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Madame (老婦人 , Oku-sama) is a character in the film, Kiki's Delivery Service. She has a maid named Barsa.

Appearance[]

Madame has grey hair and blue eyes. She wears a yellow cardigan and a lime-green shirt.

Plot[]

She is a kind and gentle old woman of whom Kiki first meets when she phones for her to deliver a herring pie to her granddaughter's birthday party. Due to her electric oven breaking, she is unable to make the pie and offers to pay Kiki for her time since she made the trip to her home for the delivery. Instead, Kiki helps her make it using a wood-burning oven and does some odd chores around the house before delivering the pie in the rain. However, Madame's granddaughter expresses no gratitude for the pie, which upsets Kiki.

Later, she shows her thanks by making a cake for Kiki and offering to make her another one for her birthday. Her kindness brings Kiki to tears and she promises to return the favor.

Behind the Scenes[]

According to Hayao Miyazaki, "(The Madame) was a widow in the script, but Kiki really isn't mature enough to offer solace for a lonely woman. The 'odd couple' setup with another elderly woman (Barsa) solved this problem. I thought the sequence would work better to illustrate how Kiki makes friends."[1]

Relationships[]

Quotes[]

"Would you please bring this to a young delivery girl? She was kind to me and a very big help. It's my way of saying thank you."
—Madame referring to Kiki

Trivia[]

Madame is voiced by the late Debbie Reynolds, known for numerous films including playing Charlotte in the 1973 film, Charlotte's Web.

References[]

  1. "The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service", p.117

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