Kiki's Delivery Service facts for kids

Kiki's Delivery Service, known in Japan as 魔女の宅急便 (Majo no Takkyūbin, trans. "Witch's Delivery Service"), is a heartwarming anime movie from Studio Ghibli. It tells the story of a young witch named Kiki. At age 13, Kiki must leave home for a year to train and become an independent witch. This film was directed by the famous Hayao Miyazaki. It is based on a popular novel by Eiko Kadono.

The Story of Kiki's Journey

The movie begins with Kiki, a young witch, listening to the radio. She hears about a full moon and decides it's the perfect night to start her journey. All young witches must leave home for a year of training. Kiki flies off on her broom stick with her trusty black cat, Jiji.

During her flight, she meets another witch who isn't very friendly. Kiki then finds a beautiful seaside town called Koriko. She decides to make this her new home. In Koriko, Kiki meets Osono, a kind pregnant woman who runs a bakery. Osono lets Kiki live with her and helps her start a "witch's delivery service." Kiki uses her flying skills to deliver packages.

Kiki makes new friends in Koriko, especially a boy named Tombo who loves flying machines. However, Kiki soon faces challenges. She suddenly loses her magical powers, meaning she can't fly her broom or even talk to Jiji anymore. This makes her feel sad and alone. One day, Tombo gets into an accident with an airship. Kiki must find a way to help him, even without her magic.

Main Characters

Kiki

Kiki is the main character of the movie. She is a young witch who can fly on a broomstick. Kiki leaves her home to train in Koriko town for one year. She starts a delivery service from Osono's bakery. Kiki learns a lot about growing up and being independent during her time in Koriko.

Jiji

Jiji is Kiki's loyal black cat and best friend. He can talk to Kiki because of her magical powers. Jiji is always by Kiki's side, offering advice and sometimes funny comments. He also falls in love with a white cat named Lily in Koriko.

Tombo

Tombo is a boy who lives in Koriko town. His real name is Kobori, but everyone calls him Tombo. He is very interested in flying and builds his own flying machines. Tombo becomes a good friend to Kiki and helps her feel more at home in the new town.

Osono

Osono is the kind owner of the bakery in Koriko. She meets Kiki by chance and offers her a place to live. Osono also helps Kiki set up her delivery service. She is a very supportive and caring person, and she becomes like a big sister to Kiki.

Ursula

Ursula is an artist who lives in a cabin in the forest. Kiki meets Ursula when she is feeling down about losing her magic. Ursula helps Kiki understand that sometimes you need a break to find your inspiration again. She gives Kiki good advice and encouragement.

Images for kids

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  Osono and Kiki serving customers at Gütiokipänjä Bakery. The name of the bakery is a pun on panya (Japanese for bakery, lit. bread shop) and Guchokipa, an alternate name for jankenpon, or Rock, Paper, Scissors.

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  Kiki and Jiji illustrated by Akiko Hayashi from Majo no Takkyūbin. For the film, Kiki's hair was cut short to make the workload easier for the animators.

See also

In Spanish: Majo no Takkyūbin para niños