10 Best Anime Films Of The '80s

Kiki's Delivery Service, directed, produced, and written by Hayao Miyazaki, was by all accounts one of Studio Ghibli's most successful films at the time of its release. It was also the first film that was dubbed into English and released by Walt Disney Pictures, following the start of their 15-year distribution partnership with Studio Ghibli.

At one point in time, the production of Kiki's Delivery Service looked very different. Originally under the direction of Sunao Katabuchi with a screenplay by Nobuyuki Isshiki, Miyazaki ended up taking such a vested interest in the production of the film that he took over both directorial and writing duties.

Miyazaki's screenplay was so different from the original novel it was based on that Eiko Kadono, its original writer, almost caused the project to be shelved. Miyazaki himself actually visited her home and begged her to visit the studio, with Kadono eventually relenting and allowing production of Kiki's Delivery Service to continue.

Ironically, the film has had some criticism for its Western release, with edits to the dialogue and score changing the meaning of the original script. Disney later gave in and redubbed the film in 2010, removing these changes to help it better resemble Miyazaki's original vision.