Ursula

Ursula (ウルスラ) is a character in the film, Kiki's Delivery Service. She is voiced by Minami Takayama in Japanese version, Edie Mirman in Streamline version and Janeane Garofalo in Disney version.

Appearance
Ursula has taupe hair, and usually wears an amaranth red tank top and jean shorts that are jagged at the ends. She also wears a straw hat when she ventures out into the city. She also has a yellow nightgown.

She always wears open-toed footwear (either flip-flops or sandals), and likes to go barefoot as well.

History
Ursula is a bright young woman who adores painting and lives in the middle of the forest in a log cabin. Kiki meets her while attempting to retrieve a stuffed cat she dropped while flying overhead on her broomstick. She ultimately helps Kiki out of her melancholia.

Behind the Scenes
Before she was named Ursula, she was simply known as 'The Woman' and 'Bird Lady'. Hayao Miyazaki elaborated on her role in the film, "What Kiki really needs right now is a supportive friend who'll visit her and understand her dilemmas. Meeting someone like that is more important than her vocation status."

"I really like Ursula. I was very concerned about the sound of her voice. Minami Takayama, the actress who played Kiki, was first assigned to do Ursula. Doing double duty wasn't easy for her, but we really wanted her for both parts," added Miyazaki.

"She looks best when she's going through difficult times. Of course her happy face is appealing too, but it's important to emphasize her depth of character for both sides. Ursula wants to be Kiki's role model when she sees how dispirited Kiki is."

Relationships

 * Father (unnamed)
 * Kiki (friend)
 * Magpied crows (wild pets/best friend)

Quotes
""Trust in your spirit! That same spirit is what makes me paint, and makes your friend bake... But we each need to find our own inspiration." ''"I decided to become an artist when I was about your age. I liked to draw so much, I almost hated to go to bed. And then one day, all of a sudden, I couldn't draw anything. Everything I drew, I didn't like. I realized that my art up to then was a copy of someone else, things I had seen somewhere. I decided I had to discover my own style. It's still difficult. But then, the results...They seem to be a little better than before."''
 * —Ursula to Kiki"

- Ursula explaining her picture to Kiki

Trivia

 * It is speculated that her name was inspired from the American science-fiction/fantasy author, Ursula K. Le Guin, who Miyazaki is a fan of and whose Earthsea book series was later adapted into Tales from Earthsea by Studio Ghibli.
 * Ursula's appearance is based on actress Miki Imai, who voiced Taeko Okajima in Only Yesterday.