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Kiki's Delivery Service
Year: 1989
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
And yet again, Hayao Miyazaki leaves me stunned. His work is so expressive, so beautiful, so profound. No other movie shows his quiet genius better than Kiki's Delivery Service. It is not my favorite Miyazaki movie but I still absolutely love it. I'm of the unpopular opinion that it's better than both Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and My Neighbor Totoro. There's something about its simple wisdom and peaceful tone that makes me love it.
Kiki as a protagonist is exactly what you'd expect from Miyazaki. She is strong-willed and independent, but also has real fears and problems. She may be one of my favorite Miyazaki protagonists actually, right up there with Chihiro and Porco Rosso. Her simple goal yet complex personality make her very easy to love.
Tombo is a great companion for Kiki. He allows her to express her feelings and doubts and also to discuss them. We sense that, although she doesn't like him at first, he is a good kid with good intentions. In the end he is the person who Kiki must regain her flying power for. Her growth throughout the movie make this a fantastic moment, and intense one at that.
We get a typically unusual plot structure from Miyazaki. This is the story of a young witch who must complete a year away from home for her training. She begins a delivery service, and all goes well until she loses her powers. Of course I have simplified the story, but I don't want to spoil it. All I can say is that it is a great premise with a great structure to go along with it. Kiki's Delivery Service is told in segments of plot, without an overarching conflict like in most Disney or Pixar movies. This allows us to explore Kiki's inner problems more deeply. It's a very effective structure.
The themes of this movie are also pretty interesting to analyze. Essentially, this is a movie about art and passion. Creating and finding motivation for joy in life is one of the most important things to do. Kiki loses that passion and thus loses her powers. Only when she finds herself again can she really fly. Interestingly, the film does not exactly say when, why, and how Kiki loses her powers and then gets them back. This is not lazy story telling. It is letting the film breathe, letting Kiki make her own decisions and confirming that we must infer them. That was a great decision by Miyazaki.
Ursula is another important character in Kiki's Delivery Service. She is the woman who Kiki really goes to when she is struggling with life and needs help. In the end, it is Ursula that explains what might be going on to Kiki and motivates her back on her feet. She is an embodiment of the driving force in our lives, the voice in our head that tells us what we are here for.
Kiki's Delivery Service is not a children's story, although children will find it delightful. In Miyazaki's hands, it becomes a powerful message about artistry and passion, and being able to find purpose in life. It is not perfect, and there are segments that bother me that I have not mentioned. But I can overlook that with a film as beautiful and uplifting as this one.
Kiki's Delivery Service
Year: 1989
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
And yet again, Hayao Miyazaki leaves me stunned. His work is so expressive, so beautiful, so profound. No other movie shows his quiet genius better than Kiki's Delivery Service. It is not my favorite Miyazaki movie but I still absolutely love it. I'm of the unpopular opinion that it's better than both Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and My Neighbor Totoro. There's something about its simple wisdom and peaceful tone that makes me love it.
Kiki as a protagonist is exactly what you'd expect from Miyazaki. She is strong-willed and independent, but also has real fears and problems. She may be one of my favorite Miyazaki protagonists actually, right up there with Chihiro and Porco Rosso. Her simple goal yet complex personality make her very easy to love.
Tombo is a great companion for Kiki. He allows her to express her feelings and doubts and also to discuss them. We sense that, although she doesn't like him at first, he is a good kid with good intentions. In the end he is the person who Kiki must regain her flying power for. Her growth throughout the movie make this a fantastic moment, and intense one at that.
We get a typically unusual plot structure from Miyazaki. This is the story of a young witch who must complete a year away from home for her training. She begins a delivery service, and all goes well until she loses her powers. Of course I have simplified the story, but I don't want to spoil it. All I can say is that it is a great premise with a great structure to go along with it. Kiki's Delivery Service is told in segments of plot, without an overarching conflict like in most Disney or Pixar movies. This allows us to explore Kiki's inner problems more deeply. It's a very effective structure.
The themes of this movie are also pretty interesting to analyze. Essentially, this is a movie about art and passion. Creating and finding motivation for joy in life is one of the most important things to do. Kiki loses that passion and thus loses her powers. Only when she finds herself again can she really fly. Interestingly, the film does not exactly say when, why, and how Kiki loses her powers and then gets them back. This is not lazy story telling. It is letting the film breathe, letting Kiki make her own decisions and confirming that we must infer them. That was a great decision by Miyazaki.
Ursula is another important character in Kiki's Delivery Service. She is the woman who Kiki really goes to when she is struggling with life and needs help. In the end, it is Ursula that explains what might be going on to Kiki and motivates her back on her feet. She is an embodiment of the driving force in our lives, the voice in our head that tells us what we are here for.
Kiki's Delivery Service is not a children's story, although children will find it delightful. In Miyazaki's hands, it becomes a powerful message about artistry and passion, and being able to find purpose in life. It is not perfect, and there are segments that bother me that I have not mentioned. But I can overlook that with a film as beautiful and uplifting as this one.