Miyazaki's Biggest Regret: The Studio Ghibli Hit He Wishes He'd Done Differently
The legendary animator harbors unexpected disappointment about one of his most beloved films, revealing how Japan's economic boom influenced his creative process in ways that still trouble him decades later.
Every artist carries creative wounds. For filmmakers, these doubts cut deeper when millions scrutinize your work frame by frame. Hayao Miyazaki knows this pain intimately. One of his most celebrated movies still haunts him with what he calls "a personal sense of regret."
The film? Kiki's Delivery Service. Released in 1989 to massive commercial success and critical praise, this Studio Ghibli masterpiece follows a 13-year-old witch who leaves home with her talking cat Jiji. She starts a delivery business in a seaside town, navigating the bumpy road to adulthood along the way.
From Producer to Reluctant Director
Miyazaki never planned to direct Kiki. He signed on as producer, fresh off the triumph of My Neighbor Totoro just one year earlier. But as he searched for the right director, something shifted. He wrote the screenplay. He created conceptual art. He poured so much creative energy into pre-production that taking the director's chair became inevitable.
The movie spawned a musical adaptation and cemented Miyazaki's dominance in animation. Yet success couldn't silence his inner critic.
The Weight of Japan's Golden Era
In a 1997 interview with Animerica Anime & Manga Monthly, Miyazaki revealed his conflicted feelings. "Kiki's Delivery Service shows another side of the '80s, that of Japanese economic prosperity," he explained. "Even back then, I realized that just like the '80s, Kiki was sincere but somewhat lacking energy."
He continued: "For various reasons, it was a movie I had to make. Commercially, it was a success, but it left me with a personal sense of regret."
The timing matters. Japan's bubble economy was reaching its peak. Money flowed freely, optimism ran high, but beneath the surface, something felt hollow. Miyazaki sensed this disconnect and worried it infected his film.
The Artist's Harsh Self-Assessment
Maybe the breakneck pace between projects affected his approach. Jumping straight from Totoro into Kiki left little breathing room for reflection. Or maybe Miyazaki simply holds himself to impossible standards.
Watch Kiki today and energy radiates from every scene. The young witch faces setbacks but never surrenders to despair. She stumbles, doubts herself, then finds her wings again. If that's lacking energy, most filmmakers would kill for such "weakness."
Artists often despise their most popular works while treasuring commercial failures. Miyazaki's regret about Kiki fits this pattern perfectly. The film that brought joy to millions still feels incomplete to its creator, a reminder that artistic satisfaction rarely matches public acclaim.