In the year 1960 in a European city that is not named in an alternate world where WWI and WWII never happened, a 13 year old witch named Kiki (voiced by Minami Takayama in the Japanese version and Kirsten Dunst in the US dub) has left her home to train for her special skills as it's a tradition that every witch who is 13 years old must go out on their own for special training even in magic skills. Kiki with her faithful talking pet cat Jiji (voiced by Rei Sakuma in the Japanese version and Phil Hartman in the US dub) take shelter in a bakery/house owned by a married couple who owns the bakery named Osono (voiced by Keido Toda in the Japanese version and Tress Macneille in the US dub) and Fuoko (voiced by Koichi Yamadera in the Japanese version and Brad Garret in the US dub) in the attic of their house. She decides to set up a high-flying delivery service in delivering stuff to people. She must do everything into become a full fledged witch and earn responsibility even gaining friendship to find her place in the world.
A very entertaining, well written and dazzling 1989 animated fantasy-drama from famous Japanese animation filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki whom is one of the most gifted filmmakers/storytellers in animation, graphic novel and motion picture history. Based on a novel by Eiko Kandano, Miyazaki adapts the story for the big screen and was a box-office hit in it's native country in 1989 and earning critical acclaim. It came to the US in 1998 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment with the voices of Kirstein Dunst, Phil Hartman, Debbie Reynolds, Kath Soucie, Matthew Lawrence and Janeane Garofalo and was a success on the home video market in the US and one of the movies that made anime mainstream just like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll and more and was the third time a Miyazaki movie came to the US. First it was Nausicaa in a butchered cut called Warriors of the Wind in 1985 then Castle of Cogliostro by Streamline in 1991 then My Neighbor Totoro in 1993 by Troma/Fox.
I first saw this in 98 when i was a teen and been one of my fave anime movies since and it's a delightful, funny, sweet and charming motion picture that appeals to both genders and all ages. I like how there's no villain or bad guy for this one which is quite refreshing for a Ghibli film with Totoro, it's a story about gaining independence and learning that friendship can be a nice thing. The animation is purely stunning in it's 2D glory and voice acting is very nice in the Japanese version, the dub is decent yet Matthew Lawrence as Tombo the boy who falls for Kiki sounds kind of older. Yet the dub is one of Phil Hartman's last roles before his untimely death, RIP poor Hartman but he did a nice voice performance as Jiji in the US version.
Joe Hisahi's score is totally magnificent and has a charm to it even the feel of the movie is one of those feel good movies that makes you warm inside at the end and the characters are likable especially Tombo to Kiki.
A very entertaining, well written and dazzling 1989 animated fantasy-drama from famous Japanese animation filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki whom is one of the most gifted filmmakers/storytellers in animation, graphic novel and motion picture history. Based on a novel by Eiko Kandano, Miyazaki adapts the story for the big screen and was a box-office hit in it's native country in 1989 and earning critical acclaim. It came to the US in 1998 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment with the voices of Kirstein Dunst, Phil Hartman, Debbie Reynolds, Kath Soucie, Matthew Lawrence and Janeane Garofalo and was a success on the home video market in the US and one of the movies that made anime mainstream just like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll and more and was the third time a Miyazaki movie came to the US. First it was Nausicaa in a butchered cut called Warriors of the Wind in 1985 then Castle of Cogliostro by Streamline in 1991 then My Neighbor Totoro in 1993 by Troma/Fox.
I first saw this in 98 when i was a teen and been one of my fave anime movies since and it's a delightful, funny, sweet and charming motion picture that appeals to both genders and all ages. I like how there's no villain or bad guy for this one which is quite refreshing for a Ghibli film with Totoro, it's a story about gaining independence and learning that friendship can be a nice thing. The animation is purely stunning in it's 2D glory and voice acting is very nice in the Japanese version, the dub is decent yet Matthew Lawrence as Tombo the boy who falls for Kiki sounds kind of older. Yet the dub is one of Phil Hartman's last roles before his untimely death, RIP poor Hartman but he did a nice voice performance as Jiji in the US version.
Joe Hisahi's score is totally magnificent and has a charm to it even the feel of the movie is one of those feel good movies that makes you warm inside at the end and the characters are likable especially Tombo to Kiki.