Kiki's Delivery Service: Difference between revisions
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* [[A Boy and His X|A Girl And Her Cat]]: Kiki and Jiji.
* [[Adorkable]]: Tombo.
* [[All Witches Have Cats]]: All witches have a cat as a guide and mentor. Kiki's personal cat is the usual black variety. Played with in the sense that the ability to talk to cats represents childhood immaturity, and once Kiki has come of age, she loses the ability to talk to Jiji, as she no longer needs a helping hand while navigating the world.
* [[The Abridged Series]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20100907165434/http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/comedy/watch/v19471340bPpb7n6q Kiki's Delivery Service: The Abridged Movie]
* [[All There in the Manual]]: Some things from the book--like why Kiki's mother hung bells in the trees around their house--are never explained in the film.
** When Kiki lifts off, she clumsily loses control of her broom and flies into the tree, ringing the bells. A neighbour on the ground remarks "I'm going to miss hearing those bells", indicating that because of Kiki's poor flying ability, she crashes into the bells a lot. This implies that the bells were put up so her parents could keep track of how many times she crashes into the tree. The novel confirms that the bells are put up to remind Kiki when she gets distracted on her broom.
** The name of the town Kiki settles in, Koriko, is never mentioned in the film itself.
* [[Alpha Bitch]]/[[Spoiled Brat]]: Two of them, both with ''very'' brief screentime. The first one is a snobby older witch Kiki encounters while flying, and the other the [[Rich Bitch|rich grandaughter]] of Madame (who shows up in the credits sequence as a friend of Kiki and Tombo, so she presumably [[Lovable Alpha Bitch|got better.]])
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* [[Artistic License: Biology]]: In one scene, Jiji is shown sweating. (Although cats do have sweat glands, they're mostly in the pads on their feet.)
* [[As You Know]]: The opening scene features a conversation for the purposes of exposition between Kiki's mother and an older witch about how all witches have to leave home at the age of 13, to undergo a year of training on their own.
* [[Author Appeal]]: Flying sequences, precipitous heights, the beautiful but thoroughly anachronistic Handley Page biplane airliner as well as young girls on their [[Coming of Age]] journey.
* [[Babies Ever After]]: The ending of the film shows that Osono and her husband finally had her baby - and so did Jiji and his mate Lily.
* [[Be Yourself]]: [[Stock Aesops|One of the central messages]] of the film. Kiki learns that her only talent (flying) is valuable, and can be used to the benefit of those around her. Although other witches may specalise in fortune telling or potion making, Kiki's talent of flying makes her special.
* [[Blush Sticker]]: Kiki has them throughout the film.
* [[Book Ends]]: The story begins and ends with a scene in Kiki's parents' kitchen, and them receiving a message from Kiki. In the beginning, Kiki rushes into the kitchen and announces that she will be leaving for her [[Coming of Age]] journey. In the end, Kiki's dad receives a letter from Kiki, and reads it aloud.
* [[Bowdlerise]]: Kiki's frustrated "I'll chop you to bits" got turned into "be a good broom."
** TV airings often omit Jiji's jocular speculation as to whether Kiki will model naked for the painting.
* [[Brick Joke]]: Kiki's mother is mixing a potion in the opening scene, which she neglects to watch and it explodes. At the end of the film, she's so distracted by Kiki's letter that the same thing happens.
* [[Bumbling Dad]]: Kiki's father is a lovable version. When Kiki announces that she is leaving, he trips over a string and makes carefully packed bags on top of his car tumble down.
* [[Captain Crash]]: Kiki's piloting leaves something to desire when she first leaves home (see [[Cute Clumsy Girl]]). By the end of the film, she's become an expert flyer.
* [[Cats Are Snarkers]]: Jiji. His sarcasm is turned up in the 1998 Disney dub. When Disney revisited the dub and released a more faithful version, some of this sacrasm is toned down.
* [[Cats Hate Water]]
* [[Coming of Age Story]]: The entire plot of the film, mirrored in Kiki's daily life and {{spoiler|especially her struggle to regain her powers after she loses them.}}
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* [[Dubtitle]]: Before Disney came into the picture, there was a Streamline dub produced by [[Macekre|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.
* [[Fireman's Safety Net]]: At the big climatic rescue, the attending firefighters rush one under Kiki and Tombo so the kids can land safely.
* [[Flying Broomstick]]: All witches can use brooms to fly. Witches can choose to craft their own broom, like what Kiki does. Her mother, however, convinces Kiki that her own broom should be used, as it is made by a more experienced witch. {{spoiler|The broom eventually breaks and snaps in half, and Kiki has to craft a new one.}}
* [[Foreign Looking Font]]: All of the signage in Koriko is in a Germanic-looking font that resembles blackletter, complete with tons of umlauts. It's not a real language, but the town is based on Stockholm, Sweden.
* [[Free-Range Children]]: It's a [[Studio Ghibli]] film, so of course, and [[Exaggerated]]. When a witch turns thirteen, it is tradition that they leave their parents' house to settle in a new town for a year, using their magic to help the people around them. This means that a thirteen year old can fly hundreds of kilometers away from their own parents, and live unsupervised for extended periods of time.
* [[Freeze-Frame Bonus]]: All the double-decker buses in the film belong to the [[Studio Ghibli|Ghibli]] Bus Company.
** Similarly, the box of pancake batter on Kiki's table says "Jiburi no Hot Keki", "Jiburi" referring to the studio which made the film.
* [[GASP]]: Kiki does this once she realises she is about to be late for Tombo's party. The clock in Madame's house runs about ten minutes slow, and when she is informed of this, she GASPs and rushes to deliver the baked pie and to go the party.
* [[Ghibli Hills]]: For obvious reasons. Especially prominent right outside the town of Koriko, starring ornate blades of grass and vast rolling hills.
* [[Growing Up Sucks]]: Kiki loses her magic for a while (including the ability to talk to Jiji), as a part of growing up. {{spoiler|While she eventually regains her powers of flight, she no longer can speak to Jiji, though as she has human friends now, she no longer needs Jiji in the same way anymore. The original US Disney dub added a line to the end of the film that showed Jiji talking to Kiki again, but the later re-release of the dub took this line back out to retain the original ending.}}
* [[Hair Decorations]]: The preposterously large red bow Kiki wears, visible in almost every shot that she's in.
* [[The Hecate Sisters]]: Kiki in her new life befriends and learns from a young artist, a mother-to-be, and an elderly lady. Given that Miyazaki studied enough Greek mythology to name a prior heroine [[Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind|Nausicaa]], this is probably intentional (even though the trope does not occur in actual, genuine Greek myths, only in modern interpretations of them.)
* [[Hero Stole My Bike]]: Or mop, since Kiki didn't have a broom handy. This occurs at the climax, where {{spoiler|Tombo is hanging from the ''Spirit of Freedom''. She finally finds a reason to fly, and asks for a broom. The owner initially refuses to give it to her, but Kiki takes it anyway. When the news announcement that Kiki saves Tombo comes, he remarks "That's my broom!"}}
* [[I Am Not Pretty]]: Kiki says this when Ursula wants her to model for a painting. Ursula convinces her that it's not true, and Kiki agrees to do it.
* [[The Law of Conservation of Detail]]: Averted through most of the film. It's the attention to detail, of things which don't matter but simply add realism, that elevates this past normal animation into a lifelike picture.
** There is a sequence depicting Kiki waking up and having to use the bathroom.
* [[Laying On a Hillside]]: The film opens with a scene where Kiki is laying on the grass outside.▼
** There are many establishing shots showing the city of Koriko in motion and civilians going about their day to day duties, complete with a [[Cast of Snowflakes]].
* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: Justified. Witches may only wear black once they start their training. (In the Disney version, this was changed to purple.)▼
▲* [[Laying On a Hillside]]: The film opens with a scene where Kiki is laying on the grass outside with a radio. Bees are buzzing and flowers are swaying in the wind.
* [[Moral Guardians]]: Concerned Women for America boycotted the movie during its 1998 US debut because the protagonist is a witch and witchcraft is ''evil'', ignoring that it's a lighthearted family film about a young girl finding her way in life.▼
▲* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: Justified. Witches may only wear black once they start their training. (In the Disney version, this was changed to purple.) Kiki only has one dress for the entire film. She comments that "lilac would look prettier on me", but her mother assures her that the black dress is just as pretty.
* [[Motorcycle on the Coast Road]]: A propeller-powered bicycle, actually.▼
▲* [[Moral Guardians]]: Concerned Women for America boycotted the movie during its 1998 US debut because the protagonist is a witch and witchcraft is ''evil'', ignoring that it's a lighthearted family film about a young girl finding her way in life and that witchcraft only plays a minor role in the film.
▲* [[Motorcycle on the Coast Road]]: A propeller-powered bicycle, actually. Passerbys laugh at the bicycle, but that doesn't stop Tombo from cycling at high speeds.
* [[Nerd Glasses]]; Tombo has them.
* [[Non-Human Sidekick]]: Jiji.
* [[No Antagonist]]: The film has no active antagonist - the source of conflict is Kiki's inner struggles with growing up. The film is also quite laid back until the climax, focusing on [[Slice of Life]] rather than an epic quest, invalidating the need for an antagonist.
* [[Plucky Girl]]: Kiki's a poster child for this trope. She's a Miyazaki heroine, after all. It takes true talent to leave your parents by thirteen and settle into a brand new life.
* [[Psychosomatic Superpower Outage]]: The crux of the film's conflict revolves around Kiki losing her witch powers. [[Loss of Identity|If she can't fly her broom, what's she to do?]]
* [[Ravens and Crows]]: The birds that attack Kiki for getting too close to their nest. Later on, she meets Ursula and discovers the birds are tame.
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** At one point, an animal that looks like [[My Neighbor Totoro|Totoro]] can be seen on TV, and one of Kiki's customers looks like an [[Expy]] of Gina from ''[[Porco Rosso]]'', except with red hair.
* [[Shrinking Violet]]: Kiki, when she [[I Just Want to Have Friends|believes that Tombo's friends don't like her.]] Later on, she grows out of it.
* [[Slice of Life]]: Both the movie and the novel, especially the latter. The movie is quite slow paced, and focuses more on mundane interactions than what would normally be expected from a work featuring witches.
* [[Stalker with a Crush]]: Tombo comes across this way to Kiki intially, so she avoids him as much as possible. (She later realizes that she has misjudged him and becomes his friend.)
* [[Standard Snippet]]: An excerpt from "In the Hall of the Mountain King" plays during the bird chase.
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* [[We Need a Distraction]]: Tombo rescuing Kiki from the traffic cop.
* [[Where Are They Now? Epilogue]]: The ending credits show what happened with Tombo's aviator's club, Jiji and Lily, etc. in the immediate aftermath of the film.
* [[Witch Species]]: Witchcraft appears to be inherited through the maternal line, and while it's normal for each town or city to have a resident witch (the film implies that there can only be one resident witch in a town), it's not universal. By the time of the film, many people seem surprised that witches still exist if the reaction to Kiki's arrival in Koriko is any indication.
** There doesn't seem to be any prejudice against witches. Kiki comes in for some catty remarks from muggles, but they're mostly about her unfashionable dress. {{spoiler|In the end credits, a little girl walks by dressed in imitation of the new local heroine.}}
** Witches are honourable and use their abilities to create a positive impact in their community, instead of creatures who would make a [[Deal with the Devil]].
{{reflist}}
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