Porco Rosso (1992)

Watch enough Miyazaki films and you'll notice recurring themes; wind is one of the most obvious, so it was inevitable he'd make a film about a pilot.
There's nothing in this one for kids beyond the bright colours. That should've meant an enhanced emphasis on adult concerns, but it isn't as successful as I'd hoped. His decision to make Porco a mystery denied me the emotional connection that is Ghibli's usual currency. Perhaps the (rumoured) upcoming sequel will address that. It's still an entertaining period piece, but lives in the shadow of Miyazaki's other works. Perhaps the biggest failing is that Porco is Italian and yet he (and everyone else in the Adriatic) speaks Japanese.

3 barrel rolls out of 5