Kiki's Delivery Service

Kiki's Delivery Service (魔女の宅急便, Majo no Takkyūbin, trans. "Witch's Delivery Service") is a 1989 Studio Ghibli anime film, produced, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki though based on the true story Majo no Takkyūbin by Eiko Kadono. It tells a tale of a 13 year old witch in training named Kiki, and her black cat named Jiji setting out by tradition to a new town for one year for Kiki to become a full witch.

Kiki's Delivery Service

 * Osono: Oh, dear. Oh, my goodness. Hey, there! Your pacifier! Ma'am, you forgot your baby's pacifier! Oh, poor baby. Without this, the baby will wake up and cry all the way home. I better go give it to her myself. I'm sorry, folks. But could you wait just a minute? I'll be right back.
 * Kiki: Excuse me, but would you like me to deliver it for you?
 * Osono: What?
 * Kiki: The woman with the baby carriage just went around the corner. I could reach her in no time.
 * Osono: Really? You'll do that? Thank you so much.
 * Kiki: My pleasure.


 * Jiji: Wake up, you're supposed to be minding the store!
 * Kiki: I am, but today this place is boring.
 * Jiji: But it always gets busy about this time.
 * Kiki: I know that. That's not what I mean. I mean, my customers. Jiji, if nobody comes in, I'm gonna have to eat pancakes forever and be fat, fat, FAT! And what am I supposed to do about that?
 * Jiji: I like pancakes, provided they're not burnt.
 * Kiki: Mmm. Well, look, furball, when you get as fat and round as a pancake, you see if I care.


 * Kiki: If I lose my magic, that means I've lost absolutely everything.


 * Jiji: [after hearing that Kiki plans on leaving town for her witch training] I'm gonna put my paws together and pray you’re not serious.


 * Kiki: Jiji, climb up and turn on the radio. I don't think I can handle it. Can you do it?
 * Jiji: Oh, great. Now I'm suddenly the flight attendant.


 * Jiji: You'd think they'd never seen a girl and a cat on a broomstick before.


 * Jiji: All right, first: don't panic! Second: don't panic! And third: did I mention not to panic?


 * [a flock of Ursula's crows approach to Kiki and Jiji]
 * Kiki: [gasps, looked heart-trembling scared] Oh... What are they saying now, Jiji?!
 * Jiji: They're calling you an egg-stealer and you don't wanna know what else! If I were you, I wouldn't go back down there, again.
 * Kiki: We have to. Hold on!
 * [a crow approaches Kiki]
 * Jiji: Oh, no! Kiki, BRACE YOURSELF!
 * [a flock of Ursula's crows attacking Kiki and Jiji, they driven off]
 * Kiki:  AAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!! 
 * Jiji: Kiki, look! Look!
 * Kiki: Hey! [swinging the empty cage] Stop that! Go away! Leave us alone! Stop it! [as a flock of Ursula's crows flies back to the forest] Maybe we better rethink our plan.
 * Jiji: Frankly I think this is a major insult. Crows used to serve witches and do what you told them.
 * Kiki: That was a long time ago, okay?
 * Jiji: How about we go in after dark? Go in, get it, get out.
 * Kiki: We won't be able to make it in time. Unless we buy outselves sometime.
 * Jiji: You gotta be kidding!


 * Jiji: [to Kiki] And this would be interesting because?


 * Kiki: Wow! Jiji, look at all these buildings!
 * Jiji: There are a lot of buildings, yes.


 * Jiji: Well, we're not too conspicuous.


 * Jiji: [about the spare bedroom] This is...quaint.


 * Jiji: [his paws are covered in dust] If you wake up tomorrow and find a white cat, it’s me.


 * Jiji: [Brooklyn accent] Well pardon me, Miss Snooty Cat!


 * Kiki: [to Jiji] Smile so we can make a good impression.




 * Kiki: Without even thinking about it, I used to be able to fly. Now I'm trying to look inside myself and find out how I did it.


 * Kiki: Flying used to be fun until I started doing it for a living.

Quotes about Kiki's Delivery Service

 * "The animation of Miyazaki is only now becoming familiar in this country, but he is the equal, I think, of the Disney animators at their best. In the pipeline is Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke which until 'Titanic' was the highest grossing movie in Japanese history. 'Kiki's Delivery Service' is direct-to-video, it's in stores right now, and I loved it." Roger Ebert on Siskel and Ebert September 13, 1998.