Marc Hairston · From fps #1 · March 1, 2005 | Of all the Miyazaki films, Porco Rosso stands alone for several reasons. First, all of his other films centre on young children or teenagers, particularly young girls. But Porco is the only film where the main character is an adult, specifically a middle-aged man (albeit a man with a pig's face) which is about as far as you can get from the character of a young girl. Second, it is the most personal of Miyazaki's films. For years, he has caricatured himself as a pig and it is obvious that he strongly identifies with the cynical and melancholy Porco. And last, because this is his most personal film, he indulges in his love of flying and flight imagery. There are more flying scenes in Porco than in all his other films combined.

Porco Rosso Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli/Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2005 Originally released theatrically in 1992 93 minutes Shop for Porco Rosso DVDs and more: Amazon.ca Amazon.com

Porco Rosso is set in the Adriatic during the early 1930s and tells the story of Marco Pagot, an Italian World War I ace. Disgusted with himself and humanity after the end of the war, he has somehow cursed himself so that he is no longer human, but instead has the head of a pig. Thus he now goes by the nickname "Porco Rosso," Italian for "crimson pig."

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