Another animated treat from Hayao Miyazaki, Porco Rosso’s lead character is a middle-aged fighter pilot in 1920s Europe who has rejected human society and been cursed with a pig’s face.
The vintage planes provide the skydiving spectacle, but it’s a broad comedy with an elegiac edge, exploring themes of disappointed masculinity and displaced heroes. As such, it invites comparisons to both The Quiet Man and The Incredibles, while a sublime fantasy scene echoes A Matter Of Life And Death.