Kiki's Delivery Service
GKIDS | Release Date: July 29, 1989
8.4
USER SCORE
Universal acclaim based on 113 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
106
Mixed:
4
Negative:
3
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
8
AnhiroAug 27, 2018
A coming-of-age story about a teenage witch who sets out from her little countryside village to earn a living in the city. As she helps out with several chores using her magical broom-flying abilities, she one day decides to start running herA coming-of-age story about a teenage witch who sets out from her little countryside village to earn a living in the city. As she helps out with several chores using her magical broom-flying abilities, she one day decides to start running her own mail delivery service using her witch powers (which seem to be limited only to flying her broom and giving her cat the ability to talk, curiously enough). From there, we see her meeting new people and customers - some helpful and some rather curt with her - which has an impact on her development as she tries to balance work and life as a normal girl. The main weakness of this movie lies in its short length, in my opinion. Running at only 100 minutes, the action and character development feels rushed, which is compounded by the fact that there are many characters that Kiki comes across, and have little time to develop further along with her. As such, they felt like accessories to develop or contrast with Kiki's own character and little else besides that.

Even the ending seems to come abruptly, with the credits scene rushing to tell what happens to the characters after the climactic point in the story.

Besides those gripes, the animation is great and has aged well since 1989. Kiki's mannerisms are endearing and the idyllic life of this fantasy European port city can be felt during those scenes where Kiki is flying on her broom.

The protagonist Kiki, upon which the movie's storytelling is centered on, is a character who is easily relatable due to her plain looks, but the real qualities that define her are her excellent work ethic and refined etiquette/manners... A unique message that is not very often told in today's movie characters. That said, Kiki's Delivery Service is a very nice feel-good piece of animation if the short duration of the movie is not an issue for you, because for me it still felt like I was at some introduction chapter to a larger series as far as character development goes. Still, I would highly recommend this movie to the younger audience out there for its positive message, and adults can easily find a great hour & a half with this one too.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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8
sent_workiNov 3, 2018
8.4(Впечатляюще)........................................................................................................
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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8
Toasty87Jul 16, 2020
Very good film both the original Japanese version and English dub which is rare now days .
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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9
alejandro970Feb 28, 2019
One of most endearing, lovable characters of SG; the one that sew the seed of Harry Potter. An amusing story about growing up and making a place out of home. A mandatory for anime hard-core lovers.
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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9
ArthuuMar 2, 2020
Probably the best one out of all Studio Ghibli's town themed movies, very charming main protagonist and suprisingly deep plot
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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7
DMLYxCriticFeb 4, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Innocence, coming of age and magic collide as Studio Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service appears on the screen. Full of hope, charisma and positivity that is for kids and adults alike, the film does captivate its audiences. The musical score was amazing, and the animation is a marvel. However, the film suffers on editing and how coherent it tells the story and the plot. There were some scenes that certain things were heavily implied but was not clearly show which is enough to throw a film buff worth his/ her salt off of the flow of the plot. But all in all, this is definitely an unforgettable film that will probably last throughout the ages.… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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9
anthonybobbyFeb 20, 2021
Flipje, you suck! This movie looks great! If you hate this movie, you suck.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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10
Dostoyevsky3Mar 13, 2022
Kiki's Delivery Service may not be as imaginative as Miyazaki's top movies, but its service to the same sweet slice of life story-telling and flush energetic heroine may deliver fans everything their looking for while providing more of theKiki's Delivery Service may not be as imaginative as Miyazaki's top movies, but its service to the same sweet slice of life story-telling and flush energetic heroine may deliver fans everything their looking for while providing more of the usual visual craft.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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7
vitortfvDec 16, 2020
Although charming and exciting, the whole story was not that captivating. But it's good.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
ahmedaiman1999Aug 1, 2019
Witches have never been so likable and relatable! And witchcraft has never been so mundane!

Slightly bogged down by occasionally going into some familiar territory (especially in its third act), Miyazaki's most light-hearted film is anWitches have never been so likable and relatable! And witchcraft has never been so mundane!

Slightly bogged down by occasionally going into some familiar territory (especially in its third act), Miyazaki's most light-hearted film is an otherwise fascinating, delightful, funny and charming fairy-tale that effortlessly teaches a variety of valuable lessons such as self-discovering, self-acceptance, self-reliance and self-understanding like no other film did.

(8/10)… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
glommanMar 3, 2021
A young witch is forced to abandon her parent's house to seek an independent life in another, far away city. While she faces many perils along the journey to become a fully functional witch, whose task is to help people and study alchemy, sheA young witch is forced to abandon her parent's house to seek an independent life in another, far away city. While she faces many perils along the journey to become a fully functional witch, whose task is to help people and study alchemy, she also makes a few friends who enrich her life and help her along the way.
A very good and wholesome movie.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
MahmusOct 19, 2020
A magnificent movie about growing up and finding your independence that resonates with me more than any live action movie about the same subject matter.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
BradleySJun 20, 2023
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A nice coming of age story for pre-teen/young teen girls. Kiki is an interesting character and is well-voiced (in English dub) by Kirsten Dunst. Like many Ghibli films, it takes its time, which typically is a wise choice. Kiki not only battles a lack of confidence during the middle part of the movie, but perhaps depression, which is not commonly dealt with in kids' films and, to be honest, not really dealt with here -- she just experiences it and then overcomes it. But still, gives part of the film an interesting vibe. There also is an odd (intentionally?) funny scene where an elderly house servant is positively giddy win a dirigible crashes and Kiki has to save the day.

What I like most about this film (and many other Ghibli) is people's attitudes -- a young witch comes flying in to town and people, generally, are just warm & excited to see her; there is a guilelessness and friendliness which is nice to see.

The version I saw had the end changed back to the Japanese version, where the cat no longer speaks; it is subtle and apparently is meant to show Kiki is growing up. I don't think that makes sense, as she has gotten her witch powers back and being able to talk/relate to a cat is not established through the rest of the movie as Kiki being immature, but rather it's just a common thing a witch has (which makes sense; lore of familiars with witches is common). The cat talking would have been better.

But overall, a good movie to see, especially if you have 9-14 year old daughter/girl to see it with about making your way in the world and overcoming your fears.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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