There are gritty themes just below the surface, making Porco Rosso a masterful bit of bittersweet storytelling about identity and star-crossed lovers.
In Porco Rosso, an Italian World War I ex-fighter ace named Marco Pagot gets transformed by a curse into an anthropomorphic pig. As a freelance bounty hunter who chases down air pirates, Marco becomes known to the world as "Porco Rosso", Italian for ¨Crimson Pig.¨ Offering up some breathtaking animation, Miyazaki blends fact and fantasy into a comedic highflying adventure. There are gritty themes just below the surface, making Porco Rosso a masterful bit of bittersweet storytelling about identity and star-crossed lovers. Porco Rosso is quite possibly Miyazaki’s and Studio Ghibli's most underrated movie.