The 1989 animated classic Kiki's Delivery Service turns 35 on July 29, 2024. To coincide with this monumental anniversary, the official Studio Ghibli store is once again selling the precious “Naughty Jiji” vase, but now with a new look.
Donguri Sora, the official online store of Studio Ghibli, is selling a flower vase modeled after the film's adorable cat, Jiji. This home decor features the adorable cat sitting in a small coffee cup with his playful paws raised. Flowers bloom from Jiji, drawing all of the black cat's attention. A design in the style of a black cat, recreating the iconic scene in the film where Jiji finds a cup on the shelf with an identical cat image, pasted on the flower vase. This item is currently on sale for 4,620 yen (US$31.42).
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Kiki Delivery Service Celebrates 35th Anniversary with New Merchandise
With Kiki's Delivery Service now over three decades old, the critically acclaimed anime is getting a slew of new merchandise, along with other popular Studio Ghibli films. Kiki's signature delivery bag from the film was recently re-released in late July for a retail price of 24,200 yen ($157.81). Donguri Sora has also restocked his popular “Kiki's Delivery Service Basket Trays” — decorative items shaped like the birdcages from the film that can hold items like bars of soap, candles, or even a small Jiji cat toy. Perhaps off-puttingly compared to those previous items, a Zippo lighter featuring Jiji and other Studio Ghibli characters also recently went on sale — an item aimed more at adult anime fans than younger audiences.
In the Japanese version of Kiki's Delivery Service, Jiji is voiced by Minami Takayama, who is best known for voicing Conan Edogawa (the younger version of Jimmy Kudo) in Detective Conan (Case Closed). However, in Disney's 1997 English dub, Jiji is voiced by the late Phil Hartman, who made a name for himself in the comedy world with his performances on Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, and Pee-wee's Playhouse. While fans generally love Hartman's performance as Jiji and the English dub of Kiki's Delivery Service in general, there is one aspect of the localization that goes against the original version of the film.
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Disney Changed the Ending of Studio Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service for the English Dub
A scene in the original Japanese version of Kiki's Delivery Service shows Kiki no longer being able to communicate with Jiji and starting to lose the ability to fly. Although Kiki regains her ability to fly by the end of the film, Jiji never speaks to Kiki again and continues to speak like a cat. However, the English dub shows Jiji regaining a human voice during the celebration scene. Hayao Miyazaki, the director of Kiki's Delivery Service, explained that Kiki's inability to speak to Jiji was a sign that she had become an adult, essentially saying goodbye to the wonder of childhood. Disney's dub undermines this message by implying that it was a temporary problem due to Kiki's stress at work. Disney again faced criticism for its English dub of Spirited Away, as the ending removed the ambiguity from the original.
Kiki's Delivery Service and other Studio Ghibli films can be streamed on Max. The Boy and the Heron, the latest Studio Ghibli animated film directed by Miyazaki, will be available to stream on Max on September 6, 2024.
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
A young witch, in her mandatory year of independent living, finds it difficult to fit into her new community while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Release date December 20, 1990
Studio Studio Ghibli
Cast Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Janeane Garofalo, Matthew Lawrence
Running time 1 hour 43 minutes
Production company Kiki's Delivery Service Production Committee, Nibariki, Nippon Television Network (NTV)
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Source: Donguri Sora
