KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989), dir. Hayao Miyazaki
A Most Be-Witch-ing Good Time (Return to Main Page)
This older film by Japanese animator Miyazaki tells the story of Kiki, a cute 14-year old girl about to begin her training in witchcraft. In Kiki’s family, witching appears to be a family tradition; her mother mixes explosive potions downstairs from her room, and when the time comes to depart, even passes down her flying broomstick. Those enchanted brooms only have a limited amount of trunk space, however. Enough for a small radio and a talking black cat. As far as clothing, Kiki has to bring what fits on her back, which happens to be the standard uniform of young witches: an oversized, dark-purple dress.
The night Kiki leaves, she encounters a driving rainstorm. She takes shelter in the open car of a train, which drives off while she sleeps. The next morning, she awakens to find herself in a sprawling town beside the ocean. After making sure no other witches live there (Apparently, each town/city has a maximum witch-in-training quota of one), Kiki decides to settle in the bustling port. Unfortunately, the busy pace constantly interferes with her studies. Who has time to master the intricacies of witchcraft, when living costs are so high? In exchange for a room, Kiki takes a job at a bakery (the proprietors are a kindly couple, one expecting mother and her mostly non-verbal partner). She also starts the titular business, which quickly begins to thrive, thanks to her ability to take parcels anywhere by air.
Despite this rare ability, Kiki’s main draw is her everyday girl appeal. She’s plucky and sweet, and the way she won’t hesitate to perform good deeds for strangers earns her fast friends. At the same time, I hoped no one would take advantage of her naivete. After all, this is her first visit to the big city. Luckily, in this film—as is the case for Miyazaki films I’ve seen so far—just about every character is good at heart. The nerdy boy who shouts excitedly at Kiki when she first touches down, rubbing her the wrong way, turns out to be nice. He makes wicked innovations to a bicycle. And the nature-loving artist who initially seems aloof becomes a valuable friend. She teaches Kiki an important lesson about how to work through stress.
Even the pals of the glasses-wearing boy, Tombo, don’t seem so bad in the end. When they first meet Kiki, they seem unimpressed by her plain style of dress. She’s the new girl meeting the cool kids. Trust that by the end credits, however, they accept the young witch for who she is (in-line with the film’s central theme: the importance of being true to oneself).
Exactly how does Kiki manage to gain acceptance in the town, without having to give up those traits that make her special? Let’s just say there is a plot occurrence, involving a zeppelin that breaks loose on a windy day. This particular set piece would look spectacular in a live-action movie, but it seems almost quaint in this one, where the main character spends much of her time soaring above the ground like Superman. But at this point in the film, Kiki has become increasingly distracted with her new life, and as a result, her powers have begun to fade. Will Kiki rediscover her focus, and regain use of her abilities, in time to fly to a friend’s aid?
It’s a safe bet. After all, this is a cartoon for general audiences. And while a lot of Japanese anime is serious and disturbing on the level of a Coppola film, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” happens to be charming good fun. Hayao Miyazaki, who directed it, has made several great animation masterpieces, including “Castle in the Sky” (1986) and “Princess Mononoke” (1997). He has been called the Walt Disney of Japan, and certainly deserves comparison. His films feature fluid, detailed animation, and imaginative designs of characters and backdrops.
Meanwhile, even if a talking cat like Jiji doesn’t hurt Miyazaki’s chances of scoring with the young children’s market, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” also appeals to older audiences. Even those who might not plunk down $9.50 for Disney’s “Chicken Little” come November. Why the wider demographic appeal? My guess would be the more sophisticated storytelling. By this, I am not referring to the quality of animation, which might have been superior at Disney (There’s amazing visuals in “The Rescuers Down Under,” which came out roughly the same time). What I mean is, there’s more substance in a film like “Kiki…” (And less of those annoying musical numbers, too).
Sure, the main character is a witch, and her witchly powers do play a pivotal role. However, the plot of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is not some operatic rehash of good versus evil, right versus wrong, absolute power corrupting absolutely, etc. Stripped down to its bare bones, the film is really about a young person’s first fateful steps into the wide world. It’s about entering the world, and learning how to navigate it—not just in terms of paying rent and buying food, but the holding onto of ideals, especially those pertaining to the self, what we think we should be. All this, as a maelstrom of change occurs all around.
Anyone who has ever left home for college, or moved to an unfamiliar new city, can relate to Kiki. Witchly powers aside, she lives a scenario where her struggles and responses feel like those of a real person. Which brings me to another trait I have always admired about Miyazaki: In the vast majority of his films which I have seen, his characters always have unusual depth for cartoon folk. Yes, I know those are two-dimensional drawings cavorting up there on the big screen. But as I watch them, I feel there’s a backstory I can detect, something which comes across in every word or action.
Perhaps the best compliment I can give the master animator is that his characters all seem to live real lives. Even in the case of a witch, it’s really neither blessing nor curse to be born that way. It’s just another kind of living.
Overall rating: **** (out of ****)
This older film by Japanese animator Miyazaki tells the story of Kiki, a cute 14-year old girl about to begin her training in witchcraft. In Kiki’s family, witching appears to be a family tradition; her mother mixes explosive potions downstairs from her room, and when the time comes to depart, even passes down her flying broomstick. Those enchanted brooms only have a limited amount of trunk space, however. Enough for a small radio and a talking black cat. As far as clothing, Kiki has to bring what fits on her back, which happens to be the standard uniform of young witches: an oversized, dark-purple dress.
The night Kiki leaves, she encounters a driving rainstorm. She takes shelter in the open car of a train, which drives off while she sleeps. The next morning, she awakens to find herself in a sprawling town beside the ocean. After making sure no other witches live there (Apparently, each town/city has a maximum witch-in-training quota of one), Kiki decides to settle in the bustling port. Unfortunately, the busy pace constantly interferes with her studies. Who has time to master the intricacies of witchcraft, when living costs are so high? In exchange for a room, Kiki takes a job at a bakery (the proprietors are a kindly couple, one expecting mother and her mostly non-verbal partner). She also starts the titular business, which quickly begins to thrive, thanks to her ability to take parcels anywhere by air.
Despite this rare ability, Kiki’s main draw is her everyday girl appeal. She’s plucky and sweet, and the way she won’t hesitate to perform good deeds for strangers earns her fast friends. At the same time, I hoped no one would take advantage of her naivete. After all, this is her first visit to the big city. Luckily, in this film—as is the case for Miyazaki films I’ve seen so far—just about every character is good at heart. The nerdy boy who shouts excitedly at Kiki when she first touches down, rubbing her the wrong way, turns out to be nice. He makes wicked innovations to a bicycle. And the nature-loving artist who initially seems aloof becomes a valuable friend. She teaches Kiki an important lesson about how to work through stress.
Even the pals of the glasses-wearing boy, Tombo, don’t seem so bad in the end. When they first meet Kiki, they seem unimpressed by her plain style of dress. She’s the new girl meeting the cool kids. Trust that by the end credits, however, they accept the young witch for who she is (in-line with the film’s central theme: the importance of being true to oneself).
Exactly how does Kiki manage to gain acceptance in the town, without having to give up those traits that make her special? Let’s just say there is a plot occurrence, involving a zeppelin that breaks loose on a windy day. This particular set piece would look spectacular in a live-action movie, but it seems almost quaint in this one, where the main character spends much of her time soaring above the ground like Superman. But at this point in the film, Kiki has become increasingly distracted with her new life, and as a result, her powers have begun to fade. Will Kiki rediscover her focus, and regain use of her abilities, in time to fly to a friend’s aid?
It’s a safe bet. After all, this is a cartoon for general audiences. And while a lot of Japanese anime is serious and disturbing on the level of a Coppola film, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” happens to be charming good fun. Hayao Miyazaki, who directed it, has made several great animation masterpieces, including “Castle in the Sky” (1986) and “Princess Mononoke” (1997). He has been called the Walt Disney of Japan, and certainly deserves comparison. His films feature fluid, detailed animation, and imaginative designs of characters and backdrops.
Meanwhile, even if a talking cat like Jiji doesn’t hurt Miyazaki’s chances of scoring with the young children’s market, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” also appeals to older audiences. Even those who might not plunk down $9.50 for Disney’s “Chicken Little” come November. Why the wider demographic appeal? My guess would be the more sophisticated storytelling. By this, I am not referring to the quality of animation, which might have been superior at Disney (There’s amazing visuals in “The Rescuers Down Under,” which came out roughly the same time). What I mean is, there’s more substance in a film like “Kiki…” (And less of those annoying musical numbers, too).
Sure, the main character is a witch, and her witchly powers do play a pivotal role. However, the plot of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is not some operatic rehash of good versus evil, right versus wrong, absolute power corrupting absolutely, etc. Stripped down to its bare bones, the film is really about a young person’s first fateful steps into the wide world. It’s about entering the world, and learning how to navigate it—not just in terms of paying rent and buying food, but the holding onto of ideals, especially those pertaining to the self, what we think we should be. All this, as a maelstrom of change occurs all around.
Anyone who has ever left home for college, or moved to an unfamiliar new city, can relate to Kiki. Witchly powers aside, she lives a scenario where her struggles and responses feel like those of a real person. Which brings me to another trait I have always admired about Miyazaki: In the vast majority of his films which I have seen, his characters always have unusual depth for cartoon folk. Yes, I know those are two-dimensional drawings cavorting up there on the big screen. But as I watch them, I feel there’s a backstory I can detect, something which comes across in every word or action.
Perhaps the best compliment I can give the master animator is that his characters all seem to live real lives. Even in the case of a witch, it’s really neither blessing nor curse to be born that way. It’s just another kind of living.
Overall rating: **** (out of ****)
Labels: ****, 1989, Hayao Miyazaki
posted by Phil | 11:02 PM
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