The animated film Kiki’s Delivery Service stars Kiki, a thirteen-year-old witch. In this story, the custom is for witches of this age to go off and train independently for a year. Thus begins Kiki’s coming-of-age tale in which she heads off on her mother’s broom and ends up settling in a small, beautiful city by the sea.

I chose Kiki’s Delivery Service as my top movie pick for sensitive kids for several reasons. Kiki is a breath of fresh air—she’s genuine, good hearted, thoughtful, and polite as well as courageous and adventurous. But the character is more complicated than that; even though Kiki understands that what’s most important is what’s in someone’s heart, she still sometimes longs for superficial things, like pretty clothes she can’t afford.

The people Kiki meets generally turn out to be good – a baker takes her in and helps her start a business, a local boy becomes a loyal friend, and an artist helps her learn about inspiration. But again, the movie depicts a more complicated reality. Kiki comes across kids who are snobby and ungrateful and some adults who seem indifferent or even uncompassionate.

I’m sure there are plenty of movies that sensitive kids can watch successfully, like films starring Barney the dinosaur or the Care Bears. (I haven’t seen these particular movies, so I’m not commenting on their quality.) But we want to watch movies both that a sensitive kid can handle viewing and that offers something of value to both kids and adults.

Kiki’s Delivery Service offers lovely animation, great acting (Phil Hartmann’s Jiji is one of my favorite movie cat characters), a lot of boisterous laughter, and a gorgeous overall package put together by one of my favorite directors, Hayao Miyazaki—along with subtly positing some larger life questions to ponder.

There are moments of mild suspense throughout as Kiki’s flying skills are unreliable at times, leading to several rough flights and near misses. The final ten minutes or so portray a harrowing incident that turns out OK and, in the end, allows Kiki to tap into her inner strength and learn to believe in herself.

As with Mary Poppins, it seems as if the suspenseful scenes in this movie may provide good practice for dealing with this type of situation. I feel that most kids will trust the characters and the storytelling enough by the end to roll with a few minutes of anxiety.

And in the end, audiences receive a great reward because as Kiki bravely builds a life on her own, learns new skills, and digs deep inside to find self-confidence, viewers learn a powerful lesson about the importance of believing in and honoring one’s unique spirit. Plus, this is a sweet pick for a Halloween movie for young kids.

Have you had a good—or bad—experience viewing Mary Poppins or Kiki’s Delivery Service with your kid? What’s your top pick for a good first movie for young, sensitive kids?