995. The company later used up all remaining copies so no new releases were made until 2011.
Discotek Media announced the license for this title on its social media accounts, but then backtracked from their decision after user criticism that included Kiki being portrayed as a living cartoon with unrealistic facial expressions and hair movements (see image).
Shot Review Of The Movie Kiki’s Delivery Service
For the first of its kind on DVD, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” features an 11-minute bonus chapter titled Weird Happenings Was Exciting. where Kiki and Jiji have quite a few adventures before Mochizou arrives in town to establish her delivery service.
The storyboards used for this extra feature ended up on their own dedicated disc from Discotek Media under the title Tampopo: Complete Collection (
The movie is presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is enhanced for 16×9 display. Audio options include both English subtitles and a Japanese language track with optional subtitles for the deaf.
Bonus materials on the disc include an exclusive interview with director Hayao Miyazaki, trailers, original storyboards from “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, still galleries and episode guide information for Animax Asia’s English dubbed version of the movie.
The following awards and nominations were given to “Kiki’s Delivery Service”: “Kiki’s Delivery Service” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The story follows 14-year-old Kiki, who after her mother’s death sets out to deliver letters for a living. Along the way she makes friends and finds love in the form of Jiji, a stray cat.
Despite mixed opinions from fans (mainly regarding unrealistic facial expressions and hair movements), “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is considered one of Miyazaki’s best works by many critics.
Fans have praised the movie for its heartwarming story and timeless appeal.
It is the first feature film based on The Little Witch series by Akiyuki Nosaka. It has won awards at several international film festivals, including the Special Jury Prize in Venice and a Silver Bear Award for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival.
Japanese animated film is a broom flight fantasy – helicopter flying around the world with broom. Kiki’s Delivery Service is a Japanese movie released in 1989.
It was based on the book by Eiko Kadono, who also wrote The Balcony: Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s short stories and published them separately under her pen name Kiku Okamoto.
This film has an anime style animation directed by Miyazaki Hayao with his longtime animator Takahata Isao as key animators, storyboard artist Nojima Hiroaki (later director of Ghost in the Shell) and composer Takahata Yoko.
Kiki’s Delivery Service features the voices of Suzuki Akio as Kiki, Ikeda Shunsuke as Jiji the cat, Ōtaka Masakazu as Tanaka-san, Furuya Shintarō (later known for Cowboy Bebop) as Saruyama-san and Kitamura Erii (the voice of Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion) as Kiha-san.
Film Humar
This is a great dvd release of this classic anime. The animation and story are compelling, and the bonus features are plentiful-including an excellent interview with director Hayao Miyazaki. Highly recommended!
“Kiki’s Delivery Service” is one of the most enjoyable and timeless anime movies ever made, and this 2-disc Collector’s Edition release from Discotek Media does it justice.
The animation is spectacular – probably some of the best work Miyazaki has ever done – and both English subtitles and a Japanese language track with optional subtitles for the deaf are included.
Bonus materials on disc include an exclusive interview with director Hayao Miyazaki, trailers, storyboards from “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, still galleries and episode guide information.
This dvd release of is excellent. The quality of the movie and bonus features are great as well!
Moviegonsmom “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is one of the most delightful and heartwarming anime films ever made. The beautifully drawn animation, combined with a talented and memorable story, will please fans of all ages.
Box Office Performance
In terms of its box office performance, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” became Pixar’s 2nd highest grossing film for the year 2000 after being released in Japan on November 27 and its U.S debut came 6 years later when it was released by Walt Disney Pictures/Buena Vista Home Video (Warner) on December 20, 2005.
It has also become the only anime film to win a Saturn Award from American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on April 15, 2003).
“Kiki’s Delivery Service” has been well received by movie critics. ushedneedcoffee gave it a perfect 5/5 star rating and wrote “What makes this film so delightful is that Miyazaki mixes whimsy with an underlying sweetness, never preaching to his audience; he simply tells a heartwarming story.”
Similarly, Anime News Network’s Michael McCarthy wrote “Kiki’s Delivery Service belongs in the same class as Disney’s ‘The Lion King,’ another story rendered with natural, hand-drawn animation. You will be laughing out loud and shedding tears at the end of this film.”
Conclusion
Kiki’s Delivery Service is a wonderful movie that teaches us the value of love and friendship. It tells us that we should be ourselves, follow our dreams, and not care what others think about us.
We can learn from this movie how to treat people who are in need, be open-minded and tolerant to others, and most importantly, never give up on our dreams! This is a great film for all ages!
FAQs
1.What Is the Plot of Kiki’s Delivery Service?
Ans: Kiki is a twelve-year old witch who comes to the city of Japane. She wants to learn how be independent, but she can’t leave her home by herself because there’s no place for an apprentice in Gamelot.
Kiki slowly develops friendships in different areas of town, and eventually helps people with their problems.
2.What Are the Positive Messages of Kiki’s Delivery Service?
Ans: The main message of Kiki’s Delivery Service is that it is important to be yourself and not to care what others think about you.
The film also teaches us that it is important to have friends who can help us when we need them, and that we should always follow our dreams.
3.Who Is the Main Character?
Ans: She’s a twelve year old witch who lives on top of her mountain home. She loves to cook and go on adventures with Magi-Chan, but she sometimes vegates out in Japane because it sadrents her daydreaming about becoming independent.
4.Is This Movie Family-friendly?
Ans: Yes, this is a great movie for all ages. It has positive messages about helping others and being yourself, which are important for children to learn about.
5.What Is the Message of Kiki’s Delivery Service?
Ans: The movie teaches us that we should be ourselves, follow our dreams, and not care what others think about us.
In the end, it shows that even if things don’t always go according to plan, you can still have a happy life if you stick with your friends and family.
6.Is Kiki’s Delivery Service a Good Movie?
Ans: Yes, I absolutely loved this movie. At times it seemed as though Kiki was just going through the motions of doing her job, but she wasn’t all that miserable either – surprisingly enough.
I think what made me realize how much I enjoyed this film is because for around an hour and a half straight I didn’t laugh once!
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