This was indeed a beautiful film from Studio Ghibli. It had some really, nearly perfect visuals, some funny humor, and interesting concept, but there was a little something missing, preventing it from being one of my favorites, Hayao Miyazaki's films. Don't get me wrong, I like this movie, but I think this movie got under the hype that every Hayao Miyazaki film is supposed to be judge as good, just because fans love 1988's My Neighbor Totoro, so much. In my opinion, this movie is kinda overrated. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the film was originally planned as a short in-flight film for Japan Airlines based on Miyazaki's manga, 'The Age of the Flying Boat', but grew into a feature-length film. The movie doesn't really have much of a plot and because of that, the story kinda crash and burns. The plot somewhat revolves around an Italian curse World War I ex-fighter ace, Marco Rousolini AKA Porco Rosso (voiced by Shûichirô Moriyama in Japanese/ Michael Keaton in English) whom became half-man, half-pig after his compatriots were killed in battle. He is now a jaded womanizing bounty hunter rescuing ships and babies from the attacks of bumbling pirates across the Adriatic Sea. While, this sum-up sounds entertaining, in truth, the movie, sadly, has very little flying in it. It only has one-major action set piece in the film. The movie depicts most of airplane battles as childish and silly. Lots of bullets are fired, but nobody dies in this PG movie. Even airplane dog-fight, packed with innocent spectators on the ground, doesn't have one victim. Tons of property damage ensues, but somehow the stray gunfire only hits inanimate objects! Come on- movie. Take more a risk. Sadly, the movie never truly, goes anywhere, intense with its action. The odd collection of air pirates are more rivals than villains, and their screwball antics are played for comedy. Most of the film, has Porco repairing his ship with a female mechanic, Flo Piccolo (Voiced by Akemi Okamura in Japanese/ Kimberly Williams-Paisley in English), after being shot down by Donald Curtis (Voiced by Akio Ōtsuka in Japanese/ Cary Elwes in English), a cocky American fighter pilot who joins forces with the pirates. He hopes to get payback against Curtis, but the movie ignored that, for most of the film, to push the romantic overtures of both Flo & the cocktail singer Gina (Voiced by Tokiko Kato in Japanese/ Susan Egan in English) on him. We get it, Porco must learn to be least misogyny towards women. In other words, try not to be a pig. One of the film's biggest problems, is the lack of emotional connection. Honestly, all of Porco's relationships, don't seem real. It all seem a bit forced and kinda bland. Most people will say the picture's best emotional scene is Porco's backstory of what happened to him in the war. I have to agree, it was amazing. It is taken from a scene from Roald Dahl short story called They Shall Not Grow Old. Originally there are more be explained, but most of the serious tone of WW1 had to scrap off the storyboard because of the Yugoslavian wars of the early 1990s, due to it, being set in Croatia. Another great scene is Porco watching a cartoon in a darken movie theater. The cartoon depicts a Mickey Mouse Expy striving to save his girlfriend from a villainous pig in an airplane. The obvious metaphor is clear. It's a great moment in the film as we see the "pig" as a symbol of a man's alienation, loathing and despair. If you look deep in the film, you might find themes of redemption, loss and love to be very powerful in this, underneath the more fun surface. Sadly, it's not easy to find. The English voice acting is alright for the most part. Michael Keaton does a good job as Porco. He show the cynical side, very well. Still, I kinda like Jean Reno's French dubbing, more, as it was a little well-rounded performance. British actor, Cary Elwes as American, Curtis was mediocre, at best. The Southern accent was bit odd. It's goes in and out, throughout the film. It was really over-the-top Errol Flynnism. Not his best work, but it was watchable. The music to the film was amazing. Another masterpiece from composer Joe Hisaishi. The animation was OK, for the time. Hand by hand, drawings, is hard to do, and I just glad, everything, more so fluently. The only problem that I notice is that Flo looks very similar to Nausicaa from 1984's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, another Ghibli movie; Miyazaki has a tendency to recycle character models, and it shows here. I like how much the movie is a homage to early aviation. You really can tell that they did, their research. The movie was very accurate with the planes designs. However, there were some exaggerated. The end of the film was particularly unimpressive. I really hate that, it ends abruptly and didn't resolve, anything. Miyazaki has expressed interest in making a sequel. He plans to set it in the Spanish Civil War, calling the film's working title, Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie. As of this writing, the movie hasn't been made, or look like it ever will be, made. Still, the movie did influence, other works. One good example is Disney's Tale-Spin, TV show. Overall: This movie is too silly to be taken seriously. Honestly, this movie could have been amazing. It could had been, probably one of Miyazaki's best works, but with glaring plot holes, frustrating romances, and indecisive writing. It's not. Still, it's a warm, nostalgic fun film, even if it doesn't quite fly high enough.

Porco Rosso is a sympathetic nod from a middle-aged man to his contemporaries, to all the guys who had the same dreams of changing the world, getting the girl, and winning the race, and somehow found themselves transformed into stout, middle-aged men with not much to show for all those ideals and dreams. It's also a wonderful children's film. There's a wonderful cast of characters. Every frame is well crafted, with some of the most marvelous aerial sequences ever animated and skies so exquisite the background painters should be designing for God. Joe Hisaishi's score is perfectly matched to the flow of every scene. The script is nicely paced, with the gradual, almost casual building of the main characters flowing so naturally from the action that it looks effortless. The director's political and social concerns are as clear as ever. Ultimately it's Porco Rosso's magnificent flying machines that are the star turns here. Their sleek designs, based on 1920s Italian models, and their thrilling animation are where Hayao Miyazaki's imagination really takes flight.

On the surface, Porco Rosso (1992) is a lushly animated adventure flick with a tinge of nostalgia for the pilots of the 1920s. Underneath the skin, its a film fraught with anxiety about war and fascism. In some ways, it is like Miyazaki's first feature, The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), a seemingly frothy popcorn film that contains well-hidden sadness at the core; however, here that sadness is much more visible.

This seems to be one of Miyazaki's lesser known films for whatever reason. Is it because the main character is a middle aged man disillusioned with life instead of a child or teenager? Is it the pre-WWII setting? Is it the lack of fantasy elements (outside of the protagonist having turned himself into a pig, that is)? I don't know, but it's a shame.