Kiki's Delivery Service

Though I don't think Hayao Miyazaki did as well on this anime as he did with virtually perfect My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service has a slightly more energetic style than the rather calm MNT. So if you found MNT just a little slow for you or your family's taste, give Kiki a try.
If you have looked at the picture on the DVD cover, you might have assumed that the little girl on the broom is Kiki herself, and she must be some sort of witch/delivery girl. Well, if that is what you guessed, you're right! Mind you this is not exactly the "normal" thing for witches to be doing, even in Miyazaki's universe. Kiki is just doing her best to support herself with her craft, I mean witchcraft. It's established early in the movie that 13 year old witches are expected to leave their parents for a year and fend for themselves -- a sort of coming of age test for the young ladies. So off Kiki goes with her mother's hand-me-down broom searching for decent shelter, decent food, and a decent job.

Now here is where the show avoids being a simple Disney style show. My guess is that Disney would have come up with some sort of villian that Kiki could go up against, someone mean who didn't likethe natural enviroment, that sort of thing. Instead of the good verses evil model, Miyazaki makes a show about how a girl struggles to find a home, find respect in a new city, and deal with her creative blocks. Yes, dealing with creative blocks is an important theme in the movie.

The animation is lush. The character design are typical for Miyazaki. If I have any complaint abouthis work, it's that he seems to use the same physical faces and bodies over and over again. The story is filled with nifty and somtimes fantastical old cars and airships. These are also Miyazaki motifs.

Though not a mysterious as MNT, Kiki has it's share of spirtuality and wonder.

Sailor Moon fans might find Kiki's familiar, Jiji, rather familiar. He is very Luna-like.

I highly recommend http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/6800/kiki/, and check out their overviews of other Miyazaki masterpieces.