Porco Rosso Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Porco Rosso Blu-ray Movie Review

A masterpiece by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) in a beautiful collectors edition.

Porco Rosso is an animated masterpiece from visionary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke). From Studio Ghibli and producer Toshio Suzuki (Ponyo, Tale of the Princess Kaguya), Porco Rosso is brimming with imagination and a sense of endless creativity. A must-see anime classic.

Porco Rosso is an Italian bounty hunter and WWI fighter-plane ace (who looks a lot like a “pig”): the adventurer lives life on the edge. Traveling across the world, Porco becomes thrust into danger with pirates and mischievous men. Upon visiting Milan, Porco meets a young mechanic: the tough-and-smart Piccolo.

Piccolo is a spirited girl with a determination to help Porco any way she can: she dedicates her time to helping him on his fighter-plane. As adventure unfolds, a duel enters the equation – when Porco finds himself in more trouble than he originally bargained for. Can Porco defeat the pirates and become the hero of the tale?

A journey of imagination.

The anime classic has exceptional art direction by Kazu Hisamura. The animation is wonderful from start to finish. There is a sense of majesty in every frame of the film. From the background art to the elaborate mechanical designs (such as the beautiful plane Porco navigates), Porco Rosso is a truly outstanding work of art. The world could use more magic like it.

The music score composed by Joe Hisaishi (Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro) is another masterful element of the film. Hisaishi has a knack for creating cinema magic with his epic music scores: Porco Rosso is no exception. The score carries one up in to the sky – as serenely as if being lifted by the air in our atmosphere.

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Each effort of Miyazaki is the work of a creative genius whose appreciation for storytelling gives vibrancy to our world: life itself is better as one experiences it through the eyes of maestro Miyazaki. Porco Rosso is one of the filmmakers best masterpieces. No anime fan should go without seeing this gem.

Porco Rosso Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from GKids Entertainment (in collaboration with Shout Factory), Porco Rosso is presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The release has a high bit-rate of 35 mbps.

For additional information on the picture-quality, please refer to the review by my colleague Stephen Larson.

Porco Rosso Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Both lossless audio presentations are provided in high-resolution 24 bit depth. For additional information about the audio-quality, please refer to the review by my colleague Stephen Larson.

Porco Rosso Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The collectors edition comes in collectible steelbook packaging. The release is absolutely stunning in hand. The steelbook design features a memorable image of Porco and his plane on the front-cover. A beautiful blue finish, the aesthetic is perfectly in tune with the adventurous tone of the filmmaking. Porco Rosso also includes a booklet. The release includes both a Blu-ray and DVD disc.

On disc supplements are the same as the standard edition. For additional information on the extras, please refer to the review by my colleague Stephen Larson.

Porco Rosso Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Porco Rosso is an anime masterpiece. Master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service) crafted one of his best gems with the action-packed classic. The animation is breathtaking. The music score by Joe Hisaishi (Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro) is transcendent. The Blu-ray release features an exceptional video-audio presentation and a nice supplemental package. The collectors edition steelbook is stunning and a nice edition for huge Miyazaki fans. A must-own release. Highly recommended.