Porco Rosso (1992) Kurenai no Buta 

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Yet another wonderfully crafted anime feature from the hand of Miyazaki, set in the 1930s in a fantastical setting yet tied to reality with the inclusion of the growth of fascism in Italy.

Porco Rosso, formerly a handsome man has been cursed with the face of a pig, an ace flyer and bounty hunter, he spends his time defending ships and planes from a motley and humorous collection of flying pirates. 

Because the pirates cannot defeat Porco they hire an egotistical American Ace (Curtis) to take care of it; he damages Porcos aircraft and believes hes killed him. Meanwhile Porco has been rescued with the remains of his plane and heads off to Milan to get it rebuilt. 

Porco is sexist, (in his own words, Every middle-aged man is a pig) he is appalled when he finds out his plane will be designed by a 17 year old girl (Fio) and built by women but has no choice in the matter. To his surprise it turns out to be better than ever. He heads home very quickly after finding out that the Italian government has a warrant for his arrest and the secret police are on his trail. Begrudgingly he takes Fio with him as she wants to ensure the plane works correctly. 

Once back hes surrounded by the pirates who have discovered his secret hide-away and are after his blood, Fio manages to calm them down as long as Porco has a rematch with Curtis, as a side bet Fio will have to marry Curtis if Porco loses. 

What is the curse that has turned Porco from a man to a pig and how can it be broken? Will Fio end up married to Curtis and what is it that she and other women find so attractive about Porco? 

Thats enough of the plot although its only skimming the surface, love, honour, trust and friendship all play a part in this charming tale. Set before WWII, the ugly rise of fascism is seen from gossip in the local shops and bars to militaristic parades and secret police in Italy. The flying scenes are wonderful which is just as well as they make up a large proportion of the film. In spite his features and despite his heroism Porco is humble and very down to earth, a no-nonsense nice guy who in no way see's himself as a hero.

An absolute recommendation, Miyazaki proves once again that he is a wonderful animator, creator and director. Great entertainment for any age, sit back and enjoy the ride. 

Cheers Trev.

BBFC rated PG.

R2 Pal dvd available from Optimum, R1 ntsc dvd available from Disney.