8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When an apprentice witch turns thirteen, she must leave her home in order to hone her craft. Although Kiki's sole talent is broom-flying, she sets out for adventure with her cat Jiji. They settle in a charming seaside town, where Kiki establishes her own delivery service. As Kiki learns to balance independence with responsibility, her kind heart wins her many new friends in this coming-of-age tale.
Starring: Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi, Keiko Toda, Mieko NobusawaForeign | 100% |
Anime | 90% |
Fantasy | 56% |
Family | 50% |
Adventure | 35% |
Supernatural | 12% |
Coming of age | 9% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192kbps)
English, English SDH, French
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Japanese Academy Award winner Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Hayao Miyazaki's follow-up to My Neighbor Totoro, has been re-released by Shout! Factory as part of multi-acquisition deal with Studio Ghibli. The BD boasts slightly better compression than the previous Disney/Buena Vista Bu-ray and carries over nearly all of the extras. Shout!'s edition doesn't offer anything new in the extras department aside from an attractive leaflet.
This Blu-ray & DVD Combo Pack comes with a slipcover and an Elite case for the discs. Cover art on the slip and keep case covers is the same (see #s 1 and 10). For thoughts on the acclaimed animated feature and critique of a/v specs, you can see my colleague Kenneth Brown's review of Disney's 2014 BD/DVD twin pack here.
Front cover of slip and back cover of BD case.
Kiki's Delivery Service appears in its native ratio of 1.85:1 on a BD-50. While the source print is likely the same, the MPEG-4 AVC-encoded average video bitrate of 32000 kbps is a step up over its predecessor, which had a mean bitrate of 27.73 Mbps. The total bitrate for the Shout BD reaches 38.52 Mbps. See and click on Screenshot #s 5-9 for frame enlargements.
Shout! supplies twenty-four chapter breaks.
The sound track options available on the Blu-ray include the original Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (2036 kbps, 24-bit), an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (2026 kbps, 24-bit), and a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (192 kbps) dubbed in French.
There are three subtitling options: English SDH for the English sound track, English subtitles for the original language version, and French subtitles.
With the Disney package out-of-print and going for around $30, this two-disc set is a no-brainer for those who didn't pick it up the first time. It's about half the price and only loses a few very brief featurettes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to all anime fans.
魔女の宅急便 / Majo no Takkyûbin
1989
魔女の宅急便 / Majo no Takkyûbin
1989
With Art Cards / 魔女の宅急便 / Majo no Takkyûbin
1989
千と千尋の神隠し / Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi
2001
となりのトトロ / Tonari no Totoro
1988
天空の城ラピュタ / Tenkû no Shiro Rapyuta
1986
崖の上のポニョ / Gake no ue no Ponyo
2008
借りぐらしのアリエッティ / Kari-gurashi no Arietti
2010
ハウルの動く城 / Hauru no Ugoku Shiro
2004
平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ / Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko
1994
メアリと魔女の花 / Meari to majo no hana
2017
ゲド戦記 / Gedo Senki
2006
かぐや姫の物語 / Kaguya-hime no Monogatari
2013
紅の豚 / Kurenai no Buta
1992
Limited Edition | アーヤと魔女 | Āya to Majo
2020
猫の恩返し / Neko no Ongaeshi
2002
君たちはどう生きるか / Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka / How Do You Live?
2023
もののけ姫 / Mononoke-hime
1997
思い出のマーニー / Omoide no Mânî
2014
バケモノの子 / Bakemono no ko
2015
サマーウォーズ / Samâ wôzu
2009
風の谷のナウシカ / Kaze no tani no Naushika
1984
天気の子
2019