Recommends - Kiki's Delivery Service, the Witch Who Needs a Job

A thirteen-year-old witch, a talking black cat and a seaside city where nobody asked for a witch.

Words by Jamie Harper 10 November 2026

Kiki's Delivery Service: Kiki flying her first delivery over Koriko with Jiji

A thirteen-year-old witch, a talking black cat and a seaside city where nobody asked for a witch.

Kiki's Delivery Service is the Studio Ghibli film about a first job and a first home away from home. We think it is the most honest film about growing up the studio ever made.

The premise - Thirteen and out the door

Studio Ghibli: thirteen and out the door

In Kiki's world, a witch leaves home at thirteen and spends a year alone in a town of her own choosing. Kiki goes on the first clear night with a full moon.

She flies off on her mother's broom with her black cat Jiji and a radio, and lands in a big city by the sea where nobody needs a witch.

Why it works - A broom for hire

Flying is the only thing Kiki can do, so she turns it into a delivery service, working from a room above a bakery run by the kind and pregnant Osono.

Hayao Miyazaki directed it in 1989 from Eiko Kadono's novel, and every errand over the rooftops is a small adventure. Joe Hisaishi's score makes the city feel like a holiday.

The verdict - The one to watch in your first year away

Studio Ghibli: the one to watch in your first year away

There is no villain here, just rent, rain, a boy called Tombo who is crazy about flying, and the days you do not feel like yourself.

Watch it if you have ever moved somewhere new. It understands that feeling better than almost any film.

Where to watch

Streaming catalogues for Studio Ghibli differ between the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia, and they change from month to month, so check the services you use.