Porco Rosso is arguably Miyazaki’s most explicitly political film, dealing directly with the rise of Italian Fascism in the late 1920s. Marco Pagot’s transformation into a pig is a self-inflicted curse—a physical manifestation of his refusal to serve a totalitarian state and a corrupt military machine.
The Italian dub of Porco Rosso has been met with a fascinating mix of praise and passionate critique, reflecting Cannarsi’s wider influence on anime localization in Italy.
A Tale of Two Dubs: The 1992 Original vs. The 2010 Lucky Red Localization
The dubbing was directed by , a legendary Italian dubbing director known for his meticulous work (he also directed the Italian dub of The Simpsons and Spirited Away ). He ensured lip-sync was faithful and that the pacing matched the original animation. porco rosso italian dub
Would you like a scene-by-scene comparison of a famous line (e.g., the “human pigs” speech) across Japanese, English, and Italian?
Hayao Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso (1992) is a love letter to aviation, the Adriatic Sea, and the cynical romance of the interwar period. While Studio Ghibli films are famous for their Japanese original audio, Porco Rosso holds a unique, almost poetic connection to Italy. Set in the Adriatic, centered on an Italian pilot, and deeply rooted in Italian culture, the isn’t just a translation—it is arguably the intended cultural experience for many fans, bridging the gap between Japanese artistic vision and the film's European setting.
The real-world that inspired Miyazaki's aircraft designs. A Tale of Two Dubs: The 1992 Original vs
The Italian adds a layer of sarcastic, familial teasing. It is less poetic, but infinitely more human.
For nearly two decades, Italian fans could only watch the film in its original Japanese or through unofficial means. A first attempt to dub the film was made in 1997 by Buena Vista, featuring the talents of director Gualtiero Cannarsi, but this version was shelved and remained unreleased. It wasn't until 2010 that the distributor Lucky Red finally brought the film to Italian cinemas, not just with a new dub, but with the full cooperation and approval of Studio Ghibli itself.
The Italian dub features a cast that captures the "mature yet silly" tone of Miyazaki's work: Massimo Corvo (modern version) Donald Curtis: Fabrizio Pucci Fio Piccolo: Letizia Scifoni Madame Gina: Roberta Greganti Boss Mamma Aiuto: Paolo Buglioni Ferrarin: Massimo De Ambrosis Why Fans Choose the Italian Dub Would you like a scene-by-scene comparison of a
Watching Porco Rosso in Italian is more than just a linguistic preference; it is a stylistic completion of Miyazaki’s vision. It turns the film into a piece of , making the Adriatic setting feel lived-in and visceral. By aligning the phonetics with the film’s visual soul, the Italian dub elevates the movie from a tribute to Italy into a genuine part of its cinematic landscape.
The Italian script adaptation for Porco Rosso had to navigate the challenge of translating Japanese dialogue that was already trying to capture a European atmosphere. The result is exceptional.