the Ghibli revolution continues...

This was the first Ghibli film I ever saw. I had heard about the studio and its works such as spirited away and Princess Mononoke.(as those were the most popular in the US at that time) So it was just an average night and I was flipping through channels when I came across the Turner Marathon for Ghibli films. After catching the tail end of My Neighbor Totoro, I decided to give Porco Rosso a chance to impress me. Well, within a few minutes it did a whole lot more than that. It douses you in the atmosphere of the time and place. (post WWI on the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Italy) The animation was so much more than I had ever experienced, with beautiful backgrounds that looked like oil paintings out of an art gallery. The character design in this film is of a more cartoonish look than seen in most ghibli pictures, but it compliments the feel of the story. I really liked how Miyazaki could make most of the characters embody a certain amount of goofiness but still lapse into serious aspects of the story when needed, and find out you really do care about them. Porco Rosso is like, Laputa: Castle in the Sky with a whole lot of comic relief, and it works. Even the villain pirates are caring and soft, and the American flying ace put up against Porco is just a guy caught up in the romance surrounding the title, with nothing in his mind but the image of chivalry.
If you're looking for a great film that will leave you smiling, look no further. Also, if you ever get the chance check out the english dub. (never thought I'd say that about an anime) But really, Micheal Bolton voices Porco, and it just fits so well.

Lovable, yet not quite satisfying.

It really is a great movie! Awesome plot and characters. But it just kind of leaves you without enough information, so you end up getting kind of confused on some of the minor parts. It's also a Miyazaki film, so it's very well animated and drawn. :]