The appetite for beloved animated properties to cross into live-action television shows no signs of slowing. BBC Studios Kids & Family has unveiled a three-way partnership with U.K. production company Wheel in Motion and Japan's Kadokawa Corporation to develop a live-action television series based on Eiko Kadono's novel Kiki's Delivery Service, marking the property's first live-action television treatment.
Currently in development, the project is planned as 10 half-hour episodes drawn primarily from the first volume of Kadono's six-book series. It brings to life the extraordinary journey of a 13-year-old witch who leaves home to find her place in the world, moving to the port town of Koriko and starting a delivery service, with her optimism and kindness helping her forge unlikely friendships along the way.
Originally published in Japan in 1985 by Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers, Kiki's Delivery Service has sold millions of copies worldwide. Hayao Miyazaki famously adapted the novel into an animated film for Studio Ghibli in 1989. Takashi Shimizu also directed a live-action Kiki's Delivery Service film in 2014. This new series, however, marks the first time Kadono's story has been developed specifically for live-action television.
Irena Brignull, whose previous credits include Skellig, The Boxtrolls, and Netflix's The Little Prince, has been tasked with writing the series. "Kiki is one of fiction's great girl characters, and I'm thrilled to be part of bringing her to life in this new adaptation," Brignull said. "Embodying the magic that exists in reinvention and human connection, she shows us what's possible when you venture boldly and big-heartedly into the world to find a sense of purpose."
Kadono received the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing in children's literature in 2019. The author herself has offered a warm endorsement of the new venture. "Kiki is about to set off on another adventure into a new world," Kadono said. "I'm confident this will be a great show."
Partners on all three sides have been equally vocal. Grainne McNamara, BBC Studios Kids & Family VP of Development, said the collaboration offers "a unique opportunity to reimagine its magic, warmth and sense of adventure." Alexi Wheeler of Wheel in Motion called bringing the story to a new audience as a live-action series "a dream come true and an absolute honor." Takeo Kodera, director of international co-productions at Kadokawa, framed the series as "a more exciting tribute to the landmark 40th anniversary of this classic book series."
The timing carries obvious significance. Kadono began the main novel series in 1985 and ended it in 2009. A side-story centering on the character Osono was published in 2014. Adapting just the first volume gives the production room to build outward if the series finds its audience.
No release date has been set yet, with Kiki's Delivery Service still actively in development. Given the global scope of the partnership, broadcaster and distributor announcements are expected to follow as the project moves forward.
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