To bridge the time until the (still unknown) German release of Hayao Miyazaki’s new film “The Boy and the Heron”, there are plenty of animated films from the world-famous Studio Ghibli to stream, many of which can be found on Netflix. However, few of them have received a live-action remake yet (although more will follow in the coming years). So far, the remakes of “Voice of the Heart – Whisper Of The Heart” and “Kiki’s Little Delivery Service” have seen the light of day. And you can currently stream the latter in the ZDF media library.
That’s what “Kiki’s little delivery service” is about
There are still witches in a small Japanese town. Among them is the good-natured and helpful medicinal herb witch Kokiri (Mieko Nobusawa), who one day has her first child. Kiki (Fuka Koshiba), the little one’s name, inherits her mother’s skills; she can also ride a broom. However, her future is uncertain until the big day comes when she must choose between a normal life or that of a witch. On her 13th birthday, she heads out into the big world alone with her talking cat Jiji to go on her own adventure for a whole year and become a real witch – that’s tradition.
She has a clear goal in mind: to become a completely different kind of witch and only do what she wants. She finds shelter on a distant island with Mrs. Osono (Machiko Ono), who runs her own bakery. With her broom, Kiki is now responsible for delivering orders. This means that Kiki’s small delivery service, a dream she always wanted to put into practice, has become a reality.
Ghibli with a difference…
Remaking a Ghibli film is a real challenge. Too emotionally deep and visually too impressive, the animated films for young and old rightly have a huge fan base. The interesting question that arises is clear: Can a live-action film even match the warm and inviting emotions that Ghibli films are so famous for? Since the remake of “Kiki’s Little Delivery Service” is only available for a few days in the ZDF media library, you should take the opportunity to discover it for yourself. Only so much can be revealed: the new edition feels very different in places from the original (and not just because we are now dealing with flesh-and-blood actors).
While the original lets you be a kid again and there’s a lot to be amazed by, things are a little different in the remake. Here the emphasis is more on the seriousness and sometimes more, sometimes less dramatic life, a small contrast with the playful and magically fascinating “Kiki” Ghibli world. The topic of self-discovery in childhood is much sharper, and there’s no skimping on educational wisdom like “Hold on to your smile.” This also gives you the opportunity to experience “Kiki’s little delivery service” in a completely new way.
…but also typically Ghibli
Other elements, however, couldn’t be more typical, especially the images of delicious food staged by “The Grudge” director Takashi Shimizu, which are common to all Ghibli films – here’s a little taste:
The question of whether such a film is even necessary is of course justified, especially because the remake follows the original almost exactly in terms of story and does not even dare to cook a completely new soup. Since the original can be streamed on Netflix at any time, we especially recommend that younger viewers give the remake a try, because who knows when the next opportunity will be after October 29.