Porco Rosso
1992 · Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Original language: Japanese
- animation
- adventure
- fantasy
The story
In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.
What it’s like
Warm Adriatic light and hand-drawn sky: sun-bleached seaside towns in soft pastel washes, sea so blue it looks painted, and gleaming cloud banks the biplanes slip through in long, unhurried glides. Hayao Miyazaki's frames breathe, with wide establishing views of harbours, red-roofed villages and open water that let the eye wander, while the flight sequences cut to tight close-ups of goggles, engines and grinning faces. Joe Hisaishi's score mixes buoyant accordion-flavoured melodies with brassy marching pulses and quiet, wistful piano, and the Italian jazz-era café numbers add a slow, smoky warmth. The vibe is wistful and playful at once, a sunny melancholy about aging, lost war and the strangeness of being a little ridiculous. It suits a lazy summer afternoon, a comfort rewatch, or a long-haul flight when you want something gentle and bright. Its tone is light and good-humoured: a middle-aged, self-doubting ace slowly rediscovering his nerve, with easy friendship and romance. Dogfights and sky-battles are frequent but bloodless and cartoonish, with brief gunfire and crashes, and there is no gore. Fascist menace and wartime memory are present in the background without being graphic. It is for people who love tender, handmade animation, sea air and gentle adventure.
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