I happened to catch this movie on The Disney Channel last night. I had heard good things about it from my friends, but it's overall theme just seemed too kiddie for me to watch. But since Princess Monoke happens to be my all time favorite Anime, I decided to give it a chance.
Wow! I was blown away. Hayao Miyazaki is a genius and a true master of his craft. The animation is beautiful. Miyazaki adds so many little details to the animation that other movies don't bother with, that really sets his movies apart and gives them an amazingly real, natural feel to them. I was amazed by the scenes of Kiki flying on her broom; you really get a sense of flight unsurpassed by any other movie I've ever seen.
I was surprised I enjoyed this movie as much as I did. If you judge it from its cover you aren't giving it a chance. A story about a 13 year old witch who leaves her home to begin her training. Alright, that sounds like a great plot for a target audience of girls in the 6-13 year range. I'm a 24 year old male and I can't recommend this movie enough.
Go out and rent this movie as soon as possible. I saw the dubbed pan&scan version on t.v. and I thought the dubbing was actually pretty good. And I'm a die-hard subtitled anime fan. So do yourself a favor, rent this movie, and enjoy the experience. You won't regret it.
