Porco Rosso

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Animation

As a big Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli fan, I was quite depressed when, last December 10, my collection of Miyazaki DVD’s that Jo bought for me from Hong Kong was stolen from my car. We had not yet even begun to skim the surface of Miyazaki’s work, and those 7 DVDs were an absolute treasure that Jo somehow managed to find. Luckily, since that time, Jo has lent her boss, Maggie, my three remaining Miyazaki DVDs: “Princess Mononoke”, “Howl’s Moving Castle”, and one of my favorite movies of all time, “Spirited Away”. With Maggie becoming a fan as well, she ended up buying an original DVD of Miyazaki’s “Porco Rosso” from the US.

Originally released in 1992, “Porco Rosso” (or “Kurenai no Buta”, literally translated as “The Crimson Pig”) tells of World War I fighting ace-turned bounty hunter Porco. Once a human named Marco Pagot, some unexplained curse turned him into a human-pig hybrid. He still retains his unbelievable piloting skills however, and becomes the scourge of sea pilots across the Adriatic and Mediterranean. Porco shares a non-romance with the beautiful Gina, the wife of his late friend Bellini. When an American named Donald Curtis shoots down Porco’s plane, he also believes he’s killed the pig. Instead, Porco hides in Milan where he wants the plane repaired by Piccolo the mechanic. Instead, Piccolo entrusts his granddaughter Fio to fix Porco’s plane. Hesitant at first, Porco eventually finds Fio to be an excellent mechanic and earns his respect.

Even as Curtis tries to convince Gina to leave with him for America, she reveals that she awaits the day when Porco will come to her garden and whisk her away himself. The other sea pirates force Porco to square off with Curtis for a price: if Porco wins, Curtis will pay off his debts but if Curtis wins, Fio must marry him. The ensuing dogfight leaves both pilots out of ammo and desperate, eventually settling on fisticuffs. Can there be a resolution before the Italian air force crash their little gathering of sea pilots? Is there any hope of returning Porco to his human form? Will he end up with Gina or with the young Fio?

In a change from the usual Miyazaki fare, “Porco Rosso” has a clear historical and geographical setting in our world. Set between the first two World Wars, Porco is shown as a hero of “the Great War” and is shown fighting Austro-Hungarian forces. As we have come to expect from this fantastic creator, the animation is beautiful, clean, and still stunning. Before he adjusted to the age of computers, Miyazaki had already mastered traditional animation, and it is evident here. The dog fights are a marvel to behold as the planes, the pilots, the bullets, and everyone in between moves realistically and smoothly. Longtime Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi gives us a soundtrack reminiscent of the old Hollywood romances, only fitting as Porco clearly has a little Humphrey Bogart in him.

Since Disney and John Lasseter secured the American distribution rights for Studio Ghibli, the American voice actors have proven to be excellent. The meticulous attention to detail such as trying to use words to match the lip movement of the animated characters shows me a devotion that Miyazaki must really appreciate, thus continuing his partnership with Disney. Michael Keaton as Porco is clearly channeling his inner Bogart while also portraying a tortured soul. Susan Egan’s Gina knows how much power she has over the sea pirates, and isn’t afraid to flaunt it. For Brit Cary Elwes to play Texan Donald Curtis is a fine nod to the actor’s chameleon-like ability behind the mic. Cindy Williams went for a higher pitch to play the young Fio, and she pulls that off with ease.

As we’ve come to expect from every masterpiece from Studio Ghibli, the story is always what really carries the film. Beyond the beautiful animation, the sweet soundtrack or even the perfectly cast voice-acting, without a strong story to tie it all together, it would be for naught. Thankfully, “Porco Rosso” has all of these elements, with the story being the strongest among them. Porco’s plight has made him bitter toward humans yet he still values his flirtatious arrangement with Gina. This despite his bitterness of being a pig and being an object of ridicule. The arrogant American Curtis falls in love with every woman he meets, utterly convinced that they should all bow at his feet and that he has a grand destiny. Beautiful Gina holds power in a male-dominated field yet pines for the one male who refuses to be swayed by her. Vulnerable yet capable Fio looks up to Porco, though he fears abusing the trust she places on him.

Again, Hayao Miyazaki does not disappoint. There seems to be no let up in this man’s continuous quest to craft finely written Japanese animation that can be appreciated by anybody at any age. For someone to excel at his craft for so long, and to be admired the world over by so many, it’s amazing to think that Miyazaki keeps producing great results with every film he makes. I for one am glad that he’s still in the game, still keeping us fans satisfied after all these years.