A Studio Ghibli Film
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097814/
Kiki's Delivery service is a tale about a young witch leaving home. 'Kiki is a 13-year old witch. When a witch turns 13, it is traditional for her to move away from home to spend a year in another city or town where there is no witch already living, so that she can learn to be independent and practice her trade. This is Kiki's story of the beginning of her year away from home. She and her black cat Jiji run into a little trouble at first, but they soon make friends in their new city by the sea.' (http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/kiki/) The reasoning for looking closely at this film in particular is because the story and characters are similar to our initial idea. With our main character being a young girl who is taught magic, Kiki is a strong influence to study, with her cat Jiji also being an inspiration for the 'spirit guardians' in our game.
Narrative
The story of Kiki's Delivery Service starts with a young girl living with her magical family. As she turns 13, she must travel on her own to a town which hasn't got a witch living there. Kiki has to make a living and earn money by using her magic, and with the help of some nice people, she begins a delivery service, using her broom to deliver packages to people around the town. With the help of her talking cat, the delivery service is a success, however Kiki starts to lose her powers, and can no longer fly or talk to Jiji. After some help, Kiki regains her powers, and her delivery service ends up being a success. The story behind this film is very simple, however it has a strong impact on the viewer as they have empathy for Kiki. The use of characters is key in this film, as the audience gains a connection with the characters and wants them to succeed. With the mixture of magic and real-life, and a young girls quest to make it on her own, this narrative shows similarities to my narrative idea. The narrative in Kiki's Delivery Service is a key influence and inspiration for the narrative in our game.
Character Design
The characters in Kiki's Delivery service are unique and very influential on my designs. First of all, the main character, Kiki, is a 13 year old girl. This is around the age group we are designed our main character, also being female. Kiki's design is very simple, she wears plain dresses, with short hair and a red bow. The black dress she wears for the majority of the film, connotes a witch, emphasizing her role in the story. The simple design of Kiki is effective as it also gives her character, with the use of red.
The other character who inspired me in this film is Kiki's cat. Jiji. This cat is full of personality, and his design portrays him as cute and loveable. In terms of influence, I am looking closely at Jiji in terms of companionship. Looking for influences on our 'spirit guardians', Jiji is a small, but characteristic animal who plays a large role in this film. With his large ears, and big eyes, Jiji is a strong influence for my designs.
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