Comfy Cozy Cinema: Kiki's Delivery Service

I suggested to my husband that we try to do a few Comfy Cozy Cinema choices this fall, and he agreed. 

Movie Title: Kiki's Delivery Service

Original Release Date: 1989

Where I Found It: DVD at my public library

Rating: G

Time: 1 hr. 45 min.

Amazon Rating: 4.9 / 5 with 10,412 ratings

Cast: Animated, with Kirsten Dunst as Kiki, Phil Hartman as Jiji the cat,

Janeane Garofalo as Ursula, and Debbie Reynolds as Madame

I can't remember the last time I saw an animated film. I was apprehensive when I saw this film was from Japan, worried this film might be like the animated film from Japan like Speed Racer that I saw as a young person. 

I needn't have worried. Kiki's Delivery Service is an exceptional film. I was captivated by the details, the buzzing bee, the shifting point-of-view of the camera, the little gesture the bus driver makes when he shifts into gear. 

The story is about a young witch who turns thirteen and must strike out on her own. The only skill Kiki has is flying on her broomstick, so she decides to run a delivery service. The owner of a bakery provides Kiki with a place to stay and helps her get her business going. In addition to the baker, Kiki soon meets and befriends a boy fascinated with flying, an old lady, and an artist named Ursula. Kiki faces the same struggles as most teens, and with the help of her new friends, she learns more about herself and how to deal with others.

My Comfy Cozy Rating: High 

Comfy Cozy Qualities: The trials of adolescence including

learning to make friends, discovering your strengths and weaknesses,

and learning how to make it in the world

This trailer should give you a taste of the movie.

I was happy to discover that my library not only had the DVD, but it also had the book from which the movie was taken, Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono. It was delightful, too, though it was quite different from the movie. In the book, Kiki is not paid with money but with a small gift in gratitude for her service. Instead of saving a boy from a wayward airship and losing her magic powers, Kiki uses her flying abilities to dry a person's clothes quickly and to deliver a knitted belly band to a woman's son who is pilot of a boat and to find a replacement gear for a clock in the clock tower during an important event. The truth is that I loved the little stories in the book better than those in the movie. But I loved the amazing details of the movie and the way the movie was made very much. My review of the book is here.

This is year two of Comfy Cozy Cinema, hosted by Erin at Still Life, with Cracker Crumbs and Lisa at Boondock Ramblings. Erin and Lisa invite us all to join in by watching the movie, posting about it, and linking up within a week of the day listed on the chart below.