The movie is full of surprising touches. Disney has westernized the movie with a re-recorded soundtrack, featuring familiar voices. Kirsten Dunst provides a perfectly innocent voice as Kiki, and the late Phil Hartman gets most of the laughs as her complaining cat. American children, spoiled by the endless spectacle of today's animated features, may find Kiki a bit low-key. But that's a big part of the movie's charm.
Gentleness replaces bombast.