is it just me , or have disney films gradually lost their appeal
?
i was almost stunned by the quality of " who framed roger rabbit ? " , a fun , unique look at a world where cartoons and people lived together .
"
the little mermaid " harkened back to , and perhaps surpassed , the classic disney animations from the first half of the century .
however , the endless stream of " the little mermaid " wanna - be 's is getting to me .
you know the spiel :
a lame plot recycled from some well - known story , colorful , almost psychedelic animation , the lead character who learns a valuable moral lesson , the comedic sidekick / sidekicks , the seemingly unattainable love interest , a few catchy songs , a few in - jokes for adults , and the occasional out of place warner - brothers - coyote - fall - off - the - cliff type joke .
it 's a formula , and like any formula , it gets tiresome .
that 's
why i 'm delighted to hear that disney recently picked up the international distribution rights to the works of ghibli , a japanese cartoon studio .
from what i 've seen of their movies ( " kiki 's delivery service " and the already english - dubbed and american- distributed " my neighbor totoro " ) , foreign audiences are in for a treat .
these movies , particularly " kiki 's delivery service , " are wonderfully original and entertaining .
" kiki 's delivery service
" starts with an unusual premise : kiki , upon hearing forecasts of clear skies , decides it is time for her to leave home .
this is unusual because kiki is n't a college student or a young adult making her start on the world , but a thirteen year old girl eager to begin her training as a witch .
her mother is also a witch , and as thirteen is the obligatory age for such training , her parents treat her leaving understandingly and put up only token resistance .
just the idea of a witch heroine may scare away some audiences , but no mention is made of the occult , and the subject is dealt with harmlessly throughout the movie : kiki 's mother acts as a village doctor , and kiki is able to do no more than fly on a broom .
kiki must choose a city to move to , and what she chooses is the co - star of the movie : a german seaport town , far removed from the country life she has been used to .
initially lost in the impersonal hugeness of her surrounding , she 's discouraged , and unable to support herself though her rudimentary skills as a witch .
on the verge of leaving for a new town , she uses her power of flight to deliver a pacifier to a baby who dropped it .
the favor eventually blossoms into her working as a courier , a one - persons delivery service .
this is where the movie becomes shockingly good .
kiki 's job is a catalyst for her realizing the beauty of the city and the world around her .
the townspeople she is put in contact possess an inner worth that does n't seem forced or artificial , but merely derived from looking at ordinary people in a different light .
they 're three- dimensional , impossible to quickly evaluate , possessing of faults , and understandably reserving in kindness towards a strange girl .
however , each one has something about them , some interest or trait , that makes them interesting and unique .
the personal beauty of the citizens is complimented by the beauty of the surroundings : the seaport town genuinely looks impressive , capturing the european charm of a medieval city adapted to the more modern needs of the 1950 's .
this beauty is beauty with depth ; for every detail left in , dozens are only hinted at .
i could probably go on all day , but i wo n't ; suffice it to say that many of these minor details could have been the highlight of the movie .
some of my favorites are kiki 's relationship with the baker 's husband : although he 's quiet , never shown speaking to kiki throughout the movie , and he initially scares her , his kindness wins her friendship .
in the garage of a deliveree 's house can be found a vintage model
t.
two old ladies have a relationship evolving from master - servant to friend - friend .
such details gives the impression that the beauty shown in the movie is only the tip of the iceberg .
added on top of this is a lesson on the importance of self - worth .
kiki initially seems to derive much of her self - worth from the beauty of her surroundings and the people around her , but an encounter with a rude girl crashes down her bewonderment , making her question the importance of such beauty .
this causes kiki to lose faith in herself .
however , kiki comes to realize not only the beauty of her surroundings , but the innate beauty inside her .
seeing kiki regain faith in herself is marvelous , and the principal device used to do it is so sublime that i do n't even want to hint at it .
the ending of the movie has a subtle charm combined with a sense of awe and , ironically , the most disney - esque moment i 've ever seen ; if you do n't hold your breath in wonder you might want to get medical attention .
the movie steers free of many of the disney conventions : there is no violence , however cartoonish , no song - and - dance number , and kiki 's pet cat jiji is more a friend than a comedic sidekick , although jiji is given many funny lines and scenes .
however , i would be surprised if disney does n't give jiji more jokes , or at least the voice of some comedian .
refreshingly enough , the moral lesson of the movie is not self - contradicted , a habit disney movies have gotten into .
" beauty and the beast " 's beautiful belle , for instance , learned that beauty was derived from a person 's inside , and was then rewarded by having the beast turn into a handsome prince in snazzy clothing .
kiki , on the other hand , learns to separate her wardrobe from her self - image , and nothing more is made of her early desires for better clothing than illustrating her increased maturity at the end of the film .
another difference with disney movies is in the style of animation for " kiki 's delivery service " : not as colorful and dynamic as disney animation can be , but with a greater attention to realism and detail , it fits the movie to a t.
this is particularly true with scenes of kiki 's flights .
the extreme realism of the birds in flight near kiki is magnificent to behold , and helps these scenes capture the wonder of flight better than any other film i 've ever seen .
i 'm not sure when or how this movie will be released in the united states .
disney tentatively plans a theater release of " monoko hime " shortly following the summer ' 97 japanese release , and should start releasing the other ghibli films after that .
i 'd guess that some will be released on video and some will be theatrically released in peak seasons with no competing disney release .
although the wait is unfortunate , it 's good to know that it 's being released at all , for
" kiki 's delivery service " is definitely a movie worthy of widespread promotion and release .
watch this movie .
along with " man bites dog , " and perhaps something by woody allen
, this is the best movie i 've ever seen .
Output: P