By KAITLYN HENSON
Staff Writer
When it comes to Studio Ghibli’s most iconic movies, one of the most memorable ones has to be Kiki’s Delivery Service. Produced in 1989, Kiki’s Delivery Service is about a young girl going to the big city and training to become a full-fledged witch.
Much like Hayao Miyazaki’s other works, this animated film is a whimsical adventure that is light-hearted and a joy to watch. Moving into a new city, Kiki (with the help of her talking cat) finds a way to use her flying abilities to run a delivery service to help people. The film centers around the core message of the starved artist, and the difference between experiencing independence, and the struggles of work and burnout.
When first viewing Kiki’s Delivery Service, I assumed that it would just be a cute adventure story and nothing much else. However, there is so much more to this movie than you would expect initially. It feels very grounded in its worldbuilding and it takes its time when telling the story, which is a breath of fresh air compared to the fast-paced media we often consume today. There’s so many delightful characters that are very different from the typical side characters we’re used to seeing; a sarcastic cat with great one-liners, a boy who dreams of learning to fly, and an artist living in the woods.
Kiki’s Delivery Service touches on how people with a passion can transform that into work. Kiki, who loves to fly on her broomstick, finds a way to set up a delivery service where she can fly and deliver packages to people. With the money that she earns she is able to buy food and necessities for herself to get through the day. However, this film not only touches on passions and work, but it also talks about how too much work can drain the artist, and make their passionless fun. People who end up losing their passions for something after a while lose the fun that they used to have when doing said passion, which is what happens to Kiki later on in the story. For her, she loses her ability to fly. In real life, it can be as simple as getting writer’s block or experiencing burnout. Experiencing burnout is a struggle for many people, especially young people. It’s frustrating to not have the thrill and excitement anymore that you used to have; it can often make you feel depressed or useless.
Luckily, this film also explains how to get out of burnout, and how to start taking back that control. When Kiki visits the artist in the woods, she talks to her about losing her flying abilities. The artist tells her that that is something many people experience, and the only way to regain her flight is to step back and take a break. Taking a break from doing something that’s tiring you out can be a lot more helpful than you might think. It lets your brain and your muscles relax as you slowly start to regain that desire to pursue your passion. It sometimes may take more time than others, but eventually you will get out of burnout. Near the climax of the film, one of Kiki’s friends is stuck up in the air, and no one else had the power to get him down safely. It reminded Kiki the reason she set up the delivery service in the first place, and why she loves to fly. With that realization and her passion coming back to her, she was able to fly again and save her friend.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies to watch, not just for it’s gorgeous visuals and outstanding storytelling, but mostly because of its deep underlying message that I feel a lot of people need to hear. Burnout won’t last forever, and if you are going through it right now make sure to take a step back and remind yourself to take a break. Take care of you, and you will be able to fly again.