On a bleak winter’s night, when your street ice has hardened into bulletproof ruts and you’re stuffing area rugs into door cracks to stop the drafts, treat your family to the rich colors and flights of fancy in “Kiki’s Delivery Service.”
No one captures the wonders of flying and the golden possibilities of adolescence quite like Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki. We mentioned “My Neighbor Totoro” in a previous column, Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” not only won the 2002 Academy Award for animation, but remains the highest-grossing film of any genre in Japan.
Kiki, voiced here by Kirsten Dunst on a DVD readily available from Netflix, Blockbuster and other mail services, is an adolescent witch in an unnamed modern nation, where witches are a welcome part of everyday life. Rather than perform Harry Potter dark arts or Gandalfian wizardry, witches here provide minor miracles of convenience and service.
At 13, it’s time for Kiki to leave her loving family and find a town that needs her; she and her black cat (marvelous sarcasm voiced by the late Phil Hartman) soar on her broom to find adventure, puppy love and a friendly bakery.
Miyazaki’s 1989 masterpiece offers adventure without terror, personal growth without platitudes, friendship without condescension. It’s a wonderful story for girls, but don’t count out boys, who will enjoy numerous flight scenes and the affectionate portrayals of cats and dogs.
My own happiness in researching the movie was discovering how many Miyazaki movies I have yet to watch.
Each Tuesday, Michael Booth uncovers a movie gem for rewarding family entertainment. Reach him at mbooth@denverpost.com; find the “Screen Team” blog at denverpostbloghouse.com.
“Kiki’s Delivery Service”
Rated | G, for all audiences Most appealing | Girls 6 to 10, Disney-weary parents
