"Porco Rosso" is a 1992 animated film written and directed by Miyazaki. Given the director's track record, there are certain trademarks that you can count on for this movie. First and foremost being that the film is beautifully animated. Next, you can be sure there will be a strong female protagonist. There will also be a love for aviation and a pig. This movie is so much trademark Ghibili they literally show the engine running the plane of the movie and it's a "Ghibili Engine". Despite this hitting all these usual Miyazaki trademarks, it still remains a very unique animated film.
Porco is a former Air Force pilot turned bounty hunter. He is the scourge of many sky pirates and they form a plot to destroy Porco. They bring in an American pilot named "Donald Curtis". One piece of trivia that I can't get passed is the fact that Donald Curtis is an actual person. He was, as the film portrays, a fighter pilot, screen writer and actor. It is just so weird to have this obvious fictional movie have an obscure real-life person be an antagonist.
I also want to mention my favorite character of the movie, Flo Piccolo. She is the 17-year old aviation engineer that tags along on Porco's adventure. She is always so upbeat and optimistic that she is a joy to be around. She provides the emotional stakes of the film.
This movie has a unique sense of humor. It is one of Ghibli's most humorous features. There are a lot of scenes that, on paper, could be very intense action-packed scenes, but in execution are quirky and fun. For example, pirates are kidnapping 15 kids. This could be terrifying. But in the movie, the kids do not find it frightening, they think it is fun, and their amusement frustrates the pirates.
The movie is entertaining for kids while still never talking down to their audience. I appreciate it that the movie doesn't spell out everything for the viewers and leaves them with some unanswered questions.
On the negative side, the fact that our main character is a pig really has no impact on the story. The women all still seem to adore him despite his pig face. No one ever seems to bat an eye at his cursed face. It gives the movie a unique look, the idea of "oh when pigs fly". But I never got the idea that his life was worse off, because of his pig face. Also, a lot of the movie feels directionless. What is our main character trying to do? He even admits at one point, he hasn't been hired for a bounty, he's just cruising along. His main goal for most of the movie is just getting his plane fixed. The fight with Donald Curtis is more of a side quest. There are also things that the film likely should have shown, but instead just flies passed them.
Overall, I recommend giving this one a watch. Don't let this one pass you by.
Porco is a former Air Force pilot turned bounty hunter. He is the scourge of many sky pirates and they form a plot to destroy Porco. They bring in an American pilot named "Donald Curtis". One piece of trivia that I can't get passed is the fact that Donald Curtis is an actual person. He was, as the film portrays, a fighter pilot, screen writer and actor. It is just so weird to have this obvious fictional movie have an obscure real-life person be an antagonist.
I also want to mention my favorite character of the movie, Flo Piccolo. She is the 17-year old aviation engineer that tags along on Porco's adventure. She is always so upbeat and optimistic that she is a joy to be around. She provides the emotional stakes of the film.
This movie has a unique sense of humor. It is one of Ghibli's most humorous features. There are a lot of scenes that, on paper, could be very intense action-packed scenes, but in execution are quirky and fun. For example, pirates are kidnapping 15 kids. This could be terrifying. But in the movie, the kids do not find it frightening, they think it is fun, and their amusement frustrates the pirates.
The movie is entertaining for kids while still never talking down to their audience. I appreciate it that the movie doesn't spell out everything for the viewers and leaves them with some unanswered questions.
On the negative side, the fact that our main character is a pig really has no impact on the story. The women all still seem to adore him despite his pig face. No one ever seems to bat an eye at his cursed face. It gives the movie a unique look, the idea of "oh when pigs fly". But I never got the idea that his life was worse off, because of his pig face. Also, a lot of the movie feels directionless. What is our main character trying to do? He even admits at one point, he hasn't been hired for a bounty, he's just cruising along. His main goal for most of the movie is just getting his plane fixed. The fight with Donald Curtis is more of a side quest. There are also things that the film likely should have shown, but instead just flies passed them.
Overall, I recommend giving this one a watch. Don't let this one pass you by.