I saw "Kiki's Delivery Service" for the first time on the Disney Channel, and fell in love - with the story, whose pace is perfect and whose events are natural progressions rather than overblown set pieces, and with the characters, who evoke sympathy and pride as they travel through the tale. In the Disney-released American version, Kirsten Dunst voices the plucky young Kiki, leaving home at the age of 13 to hone a special skill for a year in accordance with the tradition of witches. Her best friend and traditional black-cat sidekick Jiji is voiced by Phil Hartman as a cautionary (bordering on neurotic) counterfoil to Kiki's optimism, providing comic relief and a sounding board for Kiki - except at the most critical time in her growth. My love for Phil Hartman's legacy is such that I find a lump in my throat whenever I hear his voice, and I treasure this film for his performance.
Compared to Miyazaki's more recent films released stateside, this is a tame though no less imaginative tale. It is appropriate for even the youngest of children, and I am constantly amazed (as with all Miyazaki films) by the quality and depth of the animated world. Kiki's chosen city is an acultural mix of European and Japanese coastal towns, realized in minute detail. The theme of flight, also present in every Miyazaki movie, is central here - it is Kiki's lone skill as a young witch, and the one she must use to make a life for herself. She faces a crisis of confidence that can be solved only with her own patience and the gentle guidance of an artist who has also faced challenges in her life's most important skill.
When I purchased the special-edition DVD, I experienced a second film! This DVD includes the original Japanese language track with English subtitles. Although reading the subtitles takes away from the opportunity to enjoy the art, it's worth doing at least once. Miyazaki's original movie contains very little of the "adventurer and sidekick" Disney formula that was implemented in the American version. True, Kiki and Jiji are alone together in their journey, but Miyazaki's Jiji is a quieter, gentler guide with less of a personal agenda. When watching the American version, note how rarely Jiji is in the frame when Hartman is speaking dialogue (this is true for Dunst as well - she has far more lines than the Japanese Kiki), and how on occasion we hear Hartman and see Jiji but Jiji's speaking is not animated. The original Japanese version has great tolerance for silence, both in terms of dialogue and musical interlude. It is calmer, more natural, more willing to let us see the two characters in the comfortable solitude of lifelong friendship while they explore a new place.
I can't claim, having known and loved the American version first, that one film is superior to the other - they are strikingly different. Owning the DVD has given me the opportunity to experience and love them both. No doubt this movie will remain a favorite in our family's large collection of animated children's movies, both American and Japanese.
Compared to Miyazaki's more recent films released stateside, this is a tame though no less imaginative tale. It is appropriate for even the youngest of children, and I am constantly amazed (as with all Miyazaki films) by the quality and depth of the animated world. Kiki's chosen city is an acultural mix of European and Japanese coastal towns, realized in minute detail. The theme of flight, also present in every Miyazaki movie, is central here - it is Kiki's lone skill as a young witch, and the one she must use to make a life for herself. She faces a crisis of confidence that can be solved only with her own patience and the gentle guidance of an artist who has also faced challenges in her life's most important skill.
When I purchased the special-edition DVD, I experienced a second film! This DVD includes the original Japanese language track with English subtitles. Although reading the subtitles takes away from the opportunity to enjoy the art, it's worth doing at least once. Miyazaki's original movie contains very little of the "adventurer and sidekick" Disney formula that was implemented in the American version. True, Kiki and Jiji are alone together in their journey, but Miyazaki's Jiji is a quieter, gentler guide with less of a personal agenda. When watching the American version, note how rarely Jiji is in the frame when Hartman is speaking dialogue (this is true for Dunst as well - she has far more lines than the Japanese Kiki), and how on occasion we hear Hartman and see Jiji but Jiji's speaking is not animated. The original Japanese version has great tolerance for silence, both in terms of dialogue and musical interlude. It is calmer, more natural, more willing to let us see the two characters in the comfortable solitude of lifelong friendship while they explore a new place.
I can't claim, having known and loved the American version first, that one film is superior to the other - they are strikingly different. Owning the DVD has given me the opportunity to experience and love them both. No doubt this movie will remain a favorite in our family's large collection of animated children's movies, both American and Japanese.