Leonard wanted me to write about Elf and Kiki's Delivery Service.

Elf made me laugh. And I liked getting to see jokes about children's publishing. But what's up with the belief system? Santa says that knowledge destroys faith, but then seeing the Nice List makes people believe, and the Claus-o-Meter goes up? If the singer had sung a non-Santa-oriented Christmas carol, would it have influenced the Claus-o-Meter? Also, people in the real world also give each other presents independent of Santa, as shown in a few scenes! If Santa really existed, wouldn't he visit children who hadn't previously believed in Santa, thus leaving otherwise inexplicable presents? Or is belief in Santa a prerequisite for bring on the Nice List? What happens to the virtuous nonbelievers? In the universe of Elf, are parents selfishly taking credit for Santa's gifts by promoting nonbelief in their children? You see how this spins out.

I enjoyed KDS. Like Spirited Away, it's a touching and slow-moving story about a brave young girl, with lovely little details and wholesome heartwarming plot points. I especially liked the rockin' song at the end. Unlike Elf and Spirited Away, KDS contains absolutely no malice. No one at all in KDS means any harm. That's overwhelming.

Now that I've been to Japan I know that Japanese people actually speak in that high-pitched/excited/anxious-sounding voice that Kiki exhibits throughout the film at the slightest provocation. That got tiring.

Now I want to read a fantasy novel by Gordon Korman. Maybe his "Jersey" series where children switch places with famous athletes.