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Released : 18 July1992 (Theatrical) This is defiantly the funniest and most free-hearted of Miyazaki’s films which was proven by the laughter that rolled off the walls of the cinema throughout the movie’s screening at the Sydney Japanime film festival. After an amazingly distinguished film history, bringing joy to millions world-wide, and just finishing his latest creation, ‘Kiki's Delivery Service’, Miyazaki embarked on a film that he even admits himself was to indulge his own true passions and express them through his artform in his first film aimed specifically at the older classes of the Japanese public. Even more specifically, Miyazaki told his animators to make this movie marketed at "tired, middle-aged men." He maybe wished to rekindle a flame of hope and freedom not only through-out japan’s buzy buisness-minded mass, but also in his own aging body. Miyazaki was raised in a family who lived on the outskirts of Tokyo making parts for Zero fighters in pre-war efforts. Miyazaki Airplane, the firm of Hayao’s father, Katsuji, was the beginning of his love for old fighter planes and his amazing ability to obsessively detail every part of the planes in his anime. The main body of the film is dedicated to the part-by-part creation of his favorite fighter plane, its aerial acrobatics and its stunning beauty in flight. Porco Rosso may have been an indulgence of his love of old planes, the freedom of flight and pigs but it still managed to become an immortal Studio Ghibli classic that once again topped the charts at the Japanese Box Office and acted as a stepping stone towards his somewhat darker and even more adult themed movie of Princess Mononoke. While the main body of the Studio Ghibli animation staff at that time was buzy working on the finishing details of Mr. Isao Takahata’s, Omohide Poroporo (Only Yesterday), Miyazaki was forced to begin work on this production alone until the later stages of key animation. This has made it a true extension of himself as can be seen in al stages of the films of production, if not more-so than his other classics. Miyazaki has always added an element of comedy to lighten the sometimes dark and oppressive elements of his movies through a humorous remark or action. But this is very much taken to extremes as Miyazaki has created a main character that in himself is a laugh, a flying pig. An ex-world war fighter pilot, Marco Rosso was is cursed with being a pig. The reason for this are brought to light later as the film shows it’s darker underbelly, but still remains very free-hearted as a saddening story of forbidden love evolves. After starting his life as a human and evolving to become the best fighter pilot in the Mediterranean sea, after a very traumatic emotional experience during a dog fight in, world war I, Marco became a pig. Weather this is due to his own choice or a supernatural chain of events, it is never made completely clear. What does become clear though is his rejection of the rest of the human race until when his aging fighter plane is gunned down by an American pilot he is forced to deal with his problems. As his air-ship is under total reconstruction, having been only able to salvage the plane’s beautifully lined hull he meets a girl who embodies everything he saw as missing from the human race. And as she redesigns and rebuilds his plane, she also rebuilds his heart with hope and trust that leads ultimately leads Marco back to the human race, and you hope, back to his true love who was always to see past his mis-shaped husk, but as he was never able to forgive himself, he never let her through. But overall there is no real complex plot that you must concentrate on like Studio Ghibli’s other films and instead you are stuck to the screen by the fun of the film and the amazing work of Miyazaki as he displays his absolute love for the freedom of the sky. Witnessing it on the big-screen was truely an awe-inspiring experiance as his fighter planes flew through the emdless grace of god’s domain!
LINKS Nausicaa.net - The Best Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli resource on
the net
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