Classics - Why Porco Rosso Still Hits

A pilot cursed with the face of a pig hunts sky pirates over the Adriatic Sea.

Words by Jamie Harper 14 November 2026

Why Porco Rosso Still Hits: the main characters

A pilot cursed with the face of a pig hunts sky pirates over the Adriatic Sea.

Porco Rosso is the only Studio Ghibli film with a middle-aged hero, and we think it is Hayao Miyazaki's most personal film. It still hits because it never explains its curse, and does not need to.

The premise - A pig who flies a red seaplane

Studio Ghibli: a pig who flies a red seaplane

Italy, the late 1920s. Marco, a former war ace, now has the face of a pig and works as a bounty hunter, flying a red seaplane against the air pirates of the Adriatic.

He lives alone in a hidden cove, sleeps under a beach umbrella and wants nothing from anybody.

Why it still works - A young engineer who will not be ignored

Studio Ghibli: a young engineer who will not be ignored

When his plane is shot down by the American pilot Curtis, Marco takes it to Milan, where seventeen-year-old Fio Piccolo talks her way into redesigning it.

She is fearless and brilliant, and she is the first person in years who treats Porco like a man worth saving.

The verdict - The film Miyazaki made for himself

Studio Ghibli: the film miyazaki made for himself

It began in 1992 as a short in-flight film for Japan Airlines and grew into a feature, made from Miyazaki's love of old seaplanes, with a score by Joe Hisaishi.

Watch it in the 2003 English dub with Michael Keaton as Porco, or with subtitles, on a summer evening.

Where to watch

Streaming catalogues for Studio Ghibli differ between the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia, and they change from month to month, so check the services you use.