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Kiki's Delivery Service | Rotten Tomatoes

Kiki's Delivery Service

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Kiki's Delivery Service

G

Released Sep 1, 1998

1h 43m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Anime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training. After learning to control her broomstick, Kiki sets up a flying courier service and soon becomes a fixture in the community. But when the insecure young witch begins questioning herself and loses her magic abilities, she must overcome her self-doubt to get her powers back.

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Critics Consensus

Kiki's Delivery Service is a heartwarming, gorgeously-rendered tale of a young witch discovering her place in the world.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Miyazaki conjures a pubescent fable out of whole cloth that both kids and adults will enjoy immensely, and with the late Phil Hartman on board as Kiki's wiseacre feline familiar, there's many more comic moments than in the director's later work.

Jun 11, 2020

Full Review

Charles Solomon

IndieWire

Even by Hayao Miyazaki's elevated standard, Kiki's Delivery Service is a singularly charming film.

Jun 11, 2020

Full Review

Keith Phipps

AV Club

Kiki's slow pace and light-on-conflict plot may surprise kids... but it's difficult not to be won over by the film's endearing characters and beautiful animation, as well as a storyline that stresses the values of independence and friendship.

Jun 11, 2020

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...Kiki addresses young people in a carefully drawn adult environment, and has valuable lessons to accompany lush storybook visuals and a soaring score....a gentle, subtle, magical animation that is as close as can be imagined to a perfect film...

Rated: 5/5

Jun 11, 2025

Full Review

Mary Kassel

Screen Rant

After 35 years, there's nothing more comforting or moving than returning to one of Studio Ghibli's most enduring coming-of-age narratives.

Rated: 8/10

Oct 25, 2024

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Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

Kiki’s Delivery Service is an entertaining watch with stunning visuals and one important message for everyone to stay true to their core selves, gain independence early on, try new things and explore.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 25, 2024

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Cole

Amazing as always. Great decision to show these in theaters

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/18/25

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Al

another great miyazaki film how could you hate this

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/01/25

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ShadowZothar

A classic! One of my Top 3 favorite Ghibli movies Had to see it in theaters

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/23/25

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Garth

I love this movie, everything about it is light hearted fun and shows a story of an adolescent witch. Its vibrant, beautiful, and made me think about life a lot.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

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ALH

I finally understand why this movie is loved so much. I first heard of Kiki's delivery service in the 90s, but my film tastes had not yet matured enough to appreciate it without being a member of the target audience. Having just viewed it, the iconic Ghibli art style still holds up well: the lack of CGI is refreshing and reminds you of just how special anime can be. As for the audio, I was surprised by how "quiet" the film was. The use of background music and Foley seems spartan in comparison to modern anime: there were multiple stretches of complete silence. This didn't detract from the film overall, but I do wonder if it was a style choice or a budget choice. At the end of the day, Kiki's Delivery Service truly is a classic that deserves to be preserved for future generations.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

Full Review

Douglas R

Have not seen Kiki in maybe 20 years, but the message about purpose and finding the drive to do the things you love have never rang more true now than ever. I wish I learned that lesson earlier.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

Full Review

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Hayao Miyazaki

Director

Kirsten Dunst

Kiki

Phil Hartman

Jiji

Debbie Reynolds

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Janeane Garofalo

Ursula

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Synopsis

In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training. After learning to control her broomstick, Kiki sets up a flying courier service and soon becomes a fixture in the community. But when the insecure young witch begins questioning herself and loses her magic abilities, she must overcome her self-doubt to get her powers back.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Jane Schonberger, Hayao Miyazaki
Screenwriter: Jack Fletcher, Eiko Kadono, Hayao Miyazaki, John Semper
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Production Co: Buena Vista (Walt Disney)
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 1, 1998, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 17, 2025
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 10, 2019
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)

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