Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Let me be honest with you straight away: the first time Kiki takes to the sky over that gorgeous sun-drenched seaside town, broom between her legs and the wind in her hair, I felt something shift. It's one of those images that just gets you. The watercolour skies, the warm amber light of golden hour, the sheer joy of the animation. Miyazaki and his team conjure something genuinely beautiful here, and for long stretches that's more than enough.

And then there's Joe Hisaishi's score. Look, I say this every time, but the man is simply peerless. I could have put the soundtrack on repeat and sat in a darkened room with a cup of tea and been perfectly content. There's a lightness to it, a gentle buoyancy, that perfectly matches the mood of the film. It doesn't push or manipulate, it just floats alongside you. Absolute perfection, as usual.

The story, though. That's where I have to be a bit more measured. Kiki is a young witch who moves to a new city to complete her year of independence, sets up a delivery service, makes a few friends, loses her powers for a bit, gets them back. It's sweet. It's genuinely, warmly sweet. But it doesn't half take its time getting anywhere in particular. If you're expecting the kind of propulsive adventure you might get from Castle in the Sky, you'll be waiting a while. This is more of a very calm Sunday afternoon. A lovely Sunday afternoon, mind, but one where the most dramatic thing that happens is a batch of herring pie and a spot of mild self-doubt.

That's not a fatal flaw, exactly. The coming-of-age arc, Kiki learning to believe in herself again when her confidence deserts her, is handled with a quiet grace that I can respect. It doesn't overexplain or oversell. It just lets you sit with her. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the lack of stakes occasionally. Compared to something like My Neighbor Totoro, which also trades in quiet and gentleness but somehow never loses its emotional grip, Kiki drifts a little.

Here's the thing, though: I watched this with my daughter, and she was absolutely gone for it. Completely charmed, from first frame to last. Kiki and her cat Jiji bickering back and forth had her giggling throughout, and when Kiki's magic started to falter, I could see genuine concern on her face. That's not nothing. That's actually quite a lot. A film that lands that cleanly with a child, that earns real emotional investment without any darkness or manipulation, is doing something right.

So where does that leave me? Admiring it enormously from a craft standpoint, a little underwhelmed by the storytelling, and grateful for the reminder that not everything needs to be dramatic to be worthwhile. This isn't Ghibli at its most complex or its most affecting. It's Ghibli at its most soothing. And sometimes, genuinely, that's exactly what you need.

Three and a half stars.

Rating: ★★★½  | Year: 1989  | Watched: 2025-07-23

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Kids · Netflix Standard with Ads
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel · HBO Max
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · Fandango At Home
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · Fandango At Home
Physical: Amazon US

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Related on Movies With Macca

More from Hayao Miyazaki: Castle in the Sky (1986) · Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) · My Neighbor Totoro (1988) · Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
More from Japan: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · Blue (1993) · The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More family: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Wonder (2017) · Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anastasia (1997)