Porco Rosso

Originally published Mar 17, 2025

To me, Porco Rosso stands out from the rest of Hayao Miyazaki’s filmography. That isn’t to say that it’s not a good movie, because it certainly is. Where most other Miyazaki movies lean heavily into the fantastical and mystical, Porco Rosso has a distinctively more callous surface to it.

The movie follows the exploits of Porco Rosso, a (literally) pig-headed bounty hunter running afoul of Italian fascists. After his seaplane is shot down by Donald Curtis, an American celebrity pilot hired by rival pirates, Porco teams up with up-and-coming engineer Fio to fix his vessel and reclaim his honor. Without question, this is probably the funniest movie in Studio Ghibli’s illustrious collection. There’s simply something about characters nonchalantly acknowledging precarious situations that makes me laugh every time. The English dub cast, which was supervised by our own Tom Bancroft, is exquisite and fits each character to perfection. Speaking of which, the characters are a fine bunch. Porco is a gruff but good-hearted protagonist perfectly befitting Michael Keaton’s dubbing. Likewise, Fio (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) and her youthful optimism make for an excellent foil to Porco. Susan Egan is astonishing as the elegant Madame Gina, Cary Elwes hams it up as blowhard Curtis, and the Mamma Aiuto Gang is consistently hilarious. The animation is top-notch, Joe Hisaishi’s music is impeccable, and Miyazaki’s love of aircraft shines through with aerial combat scenes that, while few, are always dynamic and captivating.

However, like the titular hero, this movie isn’t without its shortcomings. Aside from a handful of awkwardly uncomfortable moments, the story’s pacing suffers from occasional lags. The anti-fascist elements would have benefited from more focus and the epilogue is a tad rushed. Even so, go catch Porco Rosso for a ride you won’t soon forget.

Rating: 7/10