KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE {ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VERSION} (MOTION PICTURE)
Summary
This animated film, based on the 1985 novel by Eiko Kadono, follows the adventures of a young witch-in-training.
The story begins as 13-year-old Kiki, excited to leave home for her required year of witch training, bids farewell to her friends and family as she departs at midnight, flying off on her mother's broomstick with her talking black cat, Jiji. She encounters a snobbish fellow witch who questions her about her specific "skill," though Kiki is not yet sure of her unique talent; a sudden rainstorm forces her to land on a train. She soon find the port city of Koriko and, learning that there are no other witches in town, decides to stay. The townspeople are startled by her arrival, and she soon catches the eye of a young man, Tombo. Kiki befriends a heavily pregnant bakery owner, Osono, who is impressed by the young witch. Jiji is skeptical about the arrangement, but Kiki gets an idea to start a delivery service, and Osono offers her room and board, as well as use of the phone, in exchange for occasional assistance in the bakery.
Kiki shops for her new home and avoids Tombo and his friends when she encounters them in town. A woman hires her to deliver a present, a cat toy in a cage, to her nephew, though Kiki is soon blown off-course and loses the toy in a forest occupied by unfriendly crows. Determined to make the delivery on time, Kiki convinces an unamused Jiji to pose as the toy as she searches for the real one; she eventually finds it at the isolated cabin of a painter named Ursula. Ursula repairs the toy, damaged by the crows, in exchange for a few household chores; elsewhere, Jiji tries to remain immobile as the boy's pet dog takes great interest in the "toy," relieved when Kiki finally arrives and makes the switch. Back at the bakery, Tombo stops by with an invitation to a party at the aviation club; Kiki then receives another delivery job from an elderly woman. She ends up helping her around the house and realizes that she is late for Tombo's party. She gets caught in a fierce rainstorm on the way to deliver the old woman's pie to her ungrateful granddaughter.
Exhausted from her work and too embarrassed to attend the party in her wet dress, Kiki heads home and soon comes down with a fever, through which Osono tends to her. Jiji befriends another cat, Lily; when Kiki recovers, she heads out on another delivery job and is startled to realize that the recipient is none other than Tombo. She apologizes for missing the party, and he explains that he is constructing a man-propelled airplane powered by a bicycle. The two bond as they head down to the beach to see a dirigible that has just landed nearby; when Tombo invites her to join him and his friends on a tour of the blimp, she hastily declines. Kiki admits to Jiji that she feels like an outsider, but when Jiji does not "reply," she is shocked to realize that she is losing her witch powers, including her ability to understand cat speech and to fly on her broomstick. Upset, Kiki tells Osono that she must take a break from her delivery services. When Tombo phones to update her about his blimp adventure, she sadly tells him not to call again.
Ursula arrives at the bakery and, seeing Kiki's unhappy state, invites her to come stay at her cabin. Once there, she is surprised to see that Ursula has been working on a painting of Kiki. As Ursula works on the piece, Kiki confides in her about her self-doubt and her waning abilities. Ursula relates her own experiences with artist's block and suggests that Kiki must discover her own style and inspiration before she can regain her powers. Somewhat cheered by this advice, Kiki returns to the bakery and is again summoned to the home of the grandmother, where she is touched to find that the old woman has baked her a thank-you cake and wishes to maintain a friendship with her.
The television news then reports that the dirigible is experiencing severe technical problems during another flight over the city. Kiki is shocked to see Tombo dangling from a rope beneath the listing airship. She rushes off to town and, borrowing a broom from a street sweeper, musters her courage and takes off into the air just as the blimp crashes into the clock tower. She manages to save Tombo as the town looks on in awe; he later finishes his airplane and flies alongside a happy Kiki, who has fully recovered her abilities. Kiki's parents are then pleased to receive a letter from their daughter detailing her success in her training and with her delivery service.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999
- RUNNING TIME: 1:44:24
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 133876
- GENRE: Animation
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Children's programs; Japan; Witches
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Yasuyoshi Tokuma … Executive Producer
- Mikihiko Tsuzuki … Executive Producer
- Morihisa Takagi … Executive Producer
- Jane Schonberger … Executive Producer
- Toru Hara … Producer
- Hayao Miyazaki … Producer, Director, Writer
- Toshio Suzuki … Associate Producer
- Masaya Tokuyama … Advertising Producer
- Shinji Otsuka … Supervising Animator
- Katsuya Kondo … Supervising Animator
- Yoshifumi Kondo … Supervising Animator
- Yoshinori Kanada … Animator
- Masako Shinohara … Animator
- Toshio Kawaguchi … Animator
- Megumi Kagawa … Animator
- Makiko Futaki … Animator
- Masaaki Endo … Animator
- Atsuko Otani … Animator
- Atsuko Fukushima … Animator
- Toshiyuki Inoue … Animator
- Yoshiharu Sato … Animator
- Hiroshi Watanabe … Animator
- Noriko Moritomo … Animator
- Natsuyo Yasuda … Animator
- Hiroomi Yamakawa … Animator
- Koji Morimoto … Animator
- Sachiko Sugino … Animator
- Yukiyoshi Hane … Animator
- Chie Uratani … Animator
- Masahiro Sekino … Animator
- Toshiya Niidome … Animator
- Akiko Hasegawa … Animator
- Eiko Kadono … Based on the novel by
- Joe Hisaishi … Music by
- Yumi Arai … Theme Music by
- Kirsten Dunst … Cast, Voice, Kiki
- Janeane Garofalo … Cast, Voice, Ursula
- Phil Hartman … Cast, Voice, Jiji
- Matthew Lawrence … Cast, Voice, Tombo
- Tress MacNeille … Cast, Voice, Osono
- Edie McClurg … Cast, Voice, Bertha
- Debbie Reynolds … Cast, Voice, Madame
- Jeff Bennett … Cast, Voice, Kiki's Father
- Corey Burton … Cast, Voice, Radio Announcer
- Debi Derryberry … Cast, Voice, Young Senior Witch
- Kath Soucie … Cast, Voice, Kiki's Mother
- Pamela Segall (see also: Pamela Adlon) … Cast, Voice, Ket
- Matt Miller … Cast, Voice
- June Angela … Cast, Voice
- Lewis Arquette … Cast, Voice
- John Demita … Cast, Voice
- Julia Demita … Cast, Voice
- Fay Dewitt … Cast, Voice
- Eddie Frierson … Cast, Voice
- Susan Hickman … Cast, Voice
- John Hostetter … Cast, Voice
- Sherry Lynn … Cast, Voice
- Scott Menville … Cast, Voice