Parents' Guide to

Kiki's Delivery Service

Movie G 1990 105 minutes
Kiki's Delivery Service Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Brian Camp , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 5+

A mystical, positive take on girl's coming of age.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 5+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 5+

Based on 72 parent reviews

age 4+

They're saying you a Miyazaki/Ghibli fan, and you don't wanna know what else!

Well, this movie is fine and a bit more maturity of kids of all ages. But this film is still lighthearted also with the characters are cute, the animation is brilliant, the script is good, the music is amazing, never did feeling a bit darkest inappropriate and too intense scenes except for that quadruple of us also remember how dramatically a bit scary it could be... such as the infamous "egg-stealer" scene where Kiki is barely attacked by many crows (belongs to Ursula) in the delivery mission, the others with a lightning (like Nausicaa/Castle in the Sky's special effect) almost struck Kiki in the rainstorm after the departure of Karikiya, And, sadly, when Jiji had no longer to speak, Kiki's witches' powers turning weak and she accidentally breaks her mother's broom. And, of course, the final climatic sequence where the dirigible (The Spirit of Freedom) crashing down between in the clock tower and the building when Kiki saves Tombo. Little violence/scary/inappropriate, and yeah, Kiki might be intensity and disturbingly using shouting, yelling of Minami Takayama (Japan)/Lisa Michelson (Streamline) with screaming a bit of Kirsten Dunst (BV/Disney) are kind of triple. Nevertheless, a bit darkest moments didn't take over the majority of Miyazaki's film. You know, kids, this had to be proven this movie in "The '80s" of anime where the kids are half freaked out in the past of Disney's life. And yeah, Warner Bros. might be secure this movie yet! I love Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli, but this was a worst cliche, but this movie is... just fine. But, yeah, I put the one of my favorite Ghibli/Ponoc movies of all time on Max!
age 3+

3-year old OBSESSED

So it’s been about two months since my daughter watched Kiki’s Delivery Service. She absolutely loved it so much that I made her a red bow and she’s worn it EVERY DAY. She says Kiki is strong and brave. I love Kiki as her role model for this incredible confidence that she gives her. This movie is the best!

What's the Story?

In KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, Kiki (voiced by Minami Takayama in the original version and Kirsten Dunst in the English dub) follows family tradition and settles down for a year in a foreign city to serve as the resident witch. She makes friends, finds room and board, and uses her broom-flying ability to launch a delivery service. A boy her age, the aviation buff Tombo (Kappei Yamaguchi/Matthew Lawrence), develops a crush on her. As she approaches puberty, Kiki begins to lose her powers. She strikes up a chance friendship with an older girl, the artist Ursula (Minami Takayama/Janeane Garofalo), who helps Kiki weather her loss of confidence. When a dirigible accident puts Tombo in danger, Kiki must summon up all of her powers to save her friend.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (72 ):
Kids say (69 ):

A huge box office hit in Japan, this mystical, positive coming-of-age tale was the first film by celebrated animator Hayao Miyazaki to become available in the United States. Kiki's Delivery Service is set in a large European metropolis (an amalgam of Stockholm and other cities) in a time period suggesting the 1950s. The attention to detail, particularly in the scenes of Kiki flying over the city streets, rivals that of many a bigger-budgeted Disney feature. Such detail provides important background as small-town girl Kiki gradually acclimates herself to this new, bewildering environment. The film also realistically treats Kiki's growing pains as she copes with the twin problems of independence and peer group relations. This accounts, in part, for the film's enthusiastic reception by so many young viewers.

The English-dubbed version, released straight to video, benefits from well-cast celebrity voices, including Phil Hartman as Kiki's wisecracking black cat Jiji (voiced by Rei Sakuma in the original version) and Debbie Reynolds as Madame (Haruko Kato). The Disney-fied version's only serious flaw is the replacement of the Japanese original's delightful opening and closing songs with new, less catchy English-language ones.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Kiki. How does she compare to other characters in animated movies? Is she a role model? How does she demonstrate courage, empathy, and humility?

  • How does Kiki stay true to her passions of flying and helping people? What are you passionate about? How can you use your strengths and hobbies to help others?

  • What are the movie's messages about growing up? Can kids relate to Kiki's loss of confidence? What helps her gain back her strength?

  • What makes a good family movie? What kinds of movies do kids and parents enjoy watching together?

  • Why do you think this movie is considered an anime classic? How is it different from the majority of Hollywood animated movies?

Movie Details

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