Porco Rosso II

NOTE - the following has been found to be in error and the correct update is here.



Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have mentioned a sequel to Porco Rosso.

Miyazaki Developing Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie

Acclaimed animation director Hayao Miyazaki is developing a sequel to his 1992 film Porco Rosso entitled Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie, says a report from Cut Magazine (via Nausicaa.net and AICN).

The original film told the story of an Italian World War I fighter pilot who was transformed into a pig by a magical curse. The English language release featured Michael Keaton in the titular role.

Miyazaki is quoted as saying that The Last Sortie will be set during the Spanish Civil War and that it will represent a sort of artistic escape for him at the moment, focusing on a male character after so many films with female protagonists.

A sequel to Porco Rosso would represent the first direct sequel on the part of Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli. Previously, characters have crossed over between films (as was the case with Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns as well as the Susuwatari creatures in both My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.

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Nausicaa and Teto

Fox squirrels on Robot

Above mentioned the characters that crossed over to different films and creatures appearing in more than one film (Susuwatari), they missed another one that has appeared in two films. In Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a creature called a fox squirrel. The one we see in the film is a character named Teto who plays quite an important role (at least in the comics). The fox squirrels also appeared in the Ghibli film Castle in the Sky.

The second part of this story isn't so pleasant. There has been some talk from Miyazaki about closing Studio Ghibli and no longer making their amazing films. Pardon the repeated information in this article...

Hayao Miyazaki on a Porco Rosso sequel and Studio Ghibli’s closure

Ryan Lambie

In a recent interview, the Japanese master of animation Hayao Miyazaki spoke of his intention to make a sequel to 1992’s Porco Rosso, and the possibility of winding up Studio Ghibli for good...

Published on Aug 23, 2010

But in a recent interview with Cut Magazine, Miyazaki discussed the possibility of his studio's closure should his latest project, The Borrower Arrietty, prove to be a box office failure.The Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki has been making unique, achingly beautiful features for so long now that it's hard to imagine the almost unbroken line of classics that have emerged from his Studio Ghibli to ever cease.

"Suzuki-san [Toshio Suzuki, studio president] is making a dissolution program for Ghibli," Miyazaki said. "No joke, we talked about it the other day. For example, Ghibli should be able to continue with about five staff members as a copyright management company even if we smash the studio. So, Ghibli can say, ‘We stop film production. Goodbye'. I do not have to be there."

It's a grim scenario, and one we genuinely hope doesn't come to pass. On a lighter note, Miyazaki also suggested that if Arrietty and the film after that both perform as hoped, then he's considering a return to an earlier concept of his, 1992's Porco Rosso, for a high flying sequel.

"So I want to escape to Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie," Miyazaki revealed. "I have all its materials. It should be interesting. It is set for Spanish Civil War."

The Borrower Arrietty, the studio's highly stylised take on Mary Norton's children's tale The Borrowers, was released in Japan in July, but it could be some time before a translated version makes it to the west. Miyazaki's previous film, Ponyo, didn't make it to the UK until well over a year after its premiere in Japan.

So, while Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie is still a distant possibility, it's a far, far more happy one than the terrible thought of Studio Ghibli closing its doors for good.

Coming Soon

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So lets hope for the best with The Borrower Arrietty and whatever comes after that one so we can get another Porco Rosso.