“We can fly with our spirit.”
- Kiki

Why aren't there more films like this? Films that are just simply nice, and for a lack of a better word, kind.

Not that I think all films should be this way, we need films that are challenging and/or depressing, films like Black Swan, The End of Evangelion and Synecdoche, New York, we do need these films. But, at least I, couldn't deal with watching only these kinds of films, sometimes I need a film like Kiki's Delivery Service to bring me back down so I can even think about watching another movie.

Kiki's Delivery Service is a beautiful movie. All Studio Ghibli films have beautiful art and animation, but Kiki's Delivery Service stands out as particularly pretty (though I think Princess Mononoke is a little bit more aesthetically pleasing), it could be the uniquely European landscape, or it could simply be the visuals of a young girl flying through the air alongside a pack of geese.

I mentioned in a previous review that I admired Hayao Miyazaki's commitment to teaching children complex issues, and though Spirited Away is often cited as the best example of this, I believe Kiki's Delivery Service does it a little better. I won't spoil exactly what happens, but at one point Kiki begins to doubt herself, which leads to a sort of faux-depression, which Kiki gets through with the help of Ursula, the painter girl in the forest. This segment teaches children that it's okay to not always be absolutely at the top of their game, and what they can do to help themselves if they find themselves in a similar position.

To end this logging, I need to mention something less important. One very minor detail that I love in most anime, and particularly Ghibli productions, is the attention to detail on hair physics, Kiki's Delivery Service best illustrates this, since Kiki is always flying through the air, and though you cannot physically see the wind (which is a good thing) it obviously has a presence, visible through the movement of Kiki, and her cat Jiji's hair.