Kiki's Delivery Service
In 1987, Group Fudosha approached Kadono's publishers to adapt the novel into a feature film. The studio sought either Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata for the role. Both directors were occupied with other projects at the time. Miyazaki worked on My Neighbor Totoro while Takahata handled Grave of the Fireflies. He initially accepted the producer credit but eventually took over directing duties from Sunao Katabuchi. Production began near the release of My Neighbor Totoro in 1988. Miyazaki altered the story significantly to emphasize themes of independence and growing up. He added new scenes that did not exist in Eiko Kadono's original 1985 novel. The novel was more episodic and lacked dramatic crises like losing powers or airship accidents. Kadono was unhappy with these changes and nearly pulled the project. Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki visited her home to convince her to continue. She agreed after seeing the studio work. The film expanded from a planned 60-minute special to a full 102-minute feature. It became one of the most expensive anime films produced up to that point.
A cloudless night filled with a full moon marked Kiki's departure from home. Thirteen-year-old Kiki flew into the sky on her mother's old broomstick. Her talking black cat Jiji accompanied her as she searched for a new town. She encountered another witch who seemed pretentious and made Kiki question her own skills. Kiki arrived at the port city of Koriko and accidentally crashed through traffic. A policeman stopped her but a boy named Tombo helped her escape. She found lodging above the Gutiokipanja bakery owned by Osono and Fukuo. Osono invited her to live there while expecting a child. Kiki opened a business delivering goods by broomstick known as the Witch Delivery Service. Her first delivery involved a small stuffed toy resembling Jiji given as a birthday gift. During the delivery, strong winds blew her into a forest filled with attacking crows. She lost the toy in the chaos. Jiji pretended to be the toy until Kiki could retrieve the real one. She found it in the home of a young painter named Ursula who had crows living nearby. With help from Ket's dog Jeff, Kiki successfully replaced the fake toy with the real one.
Kiki became depressed after discovering she could no longer understand Jiji. The loss of flight ability forced her to suspend her delivery business entirely. She fell ill following a thunderstorm that drenched her on the way back from an invitation. Osono cared for her until she recovered. Ursula visited Kiki and determined the crisis was a form of artist's block. She suggested finding a new purpose to regain powers. Kiki witnessed an airship accident on television where Tombo tried to tie the dirigible to the ground. A gust of wind pushed the aircraft away with him clinging to the rope. Kiki rushed to the scene and borrowed a broom from a local shop-owner. She regained her flying power and managed to rescue Tombo. Her confidence returned and she resumed her delivery service. She wrote a letter home stating that both she and Jiji were happy. The bond between Kiki and Jiji represented her childhood experiences. Losing the ability to talk to him made her feel more lonely. Jiji served as a wiser voice or imaginary companion during her struggles.
Helen McCarthy noted that the vibrant Stockholm-inspired city gave a sense of safety alongside independence. Mark Schilling observed a scene where Kiki rushed back to her room and slammed the door behind her. Fukuo stepped outside simply to stretch his arms while Kiki hid in fear. This shy behavior expressed her youth, vulnerability, and isolation. Kiki balanced traditional witch customs with modern life choices. She wore dark-colored clothes but adorned her hair with a bright red bow. She baked bread using a wood-burning stove and flew on her mother's old broom. Petrana Radulovic suggested Jiki's bond represented Kiki's childhood experiences. Once Kiki lost powers to talk to Jiki, she became more lonely. Miyazaki stated that Jiki represented the immature side of Kiki. Her inability to communicate with him symbolized newfound maturity at the end of the movie. The film incorporated fairy-tale conventions like black cat companions and brooms for flight. Miyazaki wanted to avoid stereotypes common in Japanese television regarding magical girls. He remarked that witchcraft had always been the means to fulfill young girls' dreams. Kiki took control over her own life similar to San from Princess Mononoke.
Miyazaki traveled to locations such as Visby, Sweden to research the landscape. He used reference photos from trips taken while attempting to secure rights for Pippi Longstocking. The architecture of Koriko was based on buildings from Amsterdam, Paris, and San Francisco. Character design position went to Katsuya Kondo who worked with Miyazaki on My Neighbor Totoro. Hiroshi Ohno served as art director after being hired by Kazuo Oga. Studio Ghibli hired Nobuyuki Isshiki as script writer but Miyazaki found the first draft dry. He significantly modified the story creating new ideas and changing existing ones. Kiki's hair was cut short to make the workload easier for animators. The word Ta-Q-Bin appeared in the Japanese title as a trademark of Yamato Transport. Yamato Transport initially did not approve usage since Kadono used it without permission. The film's success restored relations between both parties. Production budget reached levels making it one of the most expensive anime films up until then alongside Akira and Royal Space Force.
Kiki's Delivery Service premiered on the 29th of July 1989 in Japanese theaters. It sold around 2,640,000 tickets generating total box office receipts of ¥4.3 billion. This made it the first Studio Ghibli film successful during its initial release. Streamline Pictures produced the first official English dub in November 1989 for Japan Airlines flights. Disney produced an English dub in 1997 which became the first film under their deal with Tokuma. It premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on the 23rd of May 1998. The film sold over 900,000 copies by the 28th of September 1998. It ranked eighth-most sold film at Blockbuster during its first week of availability. Later re-releases and international releases between 2004 and 2023 grossed US$10,366,082 worldwide. In the United Kingdom it was 2018's seventh best-selling foreign-language film on home video. Rotten Tomatoes reported 98% positive reviews from 45 critics with an average rating of 8.1 out of 10. Metacritic collected 15 reviews calculating an average score of 85 out of 100.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did Kiki's Delivery Service premiere in Japanese theaters?
Kiki's Delivery Service premiered on the 29th of July 1989 in Japanese theaters. The film sold around 2,640,000 tickets generating total box office receipts of ¥4.3 billion.
Who directed Kiki's Delivery Service and when was production completed?
Hayao Miyazaki took over directing duties from Sunao Katabuchi after initially accepting a producer credit. Production began near the release of My Neighbor Totoro in 1988 and continued until the film's premiere in 1989.
What changes did Hayao Miyazaki make to Eiko Kadono's original novel for Kiki's Delivery Service?
Miyazaki altered the story significantly to emphasize themes of independence and growing up while adding new scenes that did not exist in the 1985 novel. He expanded the planned 60-minute special into a full 102-minute feature and introduced dramatic crises like losing powers or airship accidents.
Where were the locations for Koriko based during the research phase of Kiki's Delivery Service?
Miyazaki traveled to Visby Sweden to research the landscape and used reference photos from trips taken while attempting to secure rights for Pippi Longstocking. The architecture of Koriko was based on buildings from Amsterdam Paris and San Francisco.
How much money did Kiki's Delivery Service earn worldwide during its initial run and re-releases?
The film generated total box office receipts of ¥4.3 billion upon its initial release and grossed US$10,366,082 worldwide through later re-releases and international releases between 2004 and 2023.