OK, so, 2020 has been a frustrating year on a number of levels. But one I found more frustrating than most has been HBO Max. Not that I find the service itself frustrating. I actually like it for what it is and figure the thing is a work in progress. No, my concern was I couldn’t watch it on my TV since I use a Roku device and, oh my, Roku was one of two services that didn’t get to carry HBO Max when the service started. Negotiations are ongoing and all that. And the other was Amazon, so guess what my back-up system was?
Well, I opted to get a Chromecast since I already had a Chromebook, and to test out how well it worked (mostly well), I opted to see one of the Studio Ghibli movies on the service, Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Young witch Kiki just turned 13, and tradition for witches has it that on the first full moon after that, witches leave home for a year to develop their skills. Kiki, excitedly, decides that would happen as soon as she had a clear night, and despite some mild concerns from her mother (another witch), she takes off and flies out to figure out what sort of witch she is going to be. Her only companion is a talking cat named Jiji. After a somewhat eventful trip, Kiki ends up in a seaside village where she sets up shop working out of a bakery as a delivery person. Kiki’s only real magical skills seem to be (somewhat clumsily) flying on a broom and being able to talk to Jiji, so it makes a bit of sense, and fortunately, the baker woman Osono is more than happy to let Kiki and Jiji stay in an upstairs room. Along the way, Kiki makes some friends, particularly a boy her age Tombo, a flight enthusiast.
Anyone who has seen a Studio Ghibli movie knows they are generally well-animated with stories that are generally good for the whole family (Grave of the Fireflies is probably the exception for family friendliness). So, really, that’s a given. The movie is incredibly well-animated and the story is fine for members of the whole family. It’s never particularly scary or dark, but it doesn’t treat the audience like idiots either. Kiki’s boundless enthusiasm (except in her early scenes with Tombo) makes her a fun heroine, and she makes friends easily with most people she meets, the lone exceptions being a traffic cop and a few snobby girls her own age. True, it may seem disturbing that a 13 year old girl would be going out to live on her own without any sort of contacts or anything, but this isn’t the kind of story where you need to think too hard about that sort of thing. It’s like wondering how many other frogs can play the banjo and sing while watching The Muppet Movie. Just go with what the movie gave you.
Beyond that, the story plays out more episodically than anything else. Kiki has to move to town, set herself up, figure out she can deliver things for people, and finally pull off a daring air rescue when the time is right and her needs are the most desperate. Then again, this may not be the sort of movie an adult watches for the plot so much as it is for the animation, which, as expected, is beautiful.
As for the version I saw, it did have a few famous names in the voice cast including Kirsten Dunst (Kiki), Matthew Lawrence (Tombo), Janeane Garafalo (Kiki’s artist friend Ursula), and the late Debbie Reynolds (one of Kiki’s reoccurring customers), but none of their voices really stood out in any way, possibly because English actors dubbing anime often sound like they need to speak faster to match the animation anyway. The one exception was the late Phil Hartman as Jiji’s human voice, but then again, I don’t really watch animated movies to hear familiar voices. It’s just as well that I don’t recognize those voices when I hear them since that way I am not too distracted wondering why a voice sounds familiar before the closing credits run. God knows that happened a couple times with The One and Only Ivan and Dolittle.
Besides, a movie this good doesn’t really need celebrity voices.
Grade: A-
0 Comments