Story
Kiki (voice of Kirsten Dunst) is an enthusiastic 13-year-old witch-in-training, who sets off on a traditional rite of passage – to live on her own, for a year, in a new town. With her talking black cat Jiji (voice of Phil Hartman) by her side, Kiki embarks on this new adventure and soon settles in a witchless seaside city.
Finding lodging above a bakery, Kiki starts a flying delivery service using her broomstick. As she navigates the challenges of adulthood and struggles to fit in and find friends, Kiki experiences both the thrill of independence as well as the torment of self-doubt. When she suddenly begins to lose her magical powers, Kiki must confront her insecurities and regain her confidence to reclaim her abilities.
It takes a disaster for Kiki to rechannel her magic, but in demonstrating her differences, she proves her worth – not only to the people of the city but most importantly to herself.
Themes
Loneliness and isolation, self-doubt; growing apart; loss of confidence and identity
Violence
Kiki’s Delivery Service has some violence. For example:
- Kiki is nearly hit by a bus as she flies into traffic when approaching the city.
- Kiki is nearly hit by a car while crossing the street.
- Kiki crashes into a tree when a big gust of wind blows her off course. Crows attack her and her broomstick, pecking at her arms and picking at the straw.
- Jiji must pretend to be a toy while a little boy plays roughly with him, shaking him back and forth.
- Kiki and a friend are nearly hit by a car while riding a bike. They fly over an embankment and crash onto the grass below, damaging the bike.
- A giant blimp is upended by strong winds. People cling to it to keep it in place but it crashes into a camera van and lifts off the ground with a boy holding onto it.
- A car crashes into a fountain.
- The blimp crashes into a clock tower and a nearby building. The boy holding it falls off and Kiki catches him just in time.
Sexual references
There are no sexual references in Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no use of substances in Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Nudity and sexual activity
Kiki’s Delivery Service has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, Kiki’s dress occasionally blows up around her legs and exposes her underwear.
Product placement
There’s no product placement in Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Coarse language
Kiki’s Delivery Service has some coarse language, including ‘stupid’, ‘snob’ and ‘Shut up!’
Ideas to discuss with your children
Kiki’s Delivery Service is an English-dubbed Japanese anime movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The movie tells a coming-of-age story and features lush backgrounds, a slow plot and gentle characters. It’s suitable for most ages and might be most enjoyed by female viewers and fans of Studio Ghibli.
The main messages from Kiki’s Delivery Service are to believe in yourself and find your own inspiration.
Values in Kiki’s Delivery Service that you could reinforce with your children include kindness, resilience, compassion, courage, independence and friendship.
Kiki’s Delivery Service could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of dealing with self-doubt and burnout in a productive and positive way.