A largely overlooked entry in the Hayao Miyazaki catalog, about a wartime fighter pilot (turned bounty hunter) who's been cursed with the face and body of a pig. I'd skipped this one for years because the director deemed it "foolish" and, to be honest, it just didn't look all that interesting. You'd think I would know better.
As with all prime Studio Ghibli entries, it brims and bustles with life, gladly bearing a joyful appreciation for the small things and an admiration for those who seek adventure. Air force captains, sky pirates, lounge owners, engineers... each pursue excitement in their own characteristic ways, which often overlap unexpectedly. Rosso himself is a tough nut to crack, only vaguely alluding to the curse that transformed his appearance and maintaining an emotional distance for much of the story. In some ways, that's refreshing - one might expect the search for a cure to dominate the plot, when that's far from the case - but it also makes him a tricky, and often underwhelming, lead character. His unwanted, self-appointed sidekick, a spunky young designer named Fio, is much more in the mold of the classic Ghibli protagonist.
Miyazaki and company also take special care to hammer out unique identities for each airship in the story, though these do generally take a back seat to their colorful pilots. The director's lifelong ties to avionics (his father was an aeronautical engineer) and his deep-rooted understanding of their natural, graceful motion are almost as clearly evident here as they would be twenty years later, in the more personal The Wind Rises.
Vibrant and energetic, stimulating and surprising, this has everything one might expect from the famed Japanese animation house. Perhaps a half-step below their very best, largely due to the reticent lead and an abrupt climax, but still an excellent selection for all ages to share and enjoy.
Review by drqshadowBlockedParent2020-01-29T20:51:17Z
A largely overlooked entry in the Hayao Miyazaki catalog, about a wartime fighter pilot (turned bounty hunter) who's been cursed with the face and body of a pig. I'd skipped this one for years because the director deemed it "foolish" and, to be honest, it just didn't look all that interesting. You'd think I would know better.
As with all prime Studio Ghibli entries, it brims and bustles with life, gladly bearing a joyful appreciation for the small things and an admiration for those who seek adventure. Air force captains, sky pirates, lounge owners, engineers... each pursue excitement in their own characteristic ways, which often overlap unexpectedly. Rosso himself is a tough nut to crack, only vaguely alluding to the curse that transformed his appearance and maintaining an emotional distance for much of the story. In some ways, that's refreshing - one might expect the search for a cure to dominate the plot, when that's far from the case - but it also makes him a tricky, and often underwhelming, lead character. His unwanted, self-appointed sidekick, a spunky young designer named Fio, is much more in the mold of the classic Ghibli protagonist.
Miyazaki and company also take special care to hammer out unique identities for each airship in the story, though these do generally take a back seat to their colorful pilots. The director's lifelong ties to avionics (his father was an aeronautical engineer) and his deep-rooted understanding of their natural, graceful motion are almost as clearly evident here as they would be twenty years later, in the more personal The Wind Rises.
Vibrant and energetic, stimulating and surprising, this has everything one might expect from the famed Japanese animation house. Perhaps a half-step below their very best, largely due to the reticent lead and an abrupt climax, but still an excellent selection for all ages to share and enjoy.