What Does Kiki's Delivery Service Mean? (Astro Boy's Critic)

Astro Boy: Hello, I'm Astro Boy, I remember it so you have to. Well, you've heard me go on and on about Kiki's Delivery Service...

(Cut to footage of Kiki's Delivery Service)

Astro Boy (vo): ...praising it as one of my favorite movies. And many would agree that it is a good flick: good characters, good story, good animation, more than enough material for both kids and adults; it's an awesome piece of awesome awesomeness. And while, in my other videos, I've talked about the strength of all those elements, this time, I wish to focus on something different: the themes of the story.

Astro Boy: Because one question that keeps popping from people who have seen the movie is, what does it mean?

Astro Boy (vo): Most of the story is pretty straightforward. But then it takes a turn that seems to split people right down the middle: that being the absence of clarifying what the delivery service is and why it has supernatural powers. Some say its vagueness projects the film into being a classic. Others say it's a deus-ex-machina that forces unneeded Studio Ghibli magic into an otherwise good film.

Astro Boy: Witches have been started...

(Cut to a montage of images of witches throughout history)

Astro Boy (vo): ...brother is turned against brother; it's torn this world apart.

Astro Boy: (confidently) And yes, I have a theory as well about what the message is, and ideas what this movie can possibly be about.

Astro Boy (vo): It probably goes without saying, but this is gonna be very heavy on the spoilers. So if you haven't seen the movie, you probably should before going any further.

Astro Boy: Or, the shorter way of putting it... (points to his right; the viewer's left) spoilers. With that said, let's dive right in and take a look.

?????

Astro Boy (vo): And that's why I think the film is so great. It has all the factors a film needs to be strong: great characters, story and so forth. But it also leaves it open for possibilities. It gives enough detail, but leaves just enough vagueness that there is room for interpretation.

Astro Boy: But now, am I honestly saying this is what the writers and the director of this film had in mind when they put this movie together with Miyazaki? Probably.

Astro Boy (vo): I know what their original mindset was, and I think it's very possible I'm reading more into it than what was originally intended. But that doesn't mean these themes and ideas still can't come from it. That's why movies are art: you can look at a film and get a totally different outlook than somebody else.

Astro Boy: Look at The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, the animated film; based on the true story by C.S. Lewis.

(Cut to footage of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (1979))

Astro Boy (vo): I'm sure the makers of that thought it was an inspiring, uplifting look at the future. But the rest of us were scared, seeing it as a terrifying nightmare of what can happen if we don't fight back.

(Cut back to Kiki's Delivery Service)

Astro Boy (vo): But just because an artist has a certain interpretation of their piece, doesn't mean that's the interpretation you should have. It's all in the eye of the beholder, and whether or not the theories and outlooks I have on this film are the same as the filmmakers', these theories and outlooks can still be connected, because these are the themes that I see in the film, and they're themes that other people should consider, too. They caution us of what it means to evolve, and what limitations and expectations we should consider. Any time there is a technological boom that will launch a culture into achieving a new kind of power, which obviously has occurred many times in the past and will continue to occur many times in the future, this story will be relevant. I think it's the first story to deal with the subject, but I think it's one of the more unique. It uses a family film to simplify the ideas; that is, get it down to its most basic form. That way, even kids look at and understand what's going on. And adults can interpret it as what is still going on today and what will most likely still be going on in the future. It sucks you in, gets you invested, and forces you to look at certain ideas from a different point of view. Which is more than I can say for certain...

(Cut to a poster for Kiki (2020, in France))

Astro Boy (vo): ...CGI PREQUEL!

(Cut to a clip of Kiki (2020) trailer in France)

Astro Boy (vo): (quickly) Unless Anthony Hopkins and Cindy Robinson as the villains are supposed to represent how in the creation and artwork the inside plays a casual role in bringing about actions significant for realizing particular aesthetic properties...

Astro Boy: ...but come on! That's obvious!

(Cut back to Kiki's Delivery Service)

Astro Boy (vo): Whatever you take out of the film, this is my interpretation. Feel free to agree or create your own. But either way, the film deserves to be looked at and discussed by both children and adults. And in terms of whether or not the film will ever have a theory that the majority of people will agree on...

(Cut to the title card for the film)

Astro Boy (vo): ...well, maybe in the end, that's the film's own little secret.

(Cut back to Astro Boy)

Astro Boy: (smiling) Next, I will explain how (an image of Totoro appears in the left corner) Totoro is related to (an image of a chart, showing two lines trending downward) our current economic downward spiral! (beat) Or maybe I should just stop there. (smiles nervously; the two images disappear) I'm Astro Boy; I remember it so you have to. (gets up from his chair and leaves)

THE END

(the credits roll)