Porco Rosso is a 1992 Studio Ghibli animated film. Miyazaki Hayao planned the film based on his own manga Hikoutei Jidai, Era of the Flying Boat. But the idea was to produce a short in-flight film based on the fifteen pages manga for Japan Airlines. A forty five minute film. After the war in Yugoslavia started in 1991 Suzuki Toshio felt a darker tone fitted better for the film. The producer decided to make Porco Rosso a full length film by Studio Ghibli.
Porco Rosso and The Era of the Flying Boat manga
Hikoutei Jidai or Thee Era of the Flying Boat is an all watercolor manga by Miyazaki Hayao. It is Miyazaki working on his love. His Hobby. The fascination for the old aircrafts of the first World War and the pilots that became a legend. Miyazaki published the manga on Model Graphix during 1989. The acclaimed co-founder of Studio Ghibli started to publish in the magazine back in 1984 while working on the manga of Nausicaa. “After staying up all night to finish the last pages and meet the deadline, the next day I’d draw planes and let my mind fly. It is my hobby and a psychological release valve for me”.
Almost all his work for Model Graphix was collected in Miyazaki Hayao no Zassou Nouto or Hayao Miyazaki’s Daydream Data Note. Contained works between 1984 and 1992. Serialization resumed in 1998 with Miyazaki Hayao’s delusion notes. He returned to collaborate once again with the magazine in 2009. Later Miyazaki wrote a manga depicting the life of Horikoshi Jiro named The Wind Rises. It will become the inspiration for the movie of the same name.
Miyazaki Hayao beloved old airplanes
Porco Rosso was released in Japan on July 18, 1992. The film became the number one on Japanese markets that year. But not only Japan, a success in Western Markets as well. Being one of the first Studio Ghibli movies we remember from the first half of the 90’s.
After the movie and because of his interest in military weaponry and military affairs, Miyazaki Hayao explained his political stance. An opponent of Japan’s rearmament, he said “I only enjoy drawing the aircrafts”. After the raw depiction of war by Ghibli in Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Takahata Isao. Miyazaki created a romanticized version of the old times by the veterans of the first World War. The air pirates gang from Laputa: Castle in the Sky return for more adventures. The “Mama Aiuto” or Help Mom! Some of the same members but not the “mother boss”, are back for Porco Rosso. And Hisaishi Joe once again wrote a magnificent score.
Miyazaki was pretty open about his intentions for a sequel. Even having a working name in 2011: Porco Rosso The Last Sortie. Showing Porco as a veteran pilot during the Spanish Civil War. Sadly Studio Ghibli was clear about the movie not being in future projects.