Kiki's Delivery Service

Kiki's Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki for Studio Ghibli, adapted from Eiko Kadono's novel, following a thirteen year old witch named Kiki who, following a tradition that young witches must spend a year living independently away from home, settles in a seaside town with her talking cat Jiji and starts a flying delivery service using her one reliable skill, broomstick flight. The film centers on Kiki's gradual loss and eventual partial recovery of confidence and magical ability as she confronts homesickness and self doubt for the first time away from her family. It became the first Studio Ghibli film to succeed commercially on its initial Japanese release, helping establish the studio's viability and Miyazaki's approach of deepening the emotional stakes of the lighter source material he adapted.