Our take
Hayao Miyazaki is no stranger to the fantastical. Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away conjure worlds of spirits and demons, monsters and witches, imaginary wars and extraordinary heroes. But in Kiki’s Delivery Service, the real magic arises from the mundane.
The titular teenaged Kiki leaves home, setting out to become a better witch. She arrives in the idyllic seaside town of Koriko with only her broom and best friend, a black cat named Jiji. When she serendipitously meets Osono, the gentle owner of a bakery, Kiki begins a delivery service as part of her training.
Kiki’s Delivery Service may be one of Miyazaki’s more understated films, but it’s a beautiful reminder that believing in oneself is a magical act of courage that we should all undertake.
The story
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.
Elsewhere
"Even by Hayao Miyazaki's elevated standard, Kiki's Delivery Service is a singularly charming film."
— Charles Solomon
"Top-drawer kiddie fare for both fans of the exotic and mainstream family auds."
— Ken Eisner
The details
The Secret World of Arrietty
Hiromasa Yonebayashi
My Neighbors the Yamadas
Isao Takahata
Whisper of the Heart
Yoshifumi Kondô & Yoshifumi Kondou
Porco Rosso
Hayao Miyazaki
When Marnie Was There
Hiromasa Yonebayashi & James Simone
Song of the Sea
Tomm Moore
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis
The Secret of Kells
Nora Twomey & Tomm Moore
Who picked it
Taylor Leigh Harper is a writer from Southern California who covers film and writes across fiction, creative nonfiction, and free verse. She is a contributing writer and curator at A Good Movie to Watch, with work also appearing in Westwind, The Bridge, and Haunted Waters Press.
