Shadow Reviews #19: Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Instructions

My Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kiki’s Delivery Service is a beautiful film, a tour de force in the animation world. It breathes emotion in every frame, and every line is a treasured moment. And it is also the first Studio Ghibli film I have ever watched. You see, I never watched a Ghibli film before this, and I plan on getting into more anime films after watching Mirai by Studio Chizu. So, as my introduction to the world of Ghibli, this film served as a fantastic entryway for their cinema. One of the largest appeals of Ghibli, it appears, is their animation style. At first, I thought it was a lot of hype, but as the beginning of this movie begin to roll by, I realized how breathtaking it was and how painstakingly every object was crafted. 15 seconds in, as I’m watching the grass flow under Kiki, I recall two things: that Ghibli does their animation by hand and that this movie was made in 1989. For being almost 40 years old AND not assisted by any computer graphics, the style still shines with such a vibrance and utter beauty before the eye; it invites you to explore the details – of which there are many – and appreciate the hard work of the animators. Everything flows seamlessly and it creates a very pleasurable moviegoing experience. There’s such a life to the world of Kiki that exceeds the life of the real world – which truly is the purpose of animation at its core. But animation is nothing without a great story and Kiki’s Delivery Service does not fail to deliver (see what I did there) in this aspect. It’s an episodic adventure and while there’s no dangerously dramatic events till the climax (which blew my mind by the way), every step is a step closer to Kiki’s journey of maturity. She has to learn to adapt to an unfamiliar world and adjust to growing up. This is something that all of us have to go through eventually and thus is a universal theme. And likewise, it is a relatable theme that empowers the current of the film; her steps to success and independence are what drive the movie forward. I saw my own fears of adulthood in Kiki’s character and thus I related to her character. Speaking of character, the film develops all of the characters pretty well. Kiki acts just like a 13-year-old would act; I didn’t see any faults there. As previously noted, she learns a lot of life lessons in the film and experiences changes in her character. In fact, there’s something I’m not going to spoil, but when it became a permanent change at the end of the movie, it left me thinking about what it could symbolize. And you see what I mean when you watch the film, but it is a metaphor for her moving past childhood and into adolescence. Away from the imaginary world and into the real world, albeit with a larger-than-life ability. Also, Jjji, while more of a comic relief then a dynamic character, has to be my favorite character in the movie – simply because he’s so lovable. Always treasure the moments your cat can speak, I guess. And while Tombo is a bit of a stock romantic character, it was a pretty progressive move in 1989 for (SPOILERS WATCH OUT WATCH OUT) him to be saved by Kiki in the climax, instead of the other way around (in other words, he dons a dude in distress role, which is ironic considering all his self-confidence and romantic pursuits of Kiki). Other things I enjoyed included the classic and iconic score of the movie. It really is a memorable tune, and it enhances the magic of the film. Also, the climax was dynamically animated and was such a crazy, overwhelming yet relatable resolution to the story. Of all the third acts of all the movies I’ve seen, this one has to be up there in the top 20 at least. Oh, and I loved the credits sequence, it was a brilliant idea to show Kiki’s life as a delivery witch continue to grow peacefully and playfully, and they did it in such a fulfilling way to make me feel peaceful and playful at the end of the film too. So, that’s what I have to say about Kiki’s Delivery service. I don’t really have any real negative criticism, except that I wish there was more. There was such a beautiful world that was explored in this movie. As a human being, I highly recommend watching the film (and the rest of Studio Ghibli’s filmography, something I need to do myself). What I watched it on: DVD Other critics: Rotten Tomatoes: 98% Metacritic: 85, "universal acclaim"