“A pig that doesn’t fly is just a pig.” That’s Marco — the main character of Hayao Miyazaki’s 1992 film “Porco Rosso” — a fighter ace and former World War I pilot trapped in a porcine body after a mysterious curse who haunts the Sicilian skies as a bounty hunter. 

At face value, he’s right. If he were confined to a pen rather than his sleek red aeroplane, Marco would be “just” a pig. But it’s more than that. In “Porco Rosso,” flight is as much a prison as the titular airman’s condition, constantly reminding Marco of the brutality of his wartime experiences and the humanity that he has lost along the way. 

Without his plane, Marco would be grounded, unexceptional — but with it, he is irrevocably changed, altered by combat in a way that necessitates he returns again and again to the cockpit, just to maintain some semblance of himself. This Catch-22 is at the heart of what makes “Porco Rosso” great, allowing Miyazaki to work his magic to elevate a simple children’s tale into the realm of real, existential significance. 

But of course, Miyazaki also gets some help from a spectacular ensemble cast. Studio Ghibli has a rich tradition of attracting the best of the best for their English dubs (see Robert Pattinson’s terrific performance in “The Boy and the Heron”) — “Porco Rosso” is no different. Michael Keaton perfectly embodies Marco’s gruff bravado, while Susan Egan is the perfect fit for Gina, Marco’s gentle, forlorn love interest. Toss in braggadocious American pilot Donald Curtis (Cary Elwes) and precocious mechanic Fio (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), and there is nary a weak link in “Porco Rosso’s” acting department. 

The score, too, is sneakily among Ghibli’s best. Granted, it doesn’t have the iconic tracks of “Spirited Away”  or “My Neighbor Totoro” (e.g., “The Name of Life” or “The Wind Forest” respectively), but longtime Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi crafts a thematic soundscape that fits “Porco Rosso” like a glove — at times spritely and adventurous, at others somber and meditative. 

So if you decide to celebrate this Guide special issue with a Miyazaki marathon (which I would highly encourage you to do), be sure to add “Porco Rosso” to the queue. It may not be the first option that springs to mind when one thinks “Ghibli,” but I assure you it is well worth a viewing.