History Anime / KikisDeliveryService

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: In one scene, Jiji is shown sweating profusely. Although cats do have sweat glands, they're mostly in the pads on their feet.

* {{Dubtitle}}: Before Disney came into the picture, there was a Streamline dub produced by Carl Macek for use on Japan Airlines. When Disney started localizing the movie for wide release, Ghibli actually gave them a copy of the script from the Streamline dub, and they used it unaltered for their subtitled release. A strange case where the dubtitles are from a completely different dub.

** The weather throughout the movie is... temperamental, to say the least. Every clear night forecast ends up being wrong, with Kiki being caught twice in unexpected rainfall, both times with big consequences for the plot. There's also seemingly random gusts of wind, like when the geese warn Jiji during the first delivery. This foreshadows that [[spoiler:the dirigible will be caught in unexpected turbulence]].

** The setting of the film is written Corico on a map Kiki reads, but supplementary material usually writes it as Koriko.

* UngratefulBitch: A non-malicious example; after all the trouble Kiki went through to get Madame's dish to her granddaughter, namely spending a long time helping bake it and then flying in the rain, she is rather unconcerned with the fact that Kiki is sopping wet and is not the least bit happy to receive one of her grandmother's pies. Worse, once the delivery is made, she closes the door without so much as offering Kiki a chance to dry off. Suitably, Jiji is incredulous at this lack of consideration.

* DoggedNiceGuy: Tombo, who combines this with ExtravertedNerd. It takes a while, but eventually Kiki warms up to him.

* BumblingDad: Kiki's father is a lovable version.

* BorrowedWithoutPermission: During the climax, Kiki -- in a pinch and without her regular broom -- asks a street sweeper to borrow his push broom. He's about to refuse before she grabs it without hearing his answer. Later on, he's seen bragging that Kiki used ''his'' broom, and he evidently lets her keep it, as she's seen using it for the rest of the film.
* BumblingDad: Kiki's father is a lovable version.

* AnimalJingoism: Subverted. At first, Jiji is scared of the dog Jeff, but Jeff recognizes that Jiji isn't a toy and helps him escape once Kiki arrives with the actual toy.

-->-- '''Kiki's Mother'''

* AnimalJingoism: At first, Jiji is scared of the dog Jeff, but later on comes to like him.

* TheVoiceless: Osono's husband, the baker. The one line he has is to note the blimp outside.

** Similarly, the box of pancake batter on Kiki's table says "Jiburi no Hot Keki".

Kiki quickly befriends Osono (Creator/KeikoToda), a local baker, after helping her return a pacifier to a young mother. Osono houses Kiki and, impressed by her abilities, asks her to make a delivery for one of her customers. Soon, Kiki establishes a successful [[FlyingPostman delivery service]] in the attic of the bakery. As time goes on and her business expands, she continues to refine her magical skills and befriends Tombo (Creator/KappeiYamaguchi), a young boy from a local aviation enthusiasts' club, and Ursula (Takayama), a painter who lives alone in a cabin near the woods. Despite the magical nature of the protagonist, the plot largely revolves around the trials and tribulations of normal adolescence.

Kiki quickly befriends Osono (Creator/KeikoToda), a local baker, after helping her return a pacifier to a young mother. Osono houses Kiki and, impressed by her abilities, asks her to make a delivery for one of her customers. Soon, Kiki establishes a successful [[FlyingPostman delivery service]] in the attic of the bakery. As time goes on and her business expands, she continues to refine her magical skills and befriends Tombo (Creator/KappeiYamaguchi) -- a young boy from a local aviation enthusiasts' club -- and Ursula (Takayama) -- a painter who lives alone in a cabin near the woods. Despite the magical nature of the protagonist, the plot largely revolves around the trials and tribulations of normal adolescence.

* LyingOnAHillside: The film opens with a scene where Kiki is lying on the grass outside.

* ShesGotLegs: When Ursula's friend gives a lift to her and Kiki, he jokes that he almost mistook her for a boy based on her outfit. She replies that boys don't have legs like hers.

* CarloadOfCoolKids: One of Tombo's friends, an older boy in a hat, owns and drives one. He appears twice with various of Tombo's friends in tow.

* CarloadOfCoolKids: This happens twice:

** Later on, while Kiki and Tombo are together, Tombo is asked to come along with a smaller [[http://imgur.com/mOgn0i2 group of kids in what appears to be the same convertible.]] Much to Kiki's chagrin, Madame's snobbish granddaughter is ''also'' in the car. The kids in the car are not outwardly mean, but they do gossip about Kiki, and her self-consciousness makes her feel like she's a ThirdWheel. She leaves to preserve her dignity.

* DigitalDestruction: The methods of undoing the Disney dub's FillingTheSilence and music changes for the 2010 home video release left the remaining dialogue sounding [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJW6pea-QLQ as if the VAs recorded their lines by speaking into an electric fan.]] This is most likely a side effect of isolating the vocals from the background music; for some reason, the issue has not been addressed in later rereleases.

* AllWitchesHaveCats: It's implied that every witch has a cat as a mentor, at least during training. Kiki's personal cat, Jiji, is the usual black variety.

** Later on, while Kiki and Tombo are together, Tombo is asked to come along with a smaller [[http://imgur.com/mOgn0i2 group of kids in what appears to be the same convertible.]] Much to Kiki's chagrin, Madame's snobbish granddaughter is ''also'' in the car. The kids in the car are not particularly mean -- the granddaughter recognizes her, and speaks about her work ethic in a positive tone -- but Kiki's self-consciousness makes her feel like she's a ThirdWheel. She leaves to preserve her dignity.

* AllWomenLoveShoes: {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Kiki. But she is mesmerized by a pair of red dress shoes that were on display in a department store window.
-->'''Kiki''': Aren't they pretty Jiji?

** A number of other notable characters are only named in either the script, credits or other supplementary material, such as Kiki's parents (Okino and Kokiri) and Osono's husband (Fukuo). Others aren't even named at all, like the senior witch who Kiki meets during her journey to the city, the policeman who confronts her once she arrives, her first customer, and even Madame's granddaughter.

* SmallRoleBigImpact: Madame's granddaughter is notable for being the RichBitch and snooty {{Foil}} to her grandmother. She's such a brat that she inspires Kiki's bad mood, which mixes with a long and miserable flight home to result in her missing out on Tombo's party, being sick the next day, and her reappearance during Kiki's outing with Tombo the day after that sours her so badly that Kiki ends up losing her powers.

The setting of ''Kiki's Delivery Service'' is intentionally ill-defined, a UsefulNotes/{{Europe}} where UsefulNotes/WorldWarII [[AlternateHistory apparently never happened]] that was inspired by Napoli, Lisbon, Stockholm and UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}. A very laid-back, SliceOfLife animated movie, it nonetheless is thoroughly enjoyable and gorgeously executed -- and unlike many Slice of Life works, actually manages to have an exciting, action-packed climax at the end. It also depicts more people laughing out of sheer delight than any other film of recent memory.

* {{Kishotenketsu}}: The film is one of most famous examples of this formula: in its first act, Kiki, Tombo, and the city of Koriko are introduced; in the second, we learn more about Kiki's hard-working nature and Tombo's aeronautical aspirations; the twist is the sudden loss of Kiki's powers and Tombo's flying machine accident; and the conclusion sees Kiki regain her flying powers and rescue Tombo.

** Certain details are omitted in cases where they aren't essential to the story: Ursula, the painter, goes unnamed simply because it's not terribly important.
** On the other hand, the film has a dedication to detailing the minutia, covering things which don't matter from a narrative standpoint but add realism to the story's setting, tying in with the SliceOfLife plot.

** On the other hand, the film has a dedication to detailing the minutia. It's this attention to detail, of things which don't matter but simply add realism, which elevates this past normal animation into a lifelike picture.

* FlyingBroomstick: Kiki, being a witch, is able to fly on a broom. Since it's the only witch-related talent she has, she decides to start [[FlyingPostman a delivery service via her broomstick]]. It isn't the broomstick itself that's magical; the witch's power gives it the ability, so any broom works. It's implied that the broom itself can affect a witch's flying, which is the reason why Kiki's mother sends her off with her own broom rather than one Kiki made herself, and why Kiki has trouble controlling the janitor's broom she borrows. [[spoiler:If a witch loses confidence in herself, she could lose her magic and thus the ability to fly]].

* {{Dubtitle}}: Before Disney came into the picture, there was a Streamline dub produced by Carl Macek for use on Japan Airlines. When Disney started localizing the movie for wide release, Ghibli actually gave them a copy of the script from the Streamline dub and they used it unaltered. A strange case where the dubtitles are from a completely different dub.

* FlyingBroomstick: Kiki, being a witch, is able to fly on a broom. Since it's the only witch-related talent she has, she decides to start [[FlyingPostman a delivery service via her broomstick]]. It isn't the broomstick itself that's magical; the witch's power gives it the ability, so any broom works. [[spoiler:If a witch loses confidence in herself, she could lose her magic and thus the ability to fly]].

* CultureChopSuey: Koriko, the main setting of the film, is a coastal city that clearly takes influence from several European cities but doesn't appear to be any one in particular. A lot of the architecture is based on real locations in Sweden (specifically Stockholm and Visby), but the signage uses an eclectic mixture of languages in a ForeignLookingFont that resembles blackletter. Aside from that, Osono's bakery is based upon a real bakery in Tasmania; all of the vehicles are LHD, which is the standard in Sweden; there's a UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco-style cable car system;, and the names of the inhabitants are [[MeltingPotNomenclature a mix between Japanese and European]].

* ForeignLookingFont: All of the signage in Koriko is in a Germanic-looking font that resembles blackletter, complete with tons of umlauts. [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign It's not a real language]], but the town is based on Stockholm, Sweden[[note]]which does not have any history of blackletter use to speak of[[/note]].

* RealPlaceBackground: The animators visited several old cities in Europe to gather inspiration for the town in the movie, most notably Stockholm and Visby, Sweden. As a result, not only landmarks but also specific storefronts and street signs from these cities are visible in the finished movie.[[https://www.allatalarsvenska.se/film/kikis-expressbud-1989]] Kiki's bakery was based on a specific bakery in Ross, Tasmania, which has now become a tourist attraction for fans.[[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-13/tasmanias-ross-bakery-continues-to-attract-japanese-anime-fans/6308038]]

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: The movie takes place in an unnamed city that's clearly European, and a lot of the architecture is based on real locations in Stockholm, but it has signs in German, French, Swedish, and a weird made-up language, and several of the inhabitants have Japanese names.

** Later on, while Kiki and Tombo are together, Tombo is asked to come along with a smaller [[http://imgur.com/mOgn0i2 group of kids in what appears to be the same convertible.]] Much to Kiki's chagrin, Madame's snobbish granddaughter is ''also'' in the car. The kids in the car are not particularly mean, and actually speak neutrally about Kiki, but her self-consciousness makes her feel like she's a ThirdWheel. She leaves to preserve her dignity.

Kiki (Creator/MinamiTakayama) is a witch who has just recently turned 13, which means it's time for her to strike out on her own for a year of training. Heading "south towards the ocean" with her talking black cat Jiji (Creator/ReiSakuma), she soon finds a sprawling seaside town called Koriko that does not yet have a resident witch of their own. Upon trying to establish herself, however, she is quickly lost in the sights and wonders the big city has to offer. As she tries to cope with city life, it becomes clear that her witch powers still need some fine-tuning. She quickly befriends Osono (Creator/KeikoToda), a baker who temporarily employs Kiki to make a delivery using the only power she has -- [[FlyingPostman flight]], via [[FlyingBroomstick broom]]. Inspired by her initial success, Kiki establishes an independent delivery service in the attic of the baker's shop. As time goes on and her business gains success, she continues to refine her magical skills and befriends Tombo (Creator/KappeiYamaguchi), a young boy from a local aviation enthusiasts' club. Despite the magical nature of the protagonist, the plot largely revolves around the trials and tribulations of normal adolescence.

Around 1998, Disney took a shot at localizing the film nearly 9 years after the movie first came out. They produced a dub with some celebrity voices, featuring Creator/KirstenDunst in the title role, and also included additional pieces of music (mostly piano solos, as provided by Paul Chihara). The opening and ending theme songs -- two iconic Japanese pop songs from the 1960s -- were also replaced with more "American pop"-style songs by Sydney Forest. This was also notably Creator/PhilHartman's final original role before his passing, playing the role of Jiji; the dub was [[InMemoriam dedicated to his memory]]. This release of the film sold over a million copies on VHS and a later bilingual DVD was met with similar success, cementing the film's popularity in the U.S. A 2010 re-release of the film undid most of these changes, including the ad-libbed Phil Hartman dialog (in particular, a controversial line added to the end of the film).

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This was Disney's first English dub of a Ghibli film and it noticably takes a lot more liberties with the film compared to their later dubs, such as adding new voice lines for scenes that were originally silent, changing a decent chunk of the film's music, including the opening and ending themes to new themes composed by Sydney Forest, amongst other changes. While there are many fans who don't mind and even prefer the changes made to the film, it can be a bit jarring to see the amount of liberties taken with this film in hindsight, considering Disney's later Ghibli dubs stayed largely faithful to the original Japanese releases with very few changes made. However, Disney would later reverse a lot of these changes for their 2010 re-release of the film in an attempt to be more faithful to the original Japanese release.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Involving the dirigible that plays a central role in the climax. When Kiki calls the bakery from a public phone booth, [[spoiler:the television plays a broadcast that mentions that it had already crashed in a storm before and has now been repaired]]. In the Disney dub, this is reinforced as the originally-generic radio broadcasts were rewritten to focus specifically on the dirigible.
** The weather throughout the movie is... Temperamental to say the least. Every clear night forecast ends up being wrong, with Kiki being caught twice in unexpected rainfall, both times with big consequences for the plot. Also there's the gusts of wind, like when the geese warn Jiji during the first delivery.

* FriendlessBackground: A downplayed example. Since Kiki grew up in a small insular town, she's had few friends her age (four show up to see her off) and she's forced to leave them behind. Her closest companion is Jiji who acts more of a mentor. Part of her growth is learning how to interact with other children.
* HateSink: In contrast to Madame, her granddaughter is portrayed as being an rude and unsympathetic UngratefulBitch who is upset that her grandmother made her a herring pie, which she hates, and never shows any appreciation nor thanks to Kiki, nor does she let her in from the rain. Jiji was certainly not impressed by her poor behavior.

* LimitedWardrobe: Justified. Witches may wear only black[[labelnote:*]]Somewhat confusingly, the Japanese word for "black" also covers certain shades of dark purple, which is the actual color of Kiki's dress. In the original Japanese, Kiki comments that her dress is the same color as her cat. The line was changed for the Disney English release.[[/labelnote]] once they start their training.
* MagicSkirt: Completely averted; Kiki's bloomers are often visible when she's riding her broom and her dress is flapping about in the wind. Also, when arriving at Tombo's place, Kiki is involuntarily going through a soft version of the MarilynManeuver.

* PsychosomaticSuperpowerOutage: [[spoiler:The crux of the film's conflict revolves around Kiki losing her witch powers. [[LossOfIdentity If she can't fly her broom, what's she to do?]]]] When she confides in Ursula about this issue, she's told that the problem is probably similar to an artist's block, and will probably go away at some point if she just doesn't worry about it for a while.

* SliceOfLife: Both the movie and the novel, especially the latter.

* TalkingAnimal: Jiji.

* {{Tsundere}}: Kiki is type B. She only seems to lapse into Tsuntsun mode when Tombo is pestering her, yet when he invites her to a party, she instantly wants to go. Jiji lampshades this mood swing ("I thought you didn't like him!")

* VictoriasSecretCompartment: Yes, in a kid's film. Kiki keeps things down the front of her dress while flying her broom. A bit odd considering that Kiki's dress has pockets. The reason women can make this work is because whatever they're stashing is kept secure due to the relatively snug fit between their breasts and their bra. Kiki, as several scenes show, only wears a loose-fitting camisole-style top, so it may be that her dress has pockets sewn on the inside.