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English Version Files Behind the Scenes: Episode 14 - Kiki's Delivery Service
🕑 Added 2026-01-09 17:00:10 +0000 UTCBehind-the-scenes notes about episode 14 of English Version Files: Kiki's Delivery Service!
General Notes
This felt like a natural choice for the episode after Totoro. Kiki's Delivery Service is my favourite Ghibli movie and one of my favourite anime movies of all time (as noted in my video, The Boy and the Beast is my #1, and it still is).
My first experience with Kiki's was one of those kid play places in a store back in the late 90s. My parents were shopping for something and left my brother and me there, and Kiki's was on the TV. It was the scene of Jiji pretending to be the stuffed toy for Kit and trying to stay still around Jeff. I didn't sit down and watch the movie in full until I bought the movie on DVD on Amazon in March 2012 (alongside My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, there was a sale on Ghibli movies). I wanted to get more into "anime culture" as one year earlier I got sucked in thanks to -- don't be TOO surprised -- One Piece.
I saw the Streamline dub back in late 2019. I randomly stumbled across the dub on the Internet Archive and HAD to watch it. I heard about this mysterious second dub YEARS ago, and I'm so glad it's archived online! This Streamline dub, in my opinion, isn't as good as the Totoro dub, but I still wish it was available easily by official means. I'm sure there is a ton of red tape preventing that from happening, such was the case with Totoro.
I do wonder why nobody picked up the Kiki's Streamline dub like what happened with Totoro... Kiki's is a great movie, but to be fair, comparing American advertising for the two films, it's much easier to sell Totoro with those gorgeous fantasy sequences with the Totoros, whereas Kiki's big selling point seemed to be the climactic ending with Kiki saving Tombo. And Totoro is such a great, cuddly-looking character that can sell a movie over, y'know, a witch and her black cat. But I'm rambling... I love this movie.
Original thumbnails:
Research and Editing Notes
So the most notable thing about this video is... I released the wrong version. And I didn't catch it until it was too late. Luckily, nobody has seemed to notice where there is an obnoxious jump cut. Starting from this episode, the final version of all my videos have names that are like "[episode name] FINAL VERSION USE THIS USE THIS USE THIS.mp4".
There was a claim on Wikipedia that Hayao Miyazaki approved of the edits Disney made to this film... and the source was some random old review online. Not even from a publication; just some rando. This is why you always CHECK THE SOURCES USED ON WIKIPEDIA/WIKIS. I'll sooner take the well-documented word of someone that's worked for Ghibli over a statement from a random review... which is why I am grateful Steve Alpert said something about what REALLY happened with all these edits Disney did behind Ghibli's back!
This episode has, far and away, my favourite Simpsons reference I've ever made in these videos. The Tress MacNeille joke. I'd been sitting on that joke for MONTHS. Pike Mence (close friend) and I LOVE legendary voice actress Tress MacNeille, and in the Disney dub of Kiki's, she voiced Osono, so during my California trip in July 2021, I think Pike floated the idea of using that clip from The Simpsons of Homer saying, "Hmm, that sounds like Tress MacNeille!" It was such a good idea, I just HAD to use it, and four years on (almost five 💀🧓 how) it's still my favourite Simpsons reference I've made.
Actually talking about Kirsten Dunst is also based on a bit of an inside joke between Pike and me. We joke about that "Turning Japanese" music video, so again, had to bring it up. Lastly, there was a Buena Vista representative that mentioned the Kiki's home video sales were not at the level of The Lion King II, which is ANOTHER inside joke between Pike and me... This isn't the last time I put in a section with Pike in mind.
But the lowest-hanging fruit for a Simpsons reference in the Kiki's video was bringing up the late Phil Hartman. Troy McClure is one of my favourite characters in the series, so I had to introduce Hartman's "other roles" by starting with something like "you may remember him from such roles as..." I also felt a need to bring up his role as Ted in Jingle All the Way. That is my guilty pleasure Christmas movie. I know that movie is not held in high regard, but GOD, Hartman was SO GOOD playing as that asshole Ted. I watch the film every holiday season. That's also part of why I used the "PUT THAT COOKIE DOWN" clip when talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger in the recent Kinnikuman video. Fate was sadly unkind to Hartman... It's unbelievable that he passed soon after the premiere of the Disney dub of Kiki's. I loved him as Jiji, even if I'm not a fan of how Disney changed the ending of the movie (pre-recut).
I recount there being another behind the scenes video that featured Tress MacNeille, and I'm PRETTY sure it is on my DVD, but back then, I did not have the means to reliably rip from DVD. Back in the early 2010's, I'd pop a DVD into my computer's built-in DVD drive and use Handbrake, but that computer is LONG gone. My cheap ass Amazon-brand DVD drive back in 2021 didn't play nice with Handbrake, so a lot of DVD footage used in videos before Kinnikuman is ripped from screen capture of VLC playing the DVD. My current Blu-ray drive is great. The process is much more complicated, but the drive works and is how I am able to rip Blu-ray discs and DVDs!
The background was made using a LINE sticker of Kiki. Originally the background had far more of those stickers, but I was advised to just use the one to keep it simple, and it works. I don't miss doing backgrounds; how I handle things now is far more interesting and fun. It's one fewer thing I need to worry about in the editing process.
Cut Content (underlined)
Tombo saying, “Kakkoi!” in Japanese was changed to “What a cool witch!” in English, which is great as “kakkoi” means “cool”, so that worked out.
Removed to save time, and this applies to both times the line appears.
That’s all pretty minor and it doesn’t change the plot of the movie or make it completely off-script, again, much like their dub of Totoro, but with no added dialogue.
Don't remember why I removed this.
I did want to give a shoutout to this line, though, when the dirigible begins flying away:
“Oh, the humanity!”
Nice addition.
The "Oh, the humanity!" line added in the Streamline dub is a reference to the broadcast of the Hindenburg disaster. I believe I cut this because I didn't think everyone would get the reference and I didn't want to explain it.
Unlike Totoro, though, this dub of Kiki didn't soar onto the big screen in America, or even home video. Instead, this dub was included on the “Studio Ghibli Complete Laserdisc Collection” in Japan in 1996. And I wanted to add, thanks to a commenter I've also learned the Streamline dub of Totoro also saw a release on this collection.
Removed because it felt irrelevant.
As covered in part 2 of the My Neighbor Totoro video, Disney struck a deal with Tokuma Shoten in 1996 to release several Ghibli films in the U.S., and on that list was Kiki’s Delivery Service. In fact, Kiki’s was the first film to be released under their partnership
Removed to save time.
As hinted earlier, [t]here is a LOT of added dialogue to fill in silent moments, and much of that can be attributed to Jiji.
Removed because it felt irrelevant.
Across the movie with every character and miscellaneous chatter, the Disney dub adds several minutes’ worth of dialogue, and if you count in the changes in music, that number goes even higher.
Not sure why this was removed.
The editor[s] decided to rewrite the ending so Kiki can talk to Jiji again as her magic has returned, completely removing the message that Miyazaki was conveying.
Not sure why this was removed.
What if I told you… these were done WITHOUT permission, directly violating Disney’s contract with Ghibli?
The part is punchier without the underlined part imo.
It’s unclear where in the process this happened, so who knows his true feelings on this adaptation? Either way, Ghibli gave it a go-ahead.
This was in the original version I made but cut MANUALLY from the YouTube version because I uploaded the wrong cut.
Kiki’s Delivery Service saw one more release before soaring to store shelves, being at the Florida Film Festival in June of 1998.
This was inserted right after discussing Hartman's death. It was hard to transition anything out of talking about his untimely passing, so I think that's why this part got removed.
Don’t get too excited about the subs as they’re actually dubtitles, based on the Streamline dub, as mentioned before. That’s about as close as the U.S. got to having that version, hehe.
Felt irrelevant to include the comment.
He also praised the new English cast, calling the audio “lovingly dubbed by Disney”. As one would expect from this immense praise, Ebert gave it a thumbs up.
Not sure why this line didn't make the cut.
Because of how well this movie did, Buena Vista considered possibly doing a theatrical release of their next Ghibli film in the pipeline, Castle in the Sky. It seems the speculation of the New York Times article was right on the money, in more ways than one!
I may have cut this in the process of adding the found info about the home video sales.
On March 2, 2010, Disney rereleased their dub of Kiki’s Delivery Service on DVD, this release containing every audio track from the previous DVD plus the French version.
Felt irrelevant, so I cut it from the narration.
Alright, so, you ready for EVEN MORE CONFUSION, because I sure am! I used a VPN to connect to Netflix in Italy, as here in the U.S. the only streaming service to show Ghibli movies is HBO Max, other services require digital purchase.
Felt irrelevant since the list of places to watch the dub is shown later in the video anyways.
There is no argument in the fandom on which dub is better between Streamline and Disney, as most people saw the Disney dub. However, there IS a debate between which CUT is better, the 1998 dub or the 2010 edit. Many folks like all the ad-libbed dialogue from Jiji and the “fairy tale ending” of Jiji talking to Kiki at the end, but purists often prefer the recut that makes it more in line with the Japanese version, despite the awful sound quality. But this debate is not as intense as other dubs, and besides, everyone’s listening to the same actors anyway.
Kiki’s Delivery Service cast a spell on fans worldwide. This movie was successful from the moment Disney released it, being a hit by word of mouth and VHS trailers.
This is one of the biggest cuts from the video. I didn't think it was an interesting talking point, so I scrapped it.
Just like many other Ghibli films, despite being 30+ years old as of writing, it aged so gracefully, the animation is full of life, the story is still relevant and relatable, the character still have their appeal, it’s still a highly recommended anime film, let alone film in general. Do you want to know why I say this generalised statement? It has a 98% CERTIFIED FRESH RATING on Rotten Tomatoes. On MyAnimeList as of writing it has an 8.22/10 rating across 289,610 users, ranked at 295 of all time.
I cut down this section so as to not draw attention to an overly generalised statement.
And the dub is still well-regarded, too, even with its flaws. I love the dub, I think every performance in the film is a delight and showcases a best-of-the-best circa 1990’s voice actors doing anime.
Cut due to time.
Edited Content
Script: If you would like more details on this partnership, please see part 1 of the Totoro episode, link is up in the corner.
Video: If you would like more details on Streamline, please see part 1 of the Totoro episode, link is up in the corner.
Script: However, there are some changes worth looking at, just out of completeness.
Video: But let's take a dive into the script.
Script: Kirsten Dunst said it was easier to match the emotions of a scene because it’s right there in front of her, adding Kiki has the most adorable facial expressions.
Video: Kirsten Dunst said it was easier to match the emotions of a scene because it’s right there in front of her, adding Kiki has the most adorable facial expressions, and she does! [I thought of this while recording.]
Script: Hold on no[w] this is sounding VERY familiar.
Video: Hold on -- this is sounding VERY familiar.
Script: Well, when Disney was in the process of dubbing this movie, Tokuma provided Streamline’s script believing it was a direct translation from the Japanese version—it isn’t, and it affected the script.
Video: Well, when Disney was in the process of dubbing this movie, Tokuma provided Streamline’s script believing it was a direct translation from the Japanese version—it isn’t, and it affected the Disney script.
Script: Other than Jiji, virtually every time Kiki’s radio shows up it is EXCESSIVELY foreshadowing the dirigible shown later in the film, called the “Spirit of Freedom” in the dub instead of Freedom Adventurer from Streamline.
Video: Other than Jiji's commentary, virtually every time Kiki’s radio shows up it is EXCESSIVELY foreshadowing the dirigible shown later in the film, called the “Spirit of Freedom” in this dub instead of Freedom Adventurer from Streamline.
Script: While the adaptation keeps most of the Japanese background music, these new pieces followed the leitmotifs set by Joe Hisaishi's score.
Video: While the adaptation keeps most of the Japanese background music, most of these new pieces followed the leitmotifs set by Joe Hisaishi's score.
Script: [...] and were married within 4 months."
Video: [...] and were married 4 months later [I misread the script]." Aww.
Script: Kiki had truly ascended to stardom in the West with rave reviews and excellent sales numbers overall.
Video: Kiki had truly ascended to stardom in the West with rave reviews and excellent sales numbers overall, all without a theatrical release.
Script: If you listen to Kiki’s high-pitched voice, there is noticeable distortion in her audio throughout the film, some lines more apparent than others.
Video: If you listen to Kiki’s high-pitched voice in this version, there is noticeable distortion in her audio throughout the film, some lines more apparent than others.
What I Did Differently
Hey, a new section! One thing I do in every video is "do it at least 1% better than the last one". This has stayed my philosophy from day one. Listen to feedback. Learn new skills. See what can be done to improve anything at all, even by 1%. Those "1%s" add up over time, and before you know it, those "1%s" can add up to 100%.
What was Kiki's "1%"? I think a big thing was it being all one video. I always experiment to see what works and what doesn't. Totoro being two videos made sense as there was a logical breaking point: the two well-known dubs. The average viewer would not watch a video about the Streamline dub as it's practically unknown, even amongst die-hard anime watchers. Yes, this was during the time I was cranking out one video a month, but I found Kiki's way more doable, especially because the Disney dub was evidently based on the Streamline dub given so much of the scripts are the same. I'm still proud of the section when discussing the Disney dub where I copy-and-pasted a section of the Streamline discussion only to cut myself off saying I was feeling déjà vu.
What I Would Do Differently Now
Hey, another new section! I always look back on my own work with a critical lens. I know this video was four years ago, and I certainly don't blame myself for what I did differently than what I do now; it's part of how one improves.
So with this new section, I will not comment on the following as these are prevalent across so many episodes:
Background images
Lack of After Effects animations
Spending too long on Voice Actor Profiles
Information that came to light after the episode launched (I'm not Doraemon; I don't have a time machine)
Mic quality
Narration quality (although there may be specific nitpicks I'll note)
Omitting information that is not dub-related
Thumbnails (as they were all overhauled at or around the same time in early 2024)
I would have made a smoother transition between something as heavy as Phil Hartman's murder and the official release of the Disney dub. I remember back then I couldn't think of a good way to make that tonal jump, so I rolled with what I have. I would have ABSOLUTELY made the move to jump right into showing off the memorial screen to him in the home video release. (I also don't like how I delivered the "you might remember him from" line... could've been SO much better, but that's nitpicky.)
I would have checked the GKIDS Blu-ray release. Yes, I've been made aware the GKIDS subs accurately reflect the Japanese version instead of being dubtitles like on the old Disney releases.
Trivia
Voice Actor / Director Profile Debuts: Pamela Adlon, Jeff Bennett, Debi Derryberry, Kirsten Dunst, Jack Fletcher, Janeane Garofalo, Brad Garrett, Phil Hartman, Matthew Lawrence, Tress MacNeille, Kerrigan Mahan, Edie Mirmin
Since This Episode...
To circle back on the Simon Broad comment from the last retrospective, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Hong Kong dub of Kiki's Delivery Service.
Extras
Background
Edit of a stock asset
Next time is the video that was HOTLY requested back then and was the result of raising money for charity: Anpanman!
