Kiki's Delivery Service

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Kiki's Delivery Service earned near-universal praise from critics both on its Japanese release and when it reached American audiences nearly a decade later. Reviewers consistently highlighted the believability and depth of Kiki as a character, the film's gentle but resonant coming-of-age message, and — for the U.S. release — the quality of the English dub. There is little critical dissent to speak of; the more interesting story is how the film's reputation only grew over time, with retrospective writers treating it as an essential Miyazaki work rather than a minor one.