Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)


Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Stars: Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Keiko Toda
Runtime: 103 minutes

Synopsis: A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Animation: 9/10
Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 10/10

Verdict: I haven't watched a Studio Ghibli film for the first time in a while, and boy can I confirm that it's as magical as I remember it to be.
"Kiki's Delivery Service", like its two predecessors, was directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, and follows a young witch who, at age 13, must leave her parents to lead an independent life in a foreign city. The movie takes place in a fictional European country on the Mediterranean during the 1950s (rendered beautiful due to the fact that Miyazaki made the decision to forget that the two World Wars ever happened), and sees Kiki along with her cat Jiji open a delivery service that will help her become financially independent.
Like in most, if not all, Studio Ghibli films, both the animation and musical score are mesmerizing and reason enough to give it a watch. They truly transcend reality and succeed at transporting the audience to the universe in which the events take place. And that is reinforced with Miyazaki's writing skills in which he flawlessly fleshes out characters and attaches themes to them. "Kiki's Delivery Service" is a coming of age story before anything else, and quite a beautiful and heartwarming one as well. Yes, there are magic brooms and talking cats in it, but they're mere accessories to a much broader story that deals with acceptance, happiness, sadness, kindness, love and growing up.
The fifth production that came out of Studio Ghibli is magical in both its literal and figurative meanings. It's a movie that I guarantee will put a smile on your face and one that I believe can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Do not miss it for the world.

FINAL GRADE: 8/10

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