Porco Rosso

How to describe Miyazaki’s wonderful 1992 animation, ‘Porco Rosso’? Porco is a WWI fighter pilot who spends his days getting in to intricate dogfights with air pirates in and around the Adriatic Sea area. The twist is that he unable to bask in his many great military victories, or indeed court the girl of his dreams, as, due to a foul curse, he has assumed the appearance of a pig. As usual with Miyazaki, the plot fits, starts and digresses at will, taking in the textures of pre-fascist Italy, details on the history of aviation and a lucid discussion on gender equality and physical beauty. Oh, and the kids will love it too.