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One of the most incredible things about the filmography of Hayao Miyazaki happened in 1988 when they released delightful 'My Neighbor Totoro' as part of a double feature in Japan. (The other film was 'Grave of the Fireflies' and these films had to wait a while to gain deserved popularity they have now after repeated showings in theaters and re-runs on TV.) You believe that? double feature program of new films, one of which is Miyazaki's!
One year later, in 1989, things suddenly changed when 'Kiki's Delivery Service' was released theatrically. I clearly remember watching it the first show of the first day, which started very early in the morning, and the theater was already full-packed. Since then, Miyazaki and his films have been Japan's household name.
'Kiki's Delivery Service' which is based on a children's book by Kadono Eiko shows what a good animation film can do without violence, CGIs, or obligatory musical scenes. It's about a girl Kiki who must leave her house flying on a broomstick in order to live alone among the strangers. Kiki, warm-hearted, strong-willed, but still a novice witch, must learn many things in this town where she gets a job at a kind baker's -- and of course her job is delivery service of the film title.
There is one hair-raising big action sequence, but the film' charms are all based on credible characters including Jiji a talking cat, Tombo (meaning dragonfly in Japanese) a boy who dreams of flying, and Ursula, an artist living in the woods. Even minor characters are memorable not because they are eccentric but because they are realistic, like someone among your relatives or friends you no longer meet but still remember.
The film is entertaining and fun for kids and adults alike, and is strongly recommended, as well as Miyazaki's 'Totoro,' another favorite of mine.
[ENGLISH VERSION] English-dubbed versions of non-English films are often criticized for many reasons, but I didn't find anything wrong with this version featuring the voice of Kirsten Dunst as Kiki's. Interestingly in Japanese original version the voice of Jiji is played by actress Sakuma Rei while in American by Phil Hartman. The voices sound considerably different with Sakuma's high-pitched voice. If you have a chance to see the original version, compare them.
[JAPANESE VERSION] Just one trivial thing about this original version which I hope might interest you. ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW is that in the original version, the voices of Kiki and Ursula were played by same actress Takayama Minami. The casting is intentional, suggesting that independent woman Ursula shows the image of younger Kiki in the future. This clever idea is not somehow used in the English-dubbed version, in which Janeane Garofalo provides Ursula's voice.
But whichever version you see, one thing I am sure: 'Kiki's Delivery Service' is beautiful, immaginative, and most of all fun. You will love it, trust me.
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I read the reviews before purchasing. My sister gifted me a Studio Ghibli set as an adult. Some of these movies would play at times, but they were always touchy. I don’t think they were formatted for US dvd/blue-ray system. When it wouldn’t play Kiki’s Delivery Service anymore, I knew I would have to purchase another format I could rely on. I didn’t realize there were two versions. I read the reviews. I knew the music in the set I had was not in English, so I assume it is the newer version.. However, I was interested in the older version because they stated characters were missing in the newer version, the ending was different, and Gigi’s lines were different. I watched both versions close together to compare. -Both movies had the same characters and endings. In the older version (on the left in the picture), Gigi’s meow sounded sarcastic, like he was pretending to talk like a cat still, but he never said actual words again in either movie. -Some of Gigi’s lines were missing in the newer version (on the right in the picture), but this did not change the plot or his character at all. In fact, I kind of thought he talked a lot in the older version. When watching the newer version, I did miss his commentary when he was hitting on the white cat, but then again, I wouldn’t want my little boy to think this was an appropriate way to talk to someone. -When Kiki went with her artist friend, they hitch hiked. I like the scene in the older version better. In the older version, the driver of the first car yells at them to get out of the road. I felt like this made it clearer that the driver was being rude, and made the artist’s comment more necessary. The driver did not say anything in the newer version. -I really enjoyed the music in English. I agree with the other reviews on that, which is why I am keeping the older version. I don’t think you will want to keep both versions. They are practically the same in my opinion.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2005
- Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2014
- Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2010
Top reviews from other countries
- John Thomas AndersonReviewed in Canada on November 19, 2014
Ghibli's most popular film comes to Blu Ray. But with one small caveat.
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Le Recensioni di BrianReviewed in Italy on December 4, 2017
Una piccola Streghetta!
Aspetto e Confezione: Il blu-ray si presenta nel suo tipico astuccio slim blu, contenente il solo disco senza ulteriore materiale informativo o da collezione. Edizione semplice solo disco!Le Recensioni di BrianUna piccola Streghetta!
Reviewed in Italy on December 4, 2017
Trama: Kiki è una giovane strega che come da tradizione, compiuti i 13 anni parte da casa sulla sua scopa in compagnia soltanto di Jiji, il suo gatto nero, per l'anno di noviziato da svolgere in un'altra città. Dopo aver superato una tempesta ed aver incontrato un'altra giovane strega ormai al termine del suo tirocinio, Kiki raggiunge una caratteristica cittadina di mare, meta prefissata nell'immaginario della ragazzina fin dalla sua partenza.
Le prime esperienze in città, per lei, che dopotutto è una ragazza di campagna, non sono però positive e Kiki, scossa dall'accoglienza piuttosto fredda e deludente del luogo, si rende conto che forse aveva fin troppo idealizzato quell'avventura tanto attesa da piccola e che probabilmente quella città non era il posto giusto in cui fermarsi. Fortunatamente si imbatte nella gentile Osono, una giovane fornaia che in cambio di un aiuto nel suo negozio le offre un alloggio in cui abitare. Kiki può finalmente mettere a frutto l'unica arte magica che possiede, quella di saper volare sulla scopa, e apre una piccola attività di consegne volanti di pacchi.
Kiki comincia quindi ad inserirsi nel tessuto della cittadina e impara lentamente a distinguere il lato buono che in fondo c'è in tutte le persone. Durante questa sua lenta maturazione, Kiki è talvolta euforica e talvolta depressa con repentini sbalzi di umore, e ne fa le spese il povero Tombo, un ragazzo di città affascinato dal volo, suo coetaneo e suo primo vero amico, che non sempre riesce a capire il carattere difficile della ragazza.
Un giorno però accade un evento apparentemente inspiegabile: la capacità di volare, che Kiki possedeva fin da bambina, sembra svanita. Kiki è disperata e solo allora comincia a rendersi conto di cosa veramente rappresenti l'anno di noviziato: riuscire a trasformare le proprie attitudini e il proprio talento di bambina nell'attività da svolgere da adulti. Qualora avesse fallito, lei non avrebbe avuto più alcun valore. Con l'aiuto di Ursula, una sua amica pittrice, capisce però che la perdita dell'ispirazione o la paura di non essere in grado di svolgere il proprio compito è una cosa naturale e che solo riuscendo a superare questi momenti di sconforto si può crescere e maturare.
Improvvisamente per televisione viene trasmesso un servizio in diretta: un dirigibile ancorato presso la cittadina ha rotto gli ormeggi a causa del forte vento ed è in balia della tempesta. Kiki si rende conto che il suo amico Tombo era salito proprio su quel dirigibile e ora era rimasto aggrappato ad una fune fuoribordo. Mentre il dirigibile viaggia senza controllo sui tetti della città, Kiki riesce a superare il blocco psicologico che non le permetteva più di volare e a cavallo di uno spazzolone finalmente si libra nell'aria per salvare il suo amico.
Qualità video: Buona qualità video, resa cromatica senza troppe pretese, ad ogni modo gradevole alla vista e per niente affaticante. Full HD 1080p 16:9 24 fps, tutto quello che ci si può aspettare da un blu-ray, niente da invidiare ad altri titoli!
Qualità audio: Purtroppo la qualità audio lascia a desiderare, sia per il doppiaggio Italiano sia per la lingua originale Giapponese. Infatti vengono riprodotti da un dts-hd master audio 2.0 non propriamente all’altezza, ma nel complesso non risulta male e in ogni caso si mantiene su livelli accettabili di orecchiabilità. Un punto a sfavore, ma che non intacca affatto l’incredibile qualità del contenuto dell’oggetto.
Conclusioni: Film meraviglioso, degno esponente della filmografia Studio Ghibli. Come sempre vengono toccati e trattati temi importanti, che risultano essere sempre attuali e mai banali. Assolutamente soddisfatto dell’acquisto, conservato gelosamente insieme ai suoi predecessori e quelli che saranno i suoi successori. Come riesce ad emozionarti, prenderti, appassionarti, immergere in quel che vedi e senti, e farti tornare un po’ più piccino di quello che siamo, lo Studio Ghibli, non credo ci riesca nessun altro. Lunga vita!
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- Ian ThumwoodReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2012
A high point for Ghibli
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Mamá gallinaReviewed in Mexico on June 16, 2017
Hermosa película para chicos y grandes
