Kurenai no buta (Porco Rosso)
1992
***
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Cast: Shuichiro Moriyama, Tokiko Kato, Akemi Okamura, Akio Otsuka
A former World War One fighter ace who has turned into a pig now makes a living catching air pirates in the Adriatic Sea. A cocky American pilot arrives in the scene and attempts to gain fame by shooting Porco Rosso down. This Japanese film takes us back to the early days of aviation. This period of history is fascinating and the animation work is lovely to look at. The story follows the Studio Ghibli's usual dream-like logic, but it doesn't work so well in the more realistic setting. As a result, the confounding characters remain at arm's length. Hayao Miyazaki based the animation on his own manga.
