The most watched entertainment in the world right now is anime. Many teenagers have grown up feeling familiar with Studio Ghibli movies like Kiki’s delivery service, which people adore after becoming adults in Japan and around the world.
Kiki’s Delivery Service distinguishes out for its excellence and simplicity among numerous family-friendly movies.
This movie, which also explores a young witch’s life, is about inspiration, tenacity, and love.
Here is a list of the best movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service, for Studio Ghibli fans, children, and their parents.
1. Wolf Children (2012)
- Director: Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast: Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, Haru Kuroki, Yukito Nishii, Momoka Ôno, Amon Kabe, Takuma Hiraoka, and Megumi Hayashibara
- IMDb rating: 8.1/01
Wolf Children may help you feel better after a rough day if you live alone and have just returned home.
It’s one of the amazing movies like Kiki’s delivery service that makes you feel like you’re getting a warm embrace, and you’ll probably save it to watch again for this same reason.
The story claims to be the actual account of a mother raising half-human, half-wolf children.
It all begins when Yuki, a student at Tokyo University, encounters a fascinating and attractive young guy who can transform into a wolf at any time.
They fall in love and have kids who inherit this peculiar trait. Here, the anime’s vibrant visuals and cheerful tone give way to a depressing narrative twist.
The strange story of love and parenthood, Wolf Children, is presented memorably.
2. Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017)
- Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
- Cast: Hana Sugisaki, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yûki Amami, Fumiyo Kohinata, Hikari Mitsushima, Jirô Satô, Ken’ichi Endô, and Eri Watanabe
- IMDb rating: 6.8/10
In the story Mary and the Witch’s Flower, Mary pleasantly encounters the black cat and discovers a mysterious and beautiful flower.
Mary is given the honor of becoming a witch for a while thanks to this charmed flower.
Mary encounters the fascinating and alluring realm of witchcraft in this little period and guides viewers on an incredible adventure.
All of magic’s benefits and drawbacks from one new engagement to the next are demonstrated in the movie.
Mary and the Witch’s Flower is one of the most fantastic anime movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service to see.
They are beautiful animated movies with a similar style. A mythical Western nation is where Mary and the Flower of Witch and Kiki’s supernatural powers are located.
Mary and Kiki are two great witches who stir curiosity, a desire for exploration, and a desire for the unknown.
Mary and the Witch’s Flower is one of the best movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service.
3. The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)
- Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
- Cast: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Mirai Shida, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Tomokazu Miura, and Shinobu Ôtake
- IMDb rating: 7.6/10
One of the top anime movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service to watch is The Secret World of Arrietty, commonly known as The Borrower Arrietty.
The modern Studio Ghibli fantasy animation, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, was released in 2010.
It is also based on Mary Norton’s 1952 English book The Borrowers. Little creatures hide from humans in the current setting of The Secret World of Arrietty.
It centers on Arrietty, a 14-year-old who lives beneath a human’s home with her family in secret and borrows food and other supplies.
She eventually meets Sho, the 12-year-old human owner of the home.
4. Spirit of Wonder: Miss China Ring (1992)
- Director: Mitsuru Hongô
- Cast: Noriko Hidaka, Hiroyuki Shibamoto, Michio Hazama, Yuriko Fuchizaki, Hirohiko Kakegawa, Yokoyama Tomosa, Rin Mizuhara, and Akiko Hiramatsu
- IMDb rating: 6.4/10
Spirit of Wonder: China-san no Yuutsu follows a young lady from the 19th century named Miss China.
During this period, Miss China was established as the Tenkai Restaurant and Boarding House’s corporate owner.
Miss China should be enthusiastic about life, given her remarkable success and wealth, but she is not.
She is miserable and dealing with challenges that make her almost perfect, such as managing the worst tenant ever and falling in love with a guy who stares at someone else.
Even though their concepts, tones, and animation styles greatly vary, they have a few characteristics that make them suitable for this list. Both Miss China and Kiki are gorgeous young women who shine.
They have traits that are difficult to ignore since they are distinctive, unique, and unusual.
Both animated movies have a magic and charm component, appealing to fans of the fantasy subgenre.
Spirit of Wonder is one of the movies like Kiki’s delivery service that tells fantastic stories.
5. Doubutsu No Mori (2006)
- Director: Joji Shimura
- Cast: Yui Horie, Misato Fukuen, Fumiko Orikasa, Yû Kobayashi, Takatoshi Kaneko, Masaki Terasoma, Yurika Hino, and Yasuhiro Takato
- IMDb rating: 6.6/10
Ai’s life is shown in the video game adaption Doubutsu no Mori. Independent young woman Ai just relocated to Animal Village.
Ai successfully adjusts to rural life and makes friends with the villagers.
One day while strolling along the shore, Ai discovers a message in a bottle. She becomes quite intrigued by this message, which leads her to look for a winter miracle.
The setting allows Ai and Kiki, the first female characters in Doubutsu no Mori and Kiki Delivery Service, to go to an unknown city and learn how to spread their message abroad.
Ai and Kiki are surrounded by many kind people who aid and support them as much as possible without dominating or pampering them.
Doubutsu no Mori and Kiki’s Delivery Service show how life deteriorates when the girls struggle but eventually give up.
Most of the time, every movie features a heartfelt, enjoyable, and loving storyline. This is one of the best movies like Kiki’s delivery service.
6. Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie (1999)
- Director: Morio Asaka and Terry Klassen
- Cast: Sakura Tange, Aya Hisakawa, Junko Iwao, Motoko Kumai, Tomokazu Seki, Megumi Ogata, Yukana, and Hideyuki Tanaka
- IMDb rating: 7.2/10
Sakura Kinomoto is a cheerful and lively high school girl with a normal life apart from being a Cardcaptor who has collected all the clow cards.
This movie follows Sakura on her journey after the Cardcaptor story.
During the winter vacation, Sakura is in Hong Kong. Kero questions Sakura about the trip she won while focusing even more closely on her to strengthen her defenses.
One time, Sakura uses sight travel and ends up in a fantastical realm after being pursued by a dark power.
Here, you will see that Sakura’s journey was not random but rather the work of a lady called Madoushi, who planned to get vengeance on Clow Reed.
Sakura is forced to fight to free her imprisoned companions with the help of her friends and mentors.
In both the animated movies, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie, magic is present in a comparable world.
Sakura and Kiki are two young women who are intelligent and upbeat and have to learn to take on responsibility for a more important role than their own.
They both have a lot to learn and a great support system to help them build trust. Sakura and Kiki are both fascinating, engaging, and attractive characters.
7. The Wind Rises (2013)
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast: Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura, Stephen Alpert, Mansai Nomura, Jun Kunimura, and Mirai Shida
- IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Hayao Miyazaki is very clear with The Wind Rises, the movie that was first supposed to be his last.
The transitions between the dreamlike simplicity of the author’s imagination and the solid historical truth are seamless.
Miyazaki compares his meticulousness as a director with Horikoshi’s unwavering enthusiasm for flying and effective design as he thinks about the creative process and what it means to be an artist.
However, issues of accountability and obligation emerge as Horikoshi and Miyazaki must come to terms with the fact that even perfect objects like airplanes may do harm and that even violent dreams exist.
8. Whisper of the Heart (1995)
- Director: Yoshifumi Kondô
- Cast: Yoko Honna, Issey Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana, Shigeru Muroi, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Keiju Kobayashi, Yorie Yamashita, and Maiko Kayama
- IMDb rating: 7.9/10
Whisper of the Heart is one of the well-liked Studio Ghibli romantic animation movies like Kiki’s delivery service that you should see.
It was released in 1995 and was based on the Aoi Hiiragi manga.
Yoshifumi Kondo, who also had a significant part as the animation director for the other Ghibli movie Grave of the Fireflies, directed it.
Shizuku Tsukishima and Seiji Amasawa are the two major protagonists in Whisper of the Heart, which focuses on the pure affection of youth.
Shizuku accidentally stumbles onto Shiro Nishi’s antique store, Chikyuya, and later gets to know Jiro’s grandson Seiji Amasawa better.
While Seiji works to become a violin maker, she tries to finish a book.
9. Right Now, Wrong Then (2015)
- Director: Hong Sang-soo
- Cast: Jae-yeong Jeong, Kim Min-hee, Youn Yuh-jung, Ju-bong Gi, Hwa-Jeong Choi, Joon-Sang Yoo, Young-hwa Seo, and Ko Asung
- IMDb rating: 7.1/10
South Korean cinema is typically known in the West for its creative directors like Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) and Bong Joon-ho (Parasite).
However, a more subtle tradition is just as creative and deserving of your attention, one that is promoted by director Hong Sang-soo.
This interesting movie is an excellent starting point for a director with a résumé rich in comparable treasures.
A movie director who is in town to give a lecture ends up spending the day with a stranger since he has some free time.
Right Now, Wrong Then takes a lovely and subtly sentimental turn due to this straightforward setup, which is reminiscent of Before Sunrise.
However, the movie is about much more than simply a fortuitous meeting.
The movie is more interested in how little details can drastically alter everything and how time and chance play big roles in people’s lives and their decisions.
10. Little Witch Academia (2013)
- Director: Yô Yoshinari
- Cast: Megumi Han, Fumiko Orikasa, Michiyo Murase, Yôko Hikasa, Hisako Kyôda, Minami Takayama, Eri Nakao, and Chinatsu Akasaki
- IMDb rating: 7.3/10
In The Little Witch Academy, witches attend a school that teaches them the ways of the world.
The famous witch Shiny Chariot is introduced at the beginning of the narrative. Since Shiny Chariot is so great, everyone wants to be like her.
However, over time, her followers gradually diminish as those who admire her lose interest.
Atsuko Kagari is introduced as a new Luna Nova Magical Academy student and a passionate admirer of Shiny Chariot.
While Atsuko struggles through her boring classes, she can show others that her frequent trash-talking says a lot about her lack of Shiny among peers and her magical skill.
This is one of the amazing movies like Kiki’s delivery service since it strongly emphasizes perseverance and drives to become a powerful witch.
While many people would find it simple to mix and match, Atsuko and Kiki are against the grain, displaying your true power.
In a competitive environment, it is good to stand out, regardless of what others may think. However, this tends to be easier said than done.
Little Witch Academia is one of the fantastic animated movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service that is more entertaining and lovable.
11. Spirited Away (2001)
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi, Mari Natsuki, Takashi Naitô, Yasuko Sawaguchi, and Tatsuya Gashûin
- IMDb rating: 8.6/10
Spirited Away is widely regarded as one of the all-time greatest animated movies like Kiki’s delivery service and perhaps the most successful movie in Japanese history.
It represents the peak of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s work and also made history as the first Oscar-winning non-English animated movie.
It seems to be a movie about a little girl named Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), who accidentally enters an abandoned amusement park with her parents.
She encounters all kinds of magic and fantastical creatures while trying to find a way to rescue her parents and flee into a spooky spiritual realm filled with Shinto folklore ghosts.
The movie may also be seen as a criticism of the Western influence on Japanese culture and the fight for identity after the 1990s economic crisis.
12. Only Yesterday (1991)
- Director: Isao Takahata
- Cast: Miki Imai, Toshirô Yanagiba, Yoko Honna, Mayumi Izuka, Mei Oshitani, Megumi Komine, Yukiyo Takizawa, and Masashi Ishikawa
- IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Only Yesterday follows the narrative of a young lady named Taeko Okajima.
Taeko, an established office worker for a business in Tokyo, seemed to have figured out her life by the middle of her twenties.
However, she reaches a dead end and decides to vacation from her hectic schedule and visit the countryside to see relatives.
Takeo enjoys farm life and remembers her childhood, adolescence, and all she experienced before growing up as she spends more time outside.
Kiki’s Delivery Service, a Studio Ghibli movie that was just released and is similarly great, does not yet show its supernatural side.
It was only Yesterday when Taeko and Kiki rekindled their long-lost flame; the same quality can be felt in Kiki’s delivery service.
Both women exhibit significant character growth, realism, and honesty in each movie. This is undoubtedly one of the best movies like Kiki’s delivery service.
13. Princess Mononoke (1997)
- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka, Billy Crudup, Billy Bob Thornton, Minnie Driver, John DiMaggio, and Claire Danes
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
This epic storm of a story comes from the famous Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, who previously gave you Spirited Away.
The story follows Ashitaka, a young man who seeks a cure for the curse of a boar god that gives him superhuman powers but ultimately kills him.
The movie is set in a fantastical late Muromachi period, the medieval era of Japan, when many humans were still living among nature while others set out to conquer and tame it.
He travels west on a wonderful beast and soon spots San, also known as Princess Mononoke.
It follows an epic story of a legendary conflict between the gods of nature and humanity occurring on numerous fronts.
While it may seem a dilemma, it is never that ethically straightforward.
The plot moves quickly and is action-packed, liberally referencing modern political hot-topics and Japanese mythology.
The incredible graphics by Hayao Miyazaki, who combines hand drawings with 3D modeling, are a terrific addition. In a nutshell, Princess Mononoke is a classic movie.
14. The Half of It (2020)
- Director: Alice Wu
- Cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Wolfgang Novogratz, Collin Chou, Becky Ann Baker, Enrique Murciano, and MacIntyre Dixon
- IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Ellie, a straight-A student who solicits money from her classmate Paul to write love letters for him, is the subject of this charming romance.
Ellie does this to assist with the family expenses, but there is one major issue: Ellie has a crush on the same girl Paul is in love with.
This may sound like the setup for a typical Netflix comedy, but it’s not a love story, not one where anyone gets what they want.” It’s Alice Wu’s work, and she’s a great and detail-oriented director.
Her most recent movie, Saving Face, a groundbreaking lesbian romance with an Asian American setting, came out more than 15 years ago. This is one of the best movies like kiki’s delivery service.
