Porco Rosso Blu-ray Review
Writer-director Hayao Miyazaki literally gives his film flight with the exceptional flying sequences which never fail to inspire and impress, sometimes so intricate and extraordinarily animated that they appear almost as 3D images. The two dogfights that Porco and Curtis engage in are both among the film’s high spots, and even when Porco is soaring in solitary bliss or remembering an out-of-body experience when he saw his deceased flying mates soar toward a special kind of celestial afterlife, the viewer’s thrill at watching these aerial sequences transpire makes up for any small lapses in storytelling. Miyazaki doesn’t do a great job in explaining the spell that has changed Marco into Porco (though with his initial aversion to the women working on his aircraft, he has become quite literally a male chauvinist pig), and he leaves his eventual fate to our own imaginations in the film’s climactic moments. Still, he mines a lot of comic mileage out of many porcine references, puns, and putdowns even if the showdown between Curtis and Porco goes from an exciting aerial one to one involving fisticuffs on the ground (water actually) which goes on too long for too little payoff. There’s also a spottily developed subplot involving nightclub owner/singer Gina (Tokiko Katô, Susan Egan in English) who was married to Porco’s best friend and now carries a torch for Porco who’s too much of a loner to notice or care.
Once again, both casts are excellent though each seems to go for different subtleties in performance. Shûichirô Moriyama plays Porco tough with more edge while Michael Keaton invests his Porco with more irony and less fierceness. David Ogden Stiers goes for a more light-hearted grandfather than Japanese counterpart Bunshi Katsura. Both Akio Ôtsuka and Cary Elwes carry off the egotistical nature of Donald Curtis very well though Elwes imbues his creation with a broad Texas accent for some downhome flavor. Equally matched are Akemi Okamura and Kimberly Williams as Fio, both high-spirited and enthusiastic in equal measure. Tokiko Katô and Susan Egan both handle Gina’s singing chores very nicely.
Original Japanese Storyboards (1:33:18, HD): the Japanese version of the film may be viewed with storyboards replacing the finished animation.
Trailers and Promotions (7:55, HD): three theatrical trailers and one brief promotional film are presented in montage.
Toshio Suzuki Interview (3:22, SD): the film’s producer is asked some questions about the studio’s most famous animation director Hayao Miyazaki.
Promo Trailers (HD): 101 Dalmatians, Inside Out, Big Hero 6.
DVD Copy: enclosed in the case.
One of the most light-hearted and amusing larks from Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso is much more concerned with having fun than it is in conveying any kind of message (there is a mild one concerning equality for women, but it’s gotten over with rather quickly and not resumed). With the studio’s resident animation genius behind the scenes and working with strong animators who turn out some of their most awe-inspiring work, Porco Rosso is lots of fun for both kids and adults.
Studio: Disney
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA, French 2.0 DD, Other
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
Rating: PG
Run Time: 1 Hr. 32 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray, DVD
keep case in a slipcoverDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: ABC
Release Date: 02/03/2015
MSRP: $36.99
The Production Rating: 4/5
Writer-director Hayao Miyazaki literally gives his film flight with the exceptional flying sequences which never fail to inspire and impress, sometimes so intricate and extraordinarily animated that they appear almost as 3D images. The two dogfights that Porco and Curtis engage in are both among the film’s high spots, and even when Porco is soaring in solitary bliss or remembering an out-of-body experience when he saw his deceased flying mates soar toward a special kind of celestial afterlife, the viewer’s thrill at watching these aerial sequences transpire makes up for any small lapses in storytelling. Miyazaki doesn’t do a great job in explaining the spell that has changed Marco into Porco (though with his initial aversion to the women working on his aircraft, he has become quite literally a male chauvinist pig), and he leaves his eventual fate to our own imaginations in the film’s climactic moments. Still, he mines a lot of comic mileage out of many porcine references, puns, and putdowns even if the showdown between Curtis and Porco goes from an exciting aerial one to one involving fisticuffs on the ground (water actually) which goes on too long for too little payoff. There’s also a spottily developed subplot involving nightclub owner/singer Gina (Tokiko Katô, Susan Egan in English) who was married to Porco’s best friend and now carries a torch for Porco who’s too much of a loner to notice or care.
Once again, both casts are excellent though each seems to go for different subtleties in performance. Shûichirô Moriyama plays Porco tough with more edge while Michael Keaton invests his Porco with more irony and less fierceness. David Ogden Stiers goes for a more light-hearted grandfather than Japanese counterpart Bunshi Katsura. Both Akio Ôtsuka and Cary Elwes carry off the egotistical nature of Donald Curtis very well though Elwes imbues his creation with a broad Texas accent for some downhome flavor. Equally matched are Akemi Okamura and Kimberly Williams as Fio, both high-spirited and enthusiastic in equal measure. Tokiko Katô and Susan Egan both handle Gina’s singing chores very nicely.
Video Rating: 5/5 3D Rating: NA
Audio Rating: 4.5/5
Special Features Rating: 3.5/5
Original Japanese Storyboards (1:33:18, HD): the Japanese version of the film may be viewed with storyboards replacing the finished animation.
Trailers and Promotions (7:55, HD): three theatrical trailers and one brief promotional film are presented in montage.
Toshio Suzuki Interview (3:22, SD): the film’s producer is asked some questions about the studio’s most famous animation director Hayao Miyazaki.
Promo Trailers (HD): 101 Dalmatians, Inside Out, Big Hero 6.
DVD Copy: enclosed in the case.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
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