Porco Rosso

Porco Rosso (Japanese: 紅の豚, Hepburn: Kurenai no Buta; both lit. 'Red/Crimson Pig') is a 1992 Japanese animated adventure fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on his 1989 manga Hikōtei Jidai. Produced by Toshio Suzuki and animated by Studio Ghibli, the film was distributed in Japan by Toho, with music composed by Joe Hisaishi. The Japanese voice cast includes Shūichirō Moriyama, Tokiko Kato, Akemi Okamura and Akio Otsuka. Set in a stylized version of the interwar Mediterranean, the film reflects Miyazaki's long-standing fascination with aviation, European settings and early twentieth-century history. The story follows Marco Pagot, an Italian former World War I fighter ace who now works as a freelance bounty hunter pursuing bands of air pirates operating over the Adriatic Sea. For reasons left ambiguous, Marco has been transformed into an anthropomorphic pig and lives under the name Porco Rosso (lit. 'Red Pig'). When a brash American pilot, Donald Curtis, is hired to defeat him, Porco is forced to rebuild his aircraft with the help of a young engineer, Fio Piccolo, while confronting memories of his past and the emotional isolation that followed the war. Blending aerial adventure with elements of fantasy and romantic drama, Porco Rosso explores themes of disillusionment, personal identity, and the lingering psychological scars of conflict. The film also reflects Miyazaki's anti-war sensibility and his critical view of rising fascism in interwar Italy, while celebrating the craftsmanship and romance of early aviation through detailed mechanical design and expansive flight sequences characteristic of the director's work. An English-dubbed version was made for Japan Airlines and released only in Japan. The film was later redubbed by Walt Disney Home Entertainment and released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on February 22, 2005. GKIDS re-issued the film on Blu-ray and DVD on November 21, 2017, under a new deal with Studio Ghibli.