Porco Rosso facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Porco Rosso
Japanese release poster
Directed by	Hayao Miyazaki
Produced by	Toshio Suzuki
Screenplay by	Hayao Miyazaki
Starring	Shūichirō Moriyama Tokiko Kato Akemi Okamura Akio Ōtsuka
Music by	Joe Hisaishi
Cinematography	Atsushi Okui
Editing by	Takeshi Seyama
Studio	Studio Ghibli
Distributed by	Toho
Release date(s)	July 18, 1992 (1992-07-18)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	$9.2 million
Money made	$44 million (est.)

Porco Rosso (Japanese: 紅の豚, Hepburn: Kurenai no Buta, lit. "Crimson Pig") is a Japanese animated adventure-comedy film from 1992. It was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, a famous filmmaker. The movie is based on Miyazaki's own watercolor comic book series called Hikōtei Jidai ("The Age of the Flying Boat").

The story is about an Italian pilot who fought in World War I. He now works as a "bounty hunter," which means he catches "air pirates" who cause trouble over the Adriatic Sea. But there's a strange curse on him: he has been turned into a pig! His real name is Marco Pagot, but everyone knows him as "Porco Rosso," which means "Red Pig" in Italian.

The film was made by Studio Ghibli, a well-known animation studio. It was first released in Japan and later had an English version for other countries.

Story of Porco Rosso

In the 1930s, Porco Rosso is a skilled pilot who used to be a fighter ace in World War I. Now, he flies his plane to stop "air pirates" from attacking ships. One day, he saves a ferry from pirates.

After his mission, Porco goes to a hotel run by his good friend, Gina. At the hotel, the pirate leaders hire an American pilot named Curtis to help them. Curtis quickly falls in love with Gina, but she is not interested in him. She seems to care more about Porco.

Porco's Plane Trouble

After a successful pirate attack, Curtis finds Porco flying to Milan to fix his plane. Porco's engine suddenly stops, and Curtis shoots him down. Curtis thinks he has killed Porco, but Porco survives, though his plane is badly damaged.

Porco travels by train with his broken plane. Gina is annoyed because there's a warrant for his arrest in Italy.

Fio, the Young Mechanic

Porco secretly arrives in Milan to meet his mechanic, Piccolo. He learns that Piccolo's sons have left to find work because of the Great Depression. This means Piccolo's young granddaughter, Fio, will have to do most of the repair work.

Porco is unsure about Fio's skills at first. But when he sees how dedicated she is, he realizes she's a very good engineer. Once Porco's plane is fixed, Fio insists on flying back with him. She says that if the government police try to arrest them, they can say Porco forced her to come along.

On their way home, Porco finds out that the new government is starting to hire seaplane pirates for their own use. This means Porco's job as a bounty hunter might be over.

The Final Duel

Back at Gina's hotel, Curtis asks Gina to marry him, but she says no. She tells him she is waiting for Porco Rosso. When Porco and Fio return, the pirates ambush them. They threaten to kill Porco and destroy his plane.

Fio bravely talks them out of it. Then, Curtis appears and challenges Porco to a final duel. Fio makes a deal: if Porco wins, Curtis must pay all the money he owes Piccolo's company. If Curtis wins, he can marry Fio.

A Story from the Past

That night, Porco tells Fio a story from World War I. Two days after Gina's first wedding to his friend Bellini, his squadron was attacked. Porco flew into a cloud to escape. He remembers waking up above the clouds, seeing a shimmering silver band in the sky.

He saw planes flown by his fallen friends, including Bellini, rising towards this band. Porco realized the band was thousands of planes flying together. He then woke up flying low over the sea, alone. As Fio falls asleep, she briefly sees Marco's true face instead of the pig.

The Big Fight

The next day, a large crowd gathers to watch the duel between Porco and Curtis. The fight is long and close. When both planes' machine guns jam, they start fighting with their fists!

Porco and Curtis trade insults. The fight ends with both pilots knocking each other out and falling into the shallow water. Gina arrives and calls out "Marco!" Porco rises first and is declared the winner.

Gina warns everyone that the Italian air force is coming and invites them to her hotel. Porco asks Gina to look after Fio, which frustrates Gina. Just before Gina's plane takes off, Fio leans out and gives Porco a kiss.

As the crowd leaves, Porco offers to lead the air force away and invites Curtis to join him. Curtis is surprised and asks Porco to turn around, suggesting he also briefly saw Marco's true face.

Fio later tells us that Porco escaped the air force and was never hunted again. Fio became the president of the Piccolo company, which now makes airplanes. Curtis became a famous actor, and the pirates continued to visit Gina's hotel even when they were old. Fio doesn't say if Gina's hope about Porco Rosso ever came true, calling it their secret. However, a red plane can be seen docked by Gina's garden at the end.

Characters and Voices

A Nod to Early Aviation

Aermacchi's seaplanes at the Italian Air Force Museum

The fictional "Piccolo" aircraft company in the movie is inspired by real Italian plane makers like Caproni and Piaggio. The jet seen at the end of the film looks a lot like the Caproni C-22J, designed by Carlo Ferrarin. This designer's name is used for Marco's pilot friend in the movie.

Many real planes from the 1930s, like the Savoia-Marchetti S.55, Fiat C.R.20, and Macchi M.39, are shown in the movie.

Porco's pilot friend, Ferrarin, was inspired by a real Italian Air Force pilot named Arturo Ferrarin. He flew from Rome to Tokyo in 1920! Also, the Caproni Ca.309 plane was nicknamed "Ghibli," which is where Studio Ghibli got its name.

Porco's plane is named after the Savoia S.21, but its design is based on the Macchi M.33. The engine in Porco's rebuilt plane even has "Ghibli" written on it. This engine was mentioned as being used in a racing plane for the Schneider Trophy race.

In the early 1930s, Italian seaplane designers set world speed records. One of the test pilots who died trying to set a record was named Bellini, which is the same name as Porco's pilot friend in the film. Famous Italian fighter pilots Francesco Baracca and Adriano Visconti also appear in the movie.

The main character's real name, Marco Pagot, is a tribute to the Pagot brothers. They were pioneers in Italian animation.

The character of Curtis might be named after Glenn Curtiss, an American aviation pioneer. Curtis's plane, the Curtiss R3C, was built for the 1925 Schneider Cup race. His character also seems to be inspired by adventure movie heroes from that time, like Errol Flynn.

Hayao Miyazaki later explored the history of aviation again in his 2013 film The Wind Rises.

Future Plans

In 2011, Miyazaki mentioned that he wanted to make a sequel to Porco Rosso if his other films were successful. The working title for the new movie was Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie. It would have been set during the Spanish Civil War, with Porco as an older pilot. Miyazaki would have written it, but Hiromasa Yonebayashi would have directed. However, Studio Ghibli has since said that a sequel is not currently planned.

Images for kids

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  Fio and Porco

See also

In Spanish: Porco Rosso para niños