Majo no takkyûbin (1989)

Director:

Hayao Miyazaki

Writers:

Eiko Kadono (novel)
Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 July 1989 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Plot Keywords:

Witch | Cat | Talking Cat | Courier | Courier Service

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Minami Takayama	...	Kiki / Ursula (voice)
Rei Sakuma	...	Jiji (voice)
Kappei Yamaguchi	...	Tombo (voice)
Keiko Toda	...	Osono (voice)
Mieko Nobusawa	...	Kokiri, Kiki no haha (Kiki's mummy) (voice)
Kôichi Miura	...	Okino, Kiki no chichi (Kiki's daddy) (voice)
Haruko Kato	...	Rô-fujin (Madame) (voice)
Hiroko Seki	...	Barsa (Bertha) (voice)
Yuriko Fuchizaki	...	Ketto (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Bakery worker, policeman (voice)
Kikuko Inoue	...	Beautiful designer girl (voice)
Yûko Kobayashi	...	Young sempai witch (voice)
Mika Doi	...	Ketto's mother (voice)
Takaya Hashi	...	Ketto's father (voice)
Chika Sakamoto	...	Baby (voice)
Toshiko Asai	...	(voice)
Yoshiko Kamei	...	(voice)
Hiroko Maruyama	...	(voice)
Shinpachi Tsuji	...	(voice)
Yûko Maruyama	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Masa Saitô	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Yûko Tsuga	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Akio Ôtsuka	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Tomomichi Nishimura	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Kirsten Dunst	...	Kiki (voice: English version)
Kath Soucie	...	Kiki's Mother (voice: English version)
Debbie Reynolds	...	Madame (voice: English version)
Jeff Bennett	...	Kiki's Father (voice: English version)
Phil Hartman	...	Jiji (voice: English version)
Tress MacNeille	...	Osono (voice: English version)
Edie McClurg	...	Barsa (Bertha) (voice: English version)
Debi Derryberry	...	Young Senior Witch (voice: English version)
Matthew Lawrence	...	Tombo (voice: English version)
Janeane Garofalo	...	Ursula (voice: English version)
Corey Burton	...	Radio Announcer (voice: English version)
Pamela Adlon	...	Ket (voice: English version) (as Pamela Segall)
Eddie Frierson	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Sherry Lynn	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Matt K. Miller	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nacho Aldeguer	...	Tombo (voice: Spanish version)
June Angela	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Lewis Arquette	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Lola Cervantes	...	Madam (voice: Spanish version)
Matilde Conesa	...	Barsa / Berta (voice: Spanish version)
Iñaki Crespo	...	Yiyi (voice: Spanish version)
John DeMita	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Fay DeWitt	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Julia Fletcher	...	Ket's Aunt, Ket's Mother (voice: English version) (as Julia DeMita)
Susan Hickman	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
John Hostetter	...	Dirigible Captain (voice: English version)
Yolanda Mateos	...	Úrsula (voice: Spanish version)
Scott Menville	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Carolina Montijano	...	Kokiri (mamá de Nicky) (voice: Spanish version)
Laura Palacios	...	Osono (voice: Spanish version)
Antonio Villar	...	Okino (papá de Nicky) (voice: Spanish version)
Cristina Yuste	...	Nicky (voice: Spanish version)

Directed by
Hayao Miyazaki

Writing credits
Eiko Kadono		(novel)
Hayao Miyazaki		(screenplay)

Produced by
Hayao Miyazaki	....	producer
Jane Schonberger	....	executive producer
Jane Schonberger	....	producer (US version)
Toshio Suzuki	....	associate producer
Morihisa Takagi	....	executive producer
Yasuyoshi Tokuma	....	executive producer
Mikihiko Tsuzuki	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Sydney Forest
Joe Hisaishi

Cinematography by
Shigeo Sugimura

Film Editing by
Takeshi Seyama

Production Design by
Hinoshi Ono

Art Direction by
Hiroshi Ohno

Production Management
Eiko Tanaka	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sunao Katabuchi	....	assistant director

Art Department
Yuriko Katayama	....	color designer
Michiyo Yasuda	....	color designer

Sound Department
Naoko Asari	....	recording supervisor
Shuji Inoue	....	sound
Norio Kobayashi	....	sound effects assistant
William Komar	....	sound effects editor: US version (as Bill Komar)
Hironori Ono	....	sound effects assistant
Kazutoshi Satou	....	sound effects
Ernie Sheesley	....	sound: US version
Shoichi Tamaasa	....	sound recording assistant
James Twomey	....	adr recordist
Danny van Spreuwel	....	adr recordist: Dutch version
Fujio Yamada	....	dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Kaoru Tanifuji	....	special effects

Animation Department
Midori Chiba	....	background artist
Kuzuo Ebisawa	....	background artist
Masaaki Endo	....	key animator
Atsuko Fukushima	....	key animator
Makiko Futaki	....	key animator
Yoshiyuki Hane	....	key animator
Akiko Hasegawa	....	key animator
Yuji Ikehata	....	background artist
Toshiyuki Inoue	....	key animator
Yutaka Itô	....	background artist
Megumi Kagawa	....	key animator (as Ai Kagawa)
Yoshinori Kanada	....	key animator
Hidetoshi Kaneko	....	background artist
Kiyoko Kanno	....	background artist
Kenji Kashiyama	....	background artist
Toshio Kawaguchi	....	key animator
Kazuhiro Kinoshita	....	background artist
Katsuya Kondô	....	character designer
Katsuya Kondô	....	supervising animator
Yoshifumi Kondo	....	supervising animator
Miyuki Kudo	....	background artist
Satoshi Kuroda	....	background artist
Yuko Matsuura	....	background artist
Toshiharu Mizutani	....	background artist
Kôji Morimoto	....	key animator (as Kouji Morimoto)
Hiroyuki Morita	....	inbetween animator
Noriko Moritomo	....	key animator
Kyouko Naganawa	....	background artist
Yoko Nagashima	....	background artist
Toshiya Niidome	....	key animator
Kazuo Oga	....	background artist
Kumiko Ohno	....	background artist
Kiyomi Ota	....	background artist
Atsuko Ôtani	....	key animator
Shinji Otsuka	....	supervising animator
Yoshiharu Sato	....	key animator
Masahiro Sekino	....	key animator
Sachiko Sugino	....	key animator
Yasuko Tachiki	....	animation checker
Hitomi Tateno	....	animation checker
Ken Tokushige	....	background artist
Chie Uratani	....	key animator
Hiroshi Watanabe	....	key animator
Hirômi Yamakawa	....	key animator
Natsuyo Yasuda	....	key animator

Casting Department
Jack Fletcher	....	voice casting: English version

Editorial Department
Hiroshi Adachi	....	assistant editor

Music Department
June Angela	....	soloist
Yumi Matsutôya	....	composer: song "Rouge no dengon" (as Arai Yumi)
Yumi Matsutôya	....	composer: theme song "Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta-nara" (as Arai Yumi)
Isao Takahata	....	musical director

Other crew
Jack Fletcher	....	adaptor: English version
Eric Garcia	....	production coordinator
Kaoru Mano	....	titles
Akira Michikawa	....	titles
Hideo Ogata	....	planner
John Semper	....	adaptor: English version
Iwao Setô	....	planner
Tatsumi Yamashita	....	planner

Production Companies

• Nibariki
• Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV)
• Studio Ghibli
• Tokuma Shoten

Distributors

• Sonet Film (2007) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Cinema Mondo (2007) (Finland) (all media)
• Optimum Releasing (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• RUSCICO (2008) (Russia) (all media)
• Studio Ghibli (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Toei Company
• Universum Film (UFA) (2006) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Anime Torotoro  animation assistance
• DOGA Productions  animation assistance
• Domusha  animation assistance
• IM Studio  ink and paint support studio
• Kyoto Animation  ink and paint support studio
• Nakamura Production  animation assistance
• Oh Production  animation assistance
• Ryu Production  ink and paint support studio
• Screen Music Studios (SMS)  dialogue recording facilities (US version)
• Studio Fantasia  ink and paint support studio
• Studio Hibari  animation assistance
• Studio Killy  ink and paint support studio
• Studio Muku  animation assistance
• Studio OZ  ink and paint support studio
• Toy House  ink and paint support studio
• Trace Studio M  ink and paint support studio

Also Known As:

Kiki's Delivery Service (UK) (USA)
Witch's Special Express Delivery (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:G | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Finland:K-3 | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:G | South Korea:All | Sweden:Btl | Denmark:A | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G | France:U | USA:G | UK:U | Spain:T

Company:

Nibariki

Trivia:

The name of Osono's bakery, "Guchokipanya" is a Japanese pun made from the words "guchokipa" (Rock Paper Scissors) and "pan'ya" (bakery).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Disney dub refers several times to the airship as a "dirigible", which is correct, but also as a "blimp", which it isn't; it is a zeppelin, a rigid airship with an internal skeleton that holds it in shape, not a blimp, which is basically a big helium-inflated balloon held in shape by the helium.

Quotes:

Kiki: Without even thinking about it, I used to be able to fly. Now I'm trying to look inside myself and find out how I did it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#38.4)" (2007)

Ghibli is impressive as always

First of all, 10 points to Ghibli for Variety. Producing this and 'Grave of the Fireflies' inside a year of each other would be like Disney doing 'Mary Poppins' and 'Judgement at Nuremberg' back to back.

Words that spring to mind after watching Kiki include 'delightful', 'light', 'bouyant', and so forth. It's obvious Miyazaki has refined his craft considerably from the early movies, which somehow seemed a bit... I don't know - stuttery. Kiki, though just flows effortlessly. Combine this with the beautiful use of lighting and colour to produce that summertime, Mediterranean sort of feel, and Kiki is a movie that is just thoroughly uplifting, never getting bogged down in complexities or dark intrigues.

Unfortunately - and this is the only thing holding it back from 4 stars from me - what it does get slightly bogged down in, is its own lightness. There were just a few sections where the lack of a villain, of any real action, of anything other than people being nice to each other, took the top 10% off what was otherwise a masterful movie. I suppose there were a few other flaws, too: some characters and situations which came into it were just not developed at all. And there was one moment that teetered on real poignancy - the old dog with what he thought was a stuffed toy - but it sort of didn't happen. Also allowing the cat - sorry, forgotten his name - to drop out of proceedings for most of the latter half the film, definitely removed a spark from the film (I can't believe I just complained about the LACK of a comic sidekick)

BTW, as someone who lives in Tasmania, which is allegedly the inspiration for much of the setting of this film, please come here by all means, but don't expect it to look like that. The bakery in Ross (central Tasmania) which supposedly inspired the one in the film is in one of the few Tasmanian towns that you _can't_ see the ocean from, and the general look of the movie is distinctly southern European, though I guess some of the rural shots look a bit Tasmanian.

Whatever the case, Miyazaki's attention to detail is, as usual, stunning. The town may have been cobbled together from his favourite bits of Italy, France, Tasmania and wherever else, but its nothing less than a labour of love nonetheless.

Anyway, 8 out of 10.