Themes
Awards
Animage Anime Grand Prix, Mainichi Film Award for Best Animated Film
Synopsis
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.
Plot
Kiki is a 13-year-old witch-in-training, living in a village where her mother is the resident herbalist. By tradition, witches of that age must spend a year alone to learn to live independently. One night, Kiki takes off for the big city with her talking black cat Jiji. After a rough start, Kiki finds a friendly baker who offers her room and board in exchange for making deliveries. Kiki accepts the challenge and sets up a delivery service, using her broom flying ability to deliver goods throughout the city. While making deliveries, Kiki befriends Tombo, a local boy who is interested in aviation. Kiki also has an adventure with an elderly lady, Madame, who she helps to bake a herring pie for her granddaughter's birthday. After a brief encounter with Tombo's friends, Kiki loses her witch powers and her ability to talk to Jiji, forcing her to reconsider her capabilities and her place in the world.