Last Updated on August 23, 2026
When I first heard that ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ was getting an IMAX re-release, I was a bit confused. I love Studio Ghibli, but I was not sure if the IMAX experience was really what the film needed. Usually, IMAX is an assault on the senses. You end up leaving the cinema feeling a bit dazed and with your hearing slightly damaged. I could not quite see how a story as peaceful and rustic as ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ would translate.
I was dead wrong.
Seeing the film on such a massive screen made my appreciation for the animators’ skill grow even deeper – and it was already deeper than the Mariana Trench. I have always known that every single frame is like a painting, but the level of detail revealed by the big screen was incredible. During the scenes where Kiki flies over the town, you can make out the most extraordinary bits of background life. In the climax, when the main train station appears, you can actually trace the track lines weaving in from every corner of the town.
Even if you already know the story, it is worth remembering just how magical the setup is. We do not know which country it is set in, nor the era. It could be France, Austria, or Germany. It is kept deliberately unidentifiable, which is central to the film’s charm.
This was also my first time watching it in the original Japanese rather than the dubbed version. The voice of Jiji the cat took me by surprise at first, but overall it felt far superior. The language rolls along musically with the animation.
If you have seen ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ before but never on an enormous screen, go and see it if you get the chance. If you have never seen it at all, do yourself a favour and buy a copy today. All Studio Ghibli films are remarkable, but this one is pure medicine for the soul.
Leave a Reply