Kiki: The Little Witch (The Private Reviewer)

The Private Reviewer: Hello, I'm the Private Reviewer. I remember it because Nostalgia Critic doesn't. So, I would like to recommend a Studio Ghibli film because those guys have to be choosing his favorite movie like...

(A brief clip of Knock of the Cabin is shown.)

Leonard: What’s your favorite movie?

Wen: Kiki’s Delivery Service.

Leonard: I haven’t seen that.

PR: Not all of humanity has been judged yet. (beat) No, let's not, because...why?

(Footage of Kiki's Delivery Service is shown. "The Poisoned Princess" by Media Right Productions plays in the background)

PR (v/o): There's nothing I can say about how awesome this movie is that millions of people haven't said already. It's a masterpiece of beautifully matched contradictions. In a sense, they're very similar; not a lot of story, not a lot of action, just sort of a laidback setup with a touch of the supernatural. But for some reason, this really grabbed me and hooked me a lot more than My Neighbor Totoro did, and that's especially impressive when you're given the age that I saw it. But even with that prejudice going in, I saw this on TV and...surprisingly kept watching it. Even for as cutesy and simple as it was, something about it just really drew me into it, to a point where at the end, I found myself really loving it.

PR: But few of us also remember how a bit scary it could be.

(Clips from the 1989 film's scarier content are shown next.)

PR (v/o): The scene where Kiki is almost struck by lightning in the rainstorm, many crows attacking him during the first delivery, and on the climax, the airship getting crashed off in their buildings before Kiki saves Tombo! Nevertheless, the darker moments didn't take over the majority of the film.

PR: That's where a decent animated prequel comes in. (nods)

(A movie title, Kiki: The Little Witch, is shown, followed by the clips. "Patriotic March Max Surla" by Media Right Productions plays in the background.)

PR (v/o): Followed by the best defining Miyazaki's film with a weak-less box office success, 800 million yen before 35th anniversary will always celebrate; the prequel was related to the original as well as a live-action version... (a poster of live-action Kiki's Delivery Service is shown, whispers) half-related, with a strong less box office success, 1.5 billion yen. Even this movie was decent, the animation is nice, the acting is decent, the script is decent, not-so-boring, and all those Miyazaki designs are similar to them. This company produced by the studio but it's only an official part of Miyazaki (Kiki's Delivery Service) canon. With that said, a Ghibli/Ankama version is the second one, and compared to the first one as Miyazaki's film, it is definitely better. Is it great? Well, let's not say things we can't take back, but...it definitely entertained me more than the first one.

PR: Let's take a flight over The Hobbit childhood days, Kiki: The Little Witch. (A yellow caption saying Kiki: la petite sorcière appears in front of him which he quickly pushes away.) Forget about it in France, it's just a prequel, Kiki: Witch in Training*, and not an original! No other film is called a title. (a poster of Kiki's Delivery Service in the 1989 original film in France appears next to him.) Doesn't count, it's an original.


 * Note: The title is translated in France, Kiki : Sorcière en formation.

(shows a Studio Ghibli logo with Jiji & Totoro in a green background)

PR (v/o): This prequel starts off with the Studio Ghibli logo. Instead of a blue background with a cat (Jiji) replaced a white Totoro instead, on his head of a giant one on a green background, but that's cool.

PR: But I'm probably getting ahead of myself. Let's look at how this prequel begins.

?????

PR (v/o): Where Kristen Dunst in the Disney [1998] dub...

PR: ...the voice of the original Kiki, had passed on by this point, this time around she's voiced by...

PR (v/o): ...Darby Camp (a shot of Camp as Kate Pierce from The Christmas Chronicles is superimposed), who's an on-screen actor and voice actor who you might be most familiar with playing Emily from live-action Clifford the Big Red Dog movie.

PR: And like Dunst in the Disney [1998] dub, she's Kiki in this.

?????

PR (v/o): The prequel is not bad with a happy concluded ending with some a bit profanities, big and little a bit violence, several mild intense and scary sequences and no villains or enemies. Also with a saddest scenes where a witch is getting lost and find a way back home in the Northwest. That's how the original Miyazaki's film might have a bit darker moments where it came back from. (the first scene that jump scare a bit moment where Kiki is almost struck by the lightning in the rainstorm, the second scene that resembles violence is when a flock of crows tried to protect their territory and the final scene where the Spirit of Freedom crashed down before Kiki saves him is shown) I adore movies like this that talk down to kids and adults, that try to make their coolest characters relatable instead of ugly, and connect more to what's timeless, rather than what's popular at the time. The effects are great; the story, the designs, the acting are decent. When you add all that up, you get a good movie. I don't care if it's dark, it's the best kind of half dark; the kind of dark that challenges your kids, but rewards them with amazing imagination and creativity.

PR: Whether you're a kid or an adult, this is an best Miyazaki's prequel to check out.

PR (v/o): So much love and effort clearly went into making this look as detailed as possible, while making these impossible worlds come to life. The awe-inspiring moments are there too, but I think the rougher moments are the ones we find ourselves appreciating more it is interesting influence duel too...

(shown a poster of Suzume is shown)

PR (v/o): ...that the film where they go to a different childhood place...

(cut back to the movie)

PR (v/o): ...isn't nearly as style as the one where they just stay on fiction. Like I said, I can't pretend every kid will like it, but I think it might showing just in case they do. If they like it, everything major is found. But if they do, they may find a classic they'll remember for the rest of their days. Yeah, it's the original Kiki's Delivery Service, but let's face it, it's a lot of the best or decent parts.

PR: I'm the Private Reviewer. And... (a teaser poster of How Do You Live is shown) I better get her (Hayao Miyazaki's) final film.