In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.
Cinematography
Hand-drawn clouds so lush you'll taste the sea salt.
Score
Joe Hisaishi's jazz-age melancholy makes pigs cry.
Direction
Miyazaki's most personal film—literally about refusing fascism.
Director
Hayao Miyazaki
Shūichirō Moriyama
Kurenai no Buta (voice)
Tokiko Kato
Jina-sama (voice)
Bunshi Katsura VI
Pikkoro-oyaji (voice)
Tsunehiko Kamijô
Manmayuto no shachô (voice)
Akemi Okamura
Fio Pikkoro (voice)
Akio Otsuka
Donarudo Kâchisu (voice)
Hiroko Seki
Bâ-chan (voice)
Reizō Nomoto
Mamma Aiuto Gang (voice)
Osamu Saka
Mamma Aiuto Gang (voice)
Yu Shimaka
Mamma Aiuto Gang (voice)
Mahito Tsujimura
(voice)
Minoru Yada
(voice)
Yoko Soumi
(voice)
Yuzuru Fujimoto
Mamma Aiuto Gang (voice)
Tatsuyuki Jinnai
Mamma Aiuto Gang (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Miyazaki originally pitched this as a 45-minute airline promo for Japan Airlines; they rejected it for being too political.
Porco's refusal to join the fascist air force mirrors Miyazaki's own father, who avoided military service through family connections—making this a deeply personal meditation on complicity and escape.
JP
