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Anime witch Kiki and black cat Jiji make deliveries in adorable new McDonald’s Japan video【Video】

Casey Baseel Jun 27, 2024
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Those Europe Burgers aren’t going to deliver themselves, after all..

Wednesday was a special day for burger fans, as it was the release day for a trio of new sandwiches from McDonald’s Japan, collectively dubbed the “Europe Burgers.” It was also a special day for anime fans, though, as the Europe Burgers are being promoted through a tie-up with a famous character from Japanese animation and literature, Kiki, of Kiki’s Delivery Service fame!

To celebrate, McDonald’s Japan’s official Twitter account has now posted a charming short animation, called Kiki and Jiji’s Day, in which the pair hop on Kiki’s broom to make some Europe Burger deliveries.

キキとジジの1日 pic.twitter.com/9a7lxLM9SW

— マクドナルド (@McDonaldsJapan) June 26, 2024

The video starts with Kiki and Jiji flying over the picturesque town where she’s set up her aerial currier business. After she’s made her deliveries, she hits the market, grabs a burger for herself, and makes it home as the sun is setting.

▼ Kiki lets out a sigh as her busy day winds down.

The pair then turn out the lights and go to sleep. The next morning, they’re back on the broom, with Kiki saying “Heading out!”…

…before the video cleverly loops back to its beginning and Kiki makes another round of deliveries.

For those who first became acquainted with Kiki and Jiji through Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service film, it might be surprising to see them looking very different from how they did in the 1989 film. However, Kiki’s Delivery Service was originally a novel written by author Eiko Kadano in 1985, with a cover illustration by artist Akiko Hayashi, and Eisaku Kubonouchi put a more dramatic, detailed spin on Kiki’s design in 2017.

▼ Hayashi’s cover illustration for Kiki’s Delivery Service

Meanwhile, Kiki and Jiji’s Day’s look comes from artist and animator Yoko Kuno, who handled character design and animation direction for the video, and has contributed artwork to franchises/productions including Pokémon, Teasing Master Takagi-san, Land of the Lustrous, and Beastars.

▼ Kuno says that the idea to give Jiji a ribbon on his tail came from Kadano herself.

🍔マクドナルド🍔#ヨーロッパバーガーズ
『魔女の宅急便』コラボレーションのCMのアニメーションディレクターを担当しました。恐れ多くもキャラクターデザインから作らせて頂きました。
ジジのしっぽの赤いリボンは角野栄子先生のアイディアなんですよ🎀 pic.twitter.com/V7rcijPi3L

— KunoYoko (@kunoyoko) June 25, 2024

The Europe Burgers are scheduled to be on sale until the end of July, so hopefully we’ll see Kiki again before they’re gone.

Source: Twitter/@McDonaldsJapan
Top image: Twitter/@McDonaldsJapan
Insert images: Twitter/@McDonaldsJapan, Amazon Japan
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