Kiki’s Delivery Service
Movie Details:
| Kanji | 魔女の宅急便 |
| Revised Hepburn | Majo no Takkyūbin |
| Based on | Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Genres | Animation, Family, Fantasy |
| Release date | July 29, 1989 |
| Running time | 1hr 42min |
| Age rating | G |
| Starring | Minami Takayama Rei Sakuma Kappei Yamaguchi Keiko Toda |
| Directed by | Hayao Miyazaki |
| Screenplay by | Hayao Miyazaki |
| Produced by | Hayao Miyazaki |
| Cinematography by | Shigeo Sugimura |
| Edited by | Takeshi Seyama |
| Music by | Joe Hisaishi |
| Casting by | Jack Fletcher (voice casting director: English version) |
| Production Design by | Hinoshi Ono |
| Art Direction by | Hiroshi Ôno (as Hiroshi Ohno) |
| Production Company | Studio Ghibli |
| Distributor | Toei Company |
Cast & Characters
| Character Name | Japanese Voice Actor | English Voice Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Kiki | Minami Takayama | Lisa Michelson / Kirsten Dunst |
| Jiji | Rei Sakuma | Kerrigan Mahan / Phil Hartman |
| Osono | Keiko Toda | Alexandra Kenworthy / Tress MacNeille |
| Ursula | Minami Takayama | Edie Mirman / Janeane Garofalo |
| Tombo | Kappei Yamaguchi | Eddie Frierson / Matthew Lawrence |
| Fukuo (Osono’s husband) | Kōichi Yamadera | Greg Snegoff / John Hostetter |
| Kokiri (Kiki’s mother) | Mieko Nobusawa | Barbara Goodson / Kath Soucie |
| Okino (Kiki’s father) | Kōichi Miura | John Dantona / Jeff Bennett |
| Madame | Haruko Kato | Melanie MacQueen / Debbie Reynolds |
| Barsa | Hiroko Seki | Edie Mirman / Edie McClurg |
| Senior Witch | Yūko Kobayashi | Wendee Lee / Debi Derryberry |
| Madame’s Granddaughter | Keiko Kagimoto | Sherry Lynn |
| Ket | Yuriko Fuchizaki | Lara Cody / Pamela Adlon |
| Maki (Ket’s aunt) | Kikuko Inoue | Julia Fletcher |
| Ket’s mother | Mika Doi | Diane Michelle |
| Ket’s father | Takaya Hashi | Steve Kramer / John DeMita |
| Ket’s grandmother | Yoshiko Asai | Mike Reynolds / Julia Fletcher |
| Miss Dora | Shō Saito | Diane Michelle / Fay Dewitt |
| Truck Driver | Michihiro Ikemizu | — |
| Hotel Receptionist | Shinpachi Tsuji | Doug Stone / Matt K. Miller |
| Policeman | Kōichi Yamadera | Steve Kramer |
| Radio Announcer | Carl Macek | Corey Burton |
| Man with Push Broom | Takashi Taguchi | Steve Kramer / Jeff Bennett |
| Dirigible Captain | Akio Ōtsuka | Dave Mallow / John Hostetter |
| Clock Tower Caretaker | Tomomichi Nishimura | Greg Snegoff / Lewis Arquette |
| Baby | Chika Sakamoto | — |
| Friends | Yūko Tsuga, Yoshiko Kamei | Lara Cody |
| Old Lady | Hiroko Maruyama | Melanie MacQueen |
| Boy | — | — |
| Tombo’s Friends | — | Dave Mallow, Diane Michelle, Lara Cody |
| Hometown Adults | Mike Reynolds | Wendee Lee |
Storyline:
A young witch named Kiki is now 13 years old. She is still a little green and plenty headstrong, but also resourceful, imaginative, and determined. With her trusty cat named Jiji by her side, she’s ready to take on the world, or at least the quaintly European seaside village she’s chosen as her new home.
About Movie:
Kiki’s Delivery Service (Japanese: 魔女の宅急便, Hepburn: Majo no Takkyūbin) is a celebrated 1989 animated fantasy film directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film is based on Eiko Kadono’s 1985 novel of the same name and follows the story of Kiki, a young witch who moves to the port city of Koriko with her black cat, Jiji, to start a flying courier service.
Production Background
In 1987, Kadono’s publishers granted Group Fudosha the rights to adapt the novel into a film. Initially, production began around the time of My Neighbor Totoro‘s release in 1988. Miyazaki was initially set to be a producer but eventually took over as director from Sunao Katabuchi. The team traveled to locations like Visby, Sweden, to capture the essence of the fictional northern European setting depicted in the novel. Miyazaki made several alterations to the original story, introducing new scenes that highlight themes of independence and maturity, particularly reflecting on the experiences of teenage girls in Japan.
Release and Reception
Kiki’s Delivery Service premiered in Japan on July 29, 1989, and marked Studio Ghibli’s first significant box office success, grossing approximately ¥4.3 billion (around $31 million). The film received widespread critical acclaim and won multiple awards, including:
- Awards of the Japanese Academy: Special Award and Popularity Award (1990)
- Kinema Junpo Awards: Readers’ Choice Award and Best Japanese Film (1990)
- Mainichi Film Concours: Best Animated Film (1990)
English Dubs
The film has been dubbed into English multiple times:
- Streamline Pictures Dub (1989): This version was produced for international flights by Japan Airlines.
- Walt Disney Pictures Dub (1997): This adaptation was released as part of a deal with Tokuma and featured notable voice actors such as Kirsten Dunst as Kiki and Phil Hartman as Jiji. It was released on home media in 1998.
Both versions have differences in dialogue and music, with Disney’s adaptation adding extra lines for characters like Jiji to enhance comedic elements.
Budget & Box Office Collection:
| Budget | ¥800 million ($6.9 million) |
| Domestic Collection | $1,004,057 |
| International Collection | $9,375,080 |
| Worldwide Collection | $10,403,278 |