Next up on Studio Ghibli’s list of films to release in high definition is the wonderful Kiki’s Delivery Service. Originally released in 1989 in Japan with a dubbed version following in the USA in 1998, and loved all over the world, this charming film about the young witch Kiki (voiced in the western dub by Kirsten Dunst and in the Japanese by Minami Takayama) is being released on blu-ray, along with Grave Of Fireflies. It tells the story of Kiki, a thirteen year old witch, who leaves home to begin her training to become a full witch. With the help of her cat Jiji (Phil Hartman/Rei Sakuma) she begins her new life in the town of Kokiro and sets up a delivery service to help the community. This is a lovely coming-of-age film from Hayao Miyazaki was the studio’s first box office hit, and with the impending blu-ray release, is sure to reach a new generation of fans.
As with the blu-ray releases Ghibli has previously released, Kiki’s Delivery Service has translated beautifully into high definition. The scenes when she arrives in Kokiro and flies above the town are particularly lovely but in general the whole thing looks gorgeous. It was always a lovely film and the enhancement on the blu-ray just adds to that. Studio Ghibli have so far done a brilliant job transferring their films to high definition. The transfer adds another magical element to the world created in Kiki’s Delivery Service, and whilst the film was always wonderful, it enhances everything from the drawings to the music. If anyone is being selective about which Ghibli blu-rays they buy, put this one high on your list.
Not only does it look wonderful, it also comes with a host of new special features including some interviews with Miyazaki and the producer which provide a short but fascinating insight into the making of this film. In particular, Miyazaki’s mischievous face as he describes how he deceived Japanese audiences when creating the town of Kokiro is a joy to watch and just shows how invested he is in his films. There’s also an excerpt from a documentary about the locations in Ghibli films that shows where the influences for Kokiro came from. It goes on for about twenty minutes and is quite interesting, but after Miyazaki has explained it all in thirty seconds, it’s a bit pointless. The main reason for watching it is for the comparisons to Stockholm with the storyboard. Another great feature is the Behind The Microphone clip which interviews the western cast and shows them in the recording studio along with what’s happening in the film. All these features are short and sweet, but they’re worth watching for a behind the scenes look at the film.
This is a great addition to any Ghibli collection and will certainly join the pile of Ghibli blu-rays taking up space on my shelf. It’s a joy to see such this charming film enhanced by high definition and made even more magical. The additional features make for an interesting watch and the film itself looks and sounds lovely. I adore this film, but hadn’t seen it in a while and it’s been wonderful to be able to re-watch it in high definition. It’s easy to see how this was Ghibli’s first box office hit as it’s the most accessible and is a great introduction to the work of this extraordinary studio. It’ll come as no surprise if this release generates many more fans for them.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is out on blu-ray 1st July 2013.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writers: Eiko Kadono (novel), Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)
Stars: Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi
Runtime: 103 min
Country: Japan
Film Rating: 
