Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Featured Audience Ratings

• danny d

  
  even in the fantastical miyazaki gives us a realistic female character, something more true to life and down to earth than the princesses we normally get from animation with female leads. this film is a bit more reductionist than some of his better known films, and it moves a bit… More
  even in the fantastical miyazaki gives us a realistic female character, something more true to life and down to earth than the princesses we normally get from animation with female leads. this film is a bit more reductionist than some of his better known films, and it moves a bit more slowly, but the story plays out as a bit of an allegory to the experience many of us have when looking at real life for the first time. the conversation between kiki and the girl at the cabin in the woods towards the end is something that just about all people can relate to, and it puts this film and life in general in genuine perspective. not as provocative as some of miyazaki's best films, but still good.

• Michael S

  
  The first film by Hayao Miyazaki that I saw. It's still his most purely enjoyable film and features one of his best heroines.

• Christopher H

  
  Another Miyazaki classic. Who knew the day-to-day exploits of Kiki could be personal yet so epic. Kiki is one of Miyazaki's greatest characters and the animation brings her and the strange city she lives in to vivid life. I also really liked Kiki's talking cat who was… More
  Another Miyazaki classic. Who knew the day-to-day exploits of Kiki could be personal yet so epic. Kiki is one of Miyazaki's greatest characters and the animation brings her and the strange city she lives in to vivid life. I also really liked Kiki's talking cat who was really funny. This animated film is cute, joyful, innocent, and smart.

• Michael E

  
  Its cute, entertaining, beautifully animated, and perfect for the entire film. Kirsten Dunst does a great job in her first film as Kiki, and Phil Hartman does a great and funny performance in one of his last roles as her cat Gigi

• Anthony L

  
  I didn't love Kiki's delivery service as much as I thought I would. Hayao Miyazaki is a great director of animation but I much prefer the more fantastical and bizarre studio Ghibli films, this one seems a little tame in that sense. I still loved it though, particularly… More
  I didn't love Kiki's delivery service as much as I thought I would. Hayao Miyazaki is a great director of animation but I much prefer the more fantastical and bizarre studio Ghibli films, this one seems a little tame in that sense. I still loved it though, particularly little Jiji who stole every scene!

• Candy R

  
  Japanese anime about a girl called Kiki, who is 13 years old and needs to find her way as a witch. Her only skill is flying so she sets up a delivery service. Voiced by Kirsten Dunst.

• Dead A

  
  I liked this movie. If it was longer, I wouldn't be bored at all.

• Dean M

  
  Breaktaking! Delightfully entertaining magical family of Studio Ghibli animation. The flying scenes and scenery of the generic European city are totally convincing. This movie is full of silent beauty. When the baker's wife invites Kiki to move in above the bakery, you get the… More
  Breaktaking! Delightfully entertaining magical family of Studio Ghibli animation. The flying scenes and scenery of the generic European city are totally convincing. This movie is full of silent beauty. When the baker's wife invites Kiki to move in above the bakery, you get the impression that the gruff but silent husband does not care for Kiki. But in a later scene you see that he has baked a loaf of bread shaped like a girl riding a broom and mounted it in the bakery window. Nothing is ever said about it, but you see how he appreciates her. There really isn't a villain in the movie and it's mainly a slice of life type of film. In the end of the film it all comes together and she performs a heroic act.

• Megan S

  
  Very cute movie, though I never did figure out why people winking creeped out the little cat so much.

• Sanjaya &

  
  Amazing adventure.... Another masterpiece from Hayao Miyazaki

• Matthew R

  
  Kiki (Kristen Dunst), a young witch-in-training, has reached the age of thrirteen. According to tradition, all witches of that age must leave home for one year, so that they can learn how to live on their own. Kiki, along with her talking cat Gigi (Phil Hartman), fly away to live in… More
  Kiki (Kristen Dunst), a young witch-in-training, has reached the age of thrirteen. According to tradition, all witches of that age must leave home for one year, so that they can learn how to live on their own. Kiki, along with her talking cat Gigi (Phil Hartman), fly away to live in the seaside town of Korico. After starting her own delivery service, she must learn how to deal with her new life.... In all, this is another well made film by animation master, Hayao Miyazaki. I appreciated the overall meaning of this film. Like Kiki, we've struggled with adjusting, made mistakes, and wondered if we're really doing the right thing. We may fear we're losing our spark, and feel we'll never be accepted, that we'll never be as good looking or popular or successful as those we envy. Kiki's story isn't just that of a child growing up, but of a human being moving from one stage of her life to the next, and that gives the film a universal appeal. Because of Hayao Miyazaki's spirited direction, the film rarely loses its magical glimmer. Nonetheless, also the writer of the film, Miyazaki takes far too many detours from the fundamental themes underlying the story. After seeing this film, a viewer may still wonder why those people seemed to be so undisturbed by the sight of an adolescent witch zooming across their town on a broomstick. One may also ask why Kiki decides to start a delivery service instead of sticking to her avowed mission to train to be a witch. Unfortunately, "Kiki's Delivery Service" leaves these and many more questions unanswered. In the end, Kiki's Delivery Service may be one of Hayao Miyazaki's weakest films but is still an enjoyable watch. Story: B- Acting: B Direction: B Visuals: B+ Overall: B *** out of 4 stars

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Kiki's Delivery Service", Kiki is a witch, who has just turned 13 which is the traditional age for a witch to leave home and gain additional training. On the perfect night for flying, Kiki departs home with her cat, Jiji, on her mother's… More
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Kiki's Delivery Service", Kiki is a witch, who has just turned 13 which is the traditional age for a witch to leave home and gain additional training. On the perfect night for flying, Kiki departs home with her cat, Jiji, on her mother's broom but the weather does not hold up and she seeks shelter in a freight train. Awakening, she finds the train pulling into a large town on the sea which would be a perfect fit, if only the citizens were not so aloof. But a baker's wife, Osono, takes her in and offers shelter and food in return for a little help around the place. In the meantime, Kiki realizes her true talent is flying and opens her own delivery service...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Kiki's Delivery Service" is a winning, very entertaining animated film about setting off into the world for the first time, finding yourself and making new friends. Of course, 13 is rather young to be doing any of this but in old days that was closer to being the right age for leaving home. And in such days, witches were probably much more plentiful than in this industrial age.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Note: I watched this movie in Japanese with English subtitles.[/font]

• Matthew Y

  
  A delightful story of growing up told through the eyes of a young witch beginning to find her place in the world. Kiki's Delivery Service will instantly bring thoughts of Charmed and Sabrina the Teenage Witch to mind. While these comparisons are warranted it should be noted… More
  A delightful story of growing up told through the eyes of a young witch beginning to find her place in the world. Kiki's Delivery Service will instantly bring thoughts of Charmed and Sabrina the Teenage Witch to mind. While these comparisons are warranted it should be noted that Kiki far preceded both those works. Solidly animated with a touching screenplay Kiki is good entertainment but certainly not on the same level as some past (and future) Miyazaki works. P.S. Before actually seeing it I knew of Kiki as the pervey animation film that continuously shows an adolescent girls underwear. While this is technically true bloomers are not exactly what I would describe as "sexy" underwear and the scenes where they are visible are done for realism, not for any fetish. An unfortunate reputation for a genuine and interesting childhood story.

• Jackson W

  
  For it's historically grotesque style, it turns out to be a beautifully crafted and delightful family feature

• Bill C

  
  probably could bump it o 90 but it?s in the shadow of Howl?s Moving Castle. Beautifully animated for 1998 and heart-warming addressable story but not as imaginative. I resited pushing it up the que a few times by the cutesy name, but the characters are definitely Mirazaki. More of… More
  probably could bump it o 90 but it?s in the shadow of Howl?s Moving Castle. Beautifully animated for 1998 and heart-warming addressable story but not as imaginative. I resited pushing it up the que a few times by the cutesy name, but the characters are definitely Mirazaki. More of Juno mixed with Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The story starts off with Kiki?s Mother and Father worrying about when Kiki will decide to go off on here own to spend a year on her own. This is a mandatory part of witch?s upbringing. Although she was planning to start at the end of the summer she changes her mind on day and tells every one she is leaving today. Ever the independent spirit she passes up the small and medium size towns and settles for a large metropolitan city, which she finds is very foreign from here very small town upbringing. She starts off very well befriending many people, but later she runs out of steam, the newness of the situation wears off and she left with and existential void of who she is and who she wants to be. Her friend a local artist, voiced by Janeane Garofalo, helped her identify the path to her direction. The action of the movie is beautifully animated but the plot seems a little choppy and end fairly abruptly. Some of this can be blamed on the poor translation, but it almost begs for a sequel in the end.

• Marion R

  
  Cute, but just felt like it was missing something

• Sunil J

  
  Lighthearted and fun.

• Anthony V

  
  It's main problem is that it ends and you don't want it to.

• t h o m !

  
  Sweet movie. Like an old, sweet friend, this was a very friendly and entertaining piece of work.

• Jason S

  
  So great! Beautifully visual and very cute story especially the kitten. Very Enjoyable!

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