Kiki's Delivery Service Blu-ray/DVD

Okay, first of all, anybody who dares to heap any amount of praise on Disney's dub of any of the Ghibli films has no business calling themselves a fan! Secondly, the Disney dub of KIKI is absolutely atrocious, apalling, painfully subpar, and painful to the ears. The cast is terrible. Kirsten Dunst is simply awful as Kiki; she is nasally, obnoxious, and is totally devoid of any emotion. There is no soul to her performance. None. And WHO'S IDEA WAS IT TO CAST PHIL HARTMAN AS JIJI?! Bad move, his adlibs totally butcher the movie! The translations are horrible, too. We don't WANT the Disney dub, we want the REAL version -- the dub made by Streamline in the 80's. It is SO much better -- Lisa Michelson puts real, raw emotion into the character and puts Dunst to shame. Even if you love dubs, I suggest you skip the Disney dub. It's that bad. Just buy the Japanese LD of KIKI with the far better Streamline dub. Shame on GKids for keeping the Disney dub on their rerelease.

I love how people are complain about the dub but you can just change the Language to Japanese. I'm a not a big fan of the dub and I will watch in Japanese with English sub.

Unlike some people, I actually like the Disney dub of "Kiki's Delivery Service." Yes, it's looser than the Japanese version, but it's honestly charming and funny in its own right. All the voices are fine, especially Phil Hartman. But I thought Kirsten Dunst did a good job too. However, Disney went back and edited their dub to be more like the Japanese version, taking out Hartman's adlibs and the two English songs. I hope I don't rustle anyone's feathers, but I feel that viewers should be given the choice to select between the two different versions of the dubs. Having both on the BD would be great. (For fans who would rather see it in Japanese, fear not: the BD apparently will have better subtitle translations.) And honestly, the Streamline dub is... really not that great. It's OK, but Disney's dub is just the more lively of the two. I would prefer for both versions of that dub to be on the new release.

Anybody who says the Disney dub of KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE is bad obviously hasn't heard enough dubs. I've seen my share of dubs, and I know what a bad dub sounds like. This isn't anywhere near bad. I do have issues: the sound quality of the dub is iffy (it was apparently reedited), and yes, Hartman's Jiji is a bit much (he's fine, honestly, I just found his adlibs a bit too over the top at times). I do prefer the Japanese version. But Disney's dub is not at all bad. It's a good, charming version in its own right. The performances from everyone, including Kirsten Dunst, are excellent and in no way take anything away from the magic of this movie. Seriously, watch it however you want. Either dub is fine.

Anyway, that aside, this is a good one. Heartwarming and sweet, with beautiful animation and lovable characters. Very much worth checking out.

I really hate to give a mediocre review to a re-release of a beloved Miyazaki movie, I really do. But I have to be brutally honest. If you already own the Disney BD, there's no reason to upgrade to the GKids edition. Despite claims to the contrary, the literal subtitles for the Japanese track are the same as the Disney DVD. The "fat, fat, fat" line and "Oh the humanity" (both not in the original) are still intact. The contents are identical to the Disney BD release as well in terms of extras and video/audio quality, despite losing John Lasseter's needlessly gushy intro. Considering GKids' claims of quality check, it's disappointing to see them drop the ball with KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE. Even fans of the dub will be let down to know that the audio issues (in terms of everyone sounding like they're talking through a fan) have not been fixed. It's still a great film, but GKids' re-release should have been much better.

I grew up watching these movies only in Japanese, and I am of the firm belief that it is the ONLY way to ever watch these movies. Any other way is unacceptable. The dubs by Streamline were an exception because they had the decency to hire real voice actors who perfectly recaptured the flawless Japanese voice acting.
But when Disney got their hands on these movies, I absolutely dreaded they were going to be destroyed, and boy was I right, including this film. Disney practically sucked all the charm, soul, and heart out of what should have been a sincere coming-of-age story, turning it into a shrill, and even worse piece of crap with a horrid translation, and an even worse voice cast. Kirsten Dunst desperately fails to bring any life to Kiki, making her a spoiled, obnoxious brat. The rest of the cast does a bad job as well. Watch only in Japanese or don't watch at all. DON'T WATCH THE DUB. PERIOD.

KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE is one of my favorites. It introduced me to the genius that is Miyazaki, and it's a movie I still adore to this day. I grew up with the Disney dub and I consider it a great dub to this day. Unlike some people, I liked Kirsten Dunst's performance as Kiki; she brought a tender sincerity and soul to the role that really sold me on the film. And Hartman, god rest his soul, owned the role of Jiji.

Sadly, a lot of people didn't like the dub as it was when it was first released due to the extra dialogue and music, so Disney cut them out, which would be OK on one hand, but the sound mix sounds very bad because of it; everyone sounds like they're talking through a fan! It's also disappointing that GKids didn't provide the option to choose between the two different cuts of the dub. Seriously, nothing wrong with having a choice. It's still a great movie, I just wish GKids could've done more.

A charming, heart-warming story about a young girl trying to find her place. I truly do enjoy watching this film and hope that it will encourage others to give it a chance to watch it. What is great is the little booklet inside that reveals Miyazaki's thoughts behind the making of the film and what drives the characters. The extras are great as they give more in-depth recognition of the design, in the art, and details of the movie that maybe we as a viewer don't realize.

Pricier option because it has blu-ray compatibility.

All the markings of a Miyazaki masterpiece; definitely worth your time. This is one of the more lighthearted of Miyazaki's works, the plot never becoming too serious or dangerous, yet we're still pulled into the characters that are surprisingly (though not for a Miyazaki film :-)) complex as they learn to greet their world and come of age.