Kikis kleiner Lieferservice

Like many others, when I first heard about the live action adaptation of Kiki's Delivery Service I was intrigued as to how it would compare (maybe unfairly so) to the beloved Miyazaki masterpiece. Would it capture that same magic or would it take a different tack? Perhaps it would be more aligned to the source book than Miyazaki's adaptation? Well the film starts off strong, with a lavish witch's den and the caring parents sending their head-strong girl into the wide world. The initial flying sequences were beautifully shot but then the film lands into familiar JDrama territory when Kiki wakes up in the local zoo. The film than plods along in a predictable fashion onto the conclusion. It has Kiki's struggle to discover herself through adversity and hardship. It has Kiki learning to trust other people and to be trusted herself. What it didn't have was some of that film magic that would have set it higher or made it any more memorable.