Kiki’s Delivery Service is one of my favourite Ghibli films. I remember watching it as a little girl and falling in love with the characters, the beautiful music, and the colourful seaside town. It’s one of those films I watch once a year, and it always fills my heart with a deep sense of comfort and joy. After watching it recently, I was reminded of how much wisdom this animated film holds. The simplicity of life, the goodness in others, the things that truly matter, and the ups and downs we go through no matter where we are in life. I’ve always found a deep relatability in Kiki’s character, in what she experiences and the things she discovers and explores throughout her journey in a new place.
Finding your feet in a new place. Change is inevitable in our lives, and when we’re in a new environment, there are so many things to adjust and adapt to. There are new maps we need to build in our minds, different people to interact with, local shops to discover, and a new place to become familiar with. Kiki starts off feeling like she doesn’t quite belong, but then she’s reminded that in a big city, there are all kinds of people and experiences to have.
Staying true to yourself. What I love about Kiki is that throughout the film, she always stays true to herself. She genuinely wants to help others through her delivery service. She allows herself to feel sad and lost, and despite having moments where she compares herself to other girls, she stays true to herself. There are many moments in the film where she doesn’t feel that she fits in, but ultimately, she finds people who appreciate and accept her for who she is.
When a passion becomes a job. Sometimes, when something becomes a career, we can lose the inspiration, motivation, and passion we once had. When Kiki is flying as part of her delivery service, she is faced with time pressures, customers to satisfy and a sense of responsibility. However, once she lets go of this pressure and she just flies because it’s just part of who she is, the joy for flying comes flooding back again.
It’s what’s in your heart. You’re already worthy, and you don’t need to prove it. When Kiki tries on the black dress, she feels ugly. Her mother says to her, “It’s not really important what colour your dress is. What matters is the heart inside.” The irony is that Kiki has a beautiful and charming presence, yet she feels so self-conscious of her own appearance and her abilities. At the end of the day, it’s what’s in your heart that truly matters, and what people who truly matter will see and care about.
Feeling exhausted and down. I like the part where Kiki’s friend Ursula tells Kiki to just go do some other things while she is unable to fly. It reminds me of how when we’re down, depressed, or just in a rut, it helps us to do some other things and just do anything, rather than sitting there worrying, ruminating and overthinking. I like that Kiki’s friend sees that she’s exhausted and down, and invites her to take time off work and come stay with her for a bit. Sometimes we need to take time to rest and come back with new eyes.
Failure is a normal part of life. There are so many moments we will feel like a failure in our life, and that’s totally normal. The happy moments, carefree nature or huge success stories are largely the tip of the iceberg. Most of the time, there have been hundreds of moments of failure before someone has reached that point. We all fail in life, just like a baby falls down and gets back up, failure is part of learning and growing.
There is goodness in people. One of the things I love most about Kiki’s Delivery Service is that there isn’t really a traditional villain. There is no bad person for Kiki to defeat. Instead, the challenges are largely internal. Self-doubt, loneliness, exhaustion, uncertainty and growing up. And while Kiki goes through difficult periods, she continually encounters people who want to help her, encourage her, or simply accept her for who she is.
The film reminds us that there is goodness in people. We all have the ability to be kind, compassionate, to laugh, to connect with one another and to experience joy. Perhaps that’s part of what makes Kiki’s Delivery Service so comforting. It doesn’t tell us that life will always be easy or that we’ll always know what we’re doing. It reminds us that it’s okay to feel lost, to fail, to rest, to change and to find our way again and that we don’t have to do it all alone.
Tien-Jen 