Porco Rosso


 * This article is for the film. For the character, see Marco Pagot.

Porco Rosso (紅の豚, Kurenai no Buta lit. Crimson Pig) is an animated adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli in partnership with Japan Airlines and Tokuma Shoten. It premiered on July 18, 1992. Following this film, all works directed by Miyazaki is distributed by Toho.

It is based on "The Age of the Flying Boat", a three-part watercolor manga for "Hayao Miyazaki's Daydream Data Notes" and was serialized by Monthly Model Graphix in 1992. It was originally planned to be a short film for JAL's in-flight entertainment. The plot revolves around an Italian World War I ex-fighter ace, now living as a freelance bounty hunter chasing ¨air pirates¨ in the Adriatic Sea. However, an unusual curse has transformed him to an anthropomorphic pig. Once called Margo Pagot, he is now known to the world as "Porco Rosso", which in Italian is for ¨Crimson Pig¨.

The film stars the voices of Shuichiro Moriyama, Tokiko Kato, Akemi Okamura and Akio Otsuka, Toshio Suzuki produced the film for Studio Ghibli. Joe Hisaishi composed the music. This is also the first Ghibli film where the voice actor of the protagonist also sings the theme song.

The theatrical poster's advertising slogan is "This is what it means to be cool." and "The pig that doesn't fly is just a pig." while the JAL poster's slogan is "If you fly, you can see".

Plot
The film, set in the Adriatic Sea in the interwar period, begins with the titular character Porco Rosso, a veteran WWI fighter ace and freelance bounty hunter, responding to an alert over an attack on a ferry liner by airborne pirates. Having successfully defeated the pirates, the so-called Mamma Aiuto Gang, Porco retires to the Hotel Adriano, which is run by his long-time friend Gina.

At the restaurant an American named Curtis proposes to Gina, but she rebuffs him.

After Porco Rosso leaves to Milan, to make repairs to his plane, he is shot down by Curtis, who wants to achieve fame by killing Rosso. Rosso survives but has to head to Milan on train. At Piccolo S.P.A he asks Mr. Piccolo to rebuild his plane. Due to the depression, Piccolo only as female workers, mostly from his family. A young girl, Fio Piccolo, ends up re-designing his plane. Initially Rosso is not pleased, but he grows to like her. They flee Piccolo's workshop after the Fascist government attempts to hunt them down, because Rosso won't fight for his government.

After escaping from Milan, Porco flew to his hideout after a quick detour to get more gasoline for the plane. Inside the island he and Fio started to unpack her belongings when all of the sudden air pirates burst out from Porco's tent and surround him, before they were gonna destroy Porco's plane Fio went to the leader of the Mama Aiuto Gang and started to yell at them to not destroy her first worked plane and she managed to persuade them to not smash it. Right at that moment Curtis showed up and telling that he wanted a rematch with Porco, when Fio started to intervene Curtis fell in love with her and asked to marry him, so they decided to make a bet for the rematch if Curtis wins Fio would marry him and if Porco wins then Curtis must pay all Porco's debts for rebuilding his plane. Curtis accepts the deal and all the air pirates leave the island to prepare for tomorrow.

History and politics
Porco Rosso is one of the few films directed by Hayao Miyazaki in which the historical and geographical settings are clearly defined and where most of the story could have happened in the real world. Marco is an Italian hero from the First World War and is shown fighting against Austro-Hungarian fighter planes in a flashback sequence. The story is set in the Adriatic Sea east coast between Dalmatian and Kvarner islands, a fictionalized city of Fiume after its annexation to fascist Italy and Northern Italy.

Porco makes statements of his being anti-fascist, quipping during one scene that "I'd much rather be a pig than a fascist". Miyazaki shed light on the political context of the making of the film in an interview with Empire. He reflects that the conflicts that broke out during the film's production (such as those in Dubrovnik and elsewhere) made Porco Rosso a much more complicated and difficult film.

Evident historical and political realism aside, at least one scholar has argued that the film's more overt historical references can be understood as representative of wakon yosai (Japanese spirit; Western techniques)—a tendency, since the Meji period, for Japanese artists to paint Europe as spectacular, while simultaneously maintaining the distance necessary to preserve a distinct sense of Japanese identity. "In Porco Rosso," states academic Chris Wood, "Europe is tamed, rendered as a charming site of pleasurable consumption, made distant and viewed through a tourist gaze."

Homage to early aviation
The fictional "Piccolo" aircraft company depicted in the film may be a reference to the Italian aircraft manufacturers Caproni and Piaggio. The jet shown in the last scene is very similar in concept to the Caproni C-22J, an aircraft designed by Carlo Ferrarin, a designer for Caproni, whose name is notably used in the film for Marco's Air Force pilot friend. The Jet-amphibian also has a V-tail, slightly reminiscent of the Magister jet trainer.

Porco's air-force friend Ferrarin was inspired the Italian Air Force pilot Arturo Ferrarin who flew with an Ansaldo SVA.9 from Rome to Tokyo in 1920. Additionally, the Caproni Ca.309 light reconnaissance aircraft is known under the name "Ghibli", the same name as Miyazaki's and Takahata's animation studio.

While in Piccolo's engine shop, the engine to be used in the Porco's rebuilt Savoia S.21 also has the word "Ghibli" visible on its rocker covers—in design it is a narrow-angle V-12 engine, similar in form to racing engines of the period. Piccolo mentions that it was used in a racing aeroplane for the Schneider Trophy race in the year before.

In the early 1930s, Italian seaplane designers set world speed records (such as the Macchi M.C.72 designed by the Italian airplane designer Mario Castoldi). One of the test pilots killed during the attempt to set the speed record was named Bellini, the name given to Porco's pilot friend in the film.

Marco Pagot, the name of the main character, is also a homage to the Pagot brothers, pioneers of Italian animation (Nino and Toni Pagot were the authors of the first Italian animated feature film, The Dynamite Brothers, and his sons Marco and Gi Pagot were Miyazaki's collaborators in the production of Sherlock Hound).

Meanwhile, the character of Curtis is likely to have been named after the American aviation pioneer Glenn Hammond Curtiss who, along with the Wright Brothers, founded the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Curtis' airplane is a Curtiss R3C, which was built for the 1925 Schneider Cup race (which Porco refers to when he first meets Curtis). His character is also an oblique reference to Ronald Reagan, in that his ambitions lie not only in Hollywood, but also the Presidency. The rest of Curtis' character appears to come directly from the adventure film heroes portrayed by Errol Flynn at this time—indeed, they share a jaw line—including his buccaneering derring-do, willingness to fight, and overall demeanour combined with romantic ardour. Miyazaki revisited the theme of aviation history in his 2013 film The Wind Rises.

Behind the Scenes
The film is based on "The Age of the Flying Boat", a watercolor manga for "Hayao Miyazaki's Daydream Data Notes" and was serialized by Monthly Model Graphix from its March (issue was released on February 25, 1990) until May issue. Miyazaki, whose had a lifelong fascination with aviation, drew this comic out of pure indulgence. He stated he wanted to make a "manga movie for middle-aged men who were tired and whose brain cells became tofu." They also considered producing "Assault! Iron Pork!" (突撃!アイアンポーク, Totsugeki! Aian Pōku) a comic that was also featured in Miyazaki's "Daydream Data Notes", but was cancelled due to various reasons.

The film would reflect Miyazaki's personal hobbies and wasn't meant for children. For Miyazaki, who strictly considered himself a filmmaker for children, "Porco Rosso" was a project that he continued to agonize over even after production. On the other hand, he said, "It was fun as a hobby to revive an aircraft that even Italians had forgotten and to create an air force that does not exist." Despite his misgivings, he felt very strongly about the film, to the point where he considered producing a sequel.

The proposal for the film was completed on February 26, 1990. Toshio Suzuki proposed an in-flight 30-minute animated short in partnership with Japan Airlines to coincide with the company's 40th anniversary. They were given a 200 million yen budget and production was scheduled to begin in November 1990 and completed in August 1991. According to Miyazaki's essays, they took the project as in order for Studio Ghibli to continue as a viable company, they needed to constantly be working on film projects. At the time, the main animation staff was busy working on Isao Takahata's film, "Only Yesterday" and were facing numerous delays. Thus in March 1991, Miyazaki began preparing for the film's production alone, sans animation staff.

Fearing delays, Miyazaki considered hiring newcomers but was afraid that quality would deteriorate. Miyazaki then proposed appointing Ghibli's female staff to be in charge of the animation. This was considered groundbreaking at the time as animation production in Japan was mainly done by men. Suzuki accepted Miyazaki's proposal and production went back on track. Thus despite the film being marketed towards older men, the production was mainly composed of women. This fact was even alluded to in the film as Mr. Piccolo's workshop was mainly composed of women. The number of drawings reached 58,443 and 476 colors were used.

Meanwhile, Toho, Tokuma Shoten, and Nippon Television joined the production committee, motivated that it would be a "Hayao Miyazaki's movie". The film's runtime was originally 30 to 45 minutes, then 60 to 80 minutes, and finally extended to feature film-length of 90 minutes due to the inclusion of a flashback war scene, influenced by the outbreak of the Gulf War (August 1990) and Yugoslavia (March 1991). Miyazaki himself worried setting the film in the Yugoslavian archipelago would seem insensitive as the region was facing actual war.

In September 1990, Toshio Suzuki, the animation director Mamoru Oshii, Miyazaki and several other producers conducted location scouting at the Tiber River in Italy and Rome.

Japan Airlines remained a major investor of the film, and showed it as an in-flight film well before its theatrical release. Due to this, the opening text introducing the film appears simultaneously in Japanese, Italian, Korean, English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, French and German. In September 2007, "Porco Rosso" was re-screened abord JAL's international flights. While Miyazaki was working on the film, he was also busy designing the new studio for Studio Ghibli.

As the film was geared towards an older male audience, it featured two appealing female characters, namely Fio and Gina. The resulting relationship between Porco and the female leads never resulted beyond a kiss in the cheek, mirroring Lupin III and Clarisse's relationship in "The Castle of Cagliostro".

During the film's production announcement press event, producer Toshio Suzuki unveiled a promotional trailer that made the film seem as if it would be a war movie filled with exciting air battle sequences. Miyazaki was reportedly furious at this as it did not showcase the the story's direction at all. At the same time, the conflict in Europe was still ongoing, which also added to Miyazaki's anger. Miyazaki reportedly cursed Suzuki in front of reporters.

Singer and activist Tokiko Kato, aside from voicing Gina, also sang the theme and ending song. The ending song "The Bygone Days" was used in response to the insert song "The Time of Cherries". "The Bygone Days" is an original song written and composed by Tokiko Kato and released in 1987, seven years before it was used for the film.

The theatrical poster's advertising slogan are "This is what it means to be cool." and "The pig that doesn't fly is just a pig." while the JAL poster's slogan is "If you fly, you can see". They were coined by Shigesato Itoi.

Sequel
In 2011, Miyazaki said that he wanted to make a follow-up anime to the 1992 original film if his next few films following "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" were successful. During the production of "The Secret World of Arrietty", Miyazaki was asked regarding the sequel saying he was interested and added that "The ending was changed for that purpose". He affirmed this by saying, "I want to do a sequel to Porco Rosso" and "The title is 'Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie'". The film would be set during the Spanish Civil War with Porco also returning, albeit this time as an old pilot, reflecting Miyazaki's own aging.

Shuichiro Moriyama, the voice of Porco, later said, "(Miyazaki) announced his retirement, but if he does not produce Part II, the story will never be completed I would like you to fulfill your promise somehow." Miyazaki was set to write the film, but Hiromasa Yonebayashi direct but to both Miyazaki and Yonebayashi's departure from Ghibli and the current hiatus of the studio itself, the current status on the proposed sequel remains uncertain.

Reception
Porco Rosso was the number one film on the Japanese market in 1992, earning ¥2.8 billion in distribution income. It was selected as the "Prix du long métrage (Feature movie) at the 1993 Annecy International Animated Film Festival.  It also made Time Out's top 50 animated movie list. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 94% based on 16 reviews. Wilson McLachlan, of the Left Field Cinema, considered it "the most underrated film from the Studio Ghibli catalogue."

Release

 * July 18, 1992 Movie Theater
 * December 12, 1992 Original VHS release
 * Autumn 1999 Newer VHS release in Japan
 * During 2003 English dub for the first time
 * March 2004 Newer DVD/VHS in Japan
 * 2005 Release by Disney

Music
Joe Hisaishi, who was in charge of music, produced a solo album "My Lost City" with the theme of the 1920s at the same time, and it was fateful that Miyazaki was making this work on the same era. He said he felt it. Miyazaki loved "My Lost City" sent with "Porco Rosso Image Album" and said, "I want all that song, I want all of it for "Porco Rosso" and "Please replace it with the image album" Hisaishi.

Soundtrack

 * 1) "The Wind of Time (When a Human Can Be a Human)" – 2:50
 * 2) "MAMMAIUTO" – 1:21
 * 3) "Addio!" – 0:37
 * 4) "The Bygone Days" – 2:16
 * 5) "A Sepia-Coloured Picture" – 0:47
 * 6) "Serbia March" – 1:03
 * 7) "Flying Boatmen" – 2:36
 * 8) "Doom (Cloud Trap)" – 1:23
 * 9) "Porco e Bella" – 1:06
 * 10) "Fio-Seventeen" – 2:04
 * 11) "The Women of Piccolo" – 2:04
 * 12) "Friend" – 3:04
 * 13) "Partnership" – 2:28
 * 14) "Madness (Flight)" – 2:39
 * 15) "To the Adriatic Sea" – 1:50
 * 16) "In Search of the Distant Era" – 2:18
 * 17) "Love at First Sight in the Wildness" – 1:11
 * 18) "At the End of Summer" – 1:26
 * 19) "Lost Spirit" – 4:11
 * 20) "Dog Fight" – 2:10
 * 21) "Porco e Bella (Ending)" – 2:35
 * 22) "The Time of Cherries" (sung by Tokiko Kato, arrangement by Yoko Kanno) – 2:52
 * 23) "Once in a While, Talk of the Old Days" (composition, lyrics, vocals by Tokiko Kato, arrangement by Yoko Kanno, Junichiro Ohkuchi) – 3:56

Trivia

 * Porco Rosso poster appears also Kichijoji Station in Ocean Waves when Taku meets Rikako. Porco Rosso also appears sitting on a table at the school fair.
 * In Whisper of the Heart, when Shizuku is shown the grandfather clock by Mr. Nishi, "Porco Rosso" is written on the clock face.