Miyazaki was a huge fan of the Pagot brothers (Italian animators who made The Lancia Bolide in 1951). He named the protagonist Marco Pagot in their honor. The Italian dub therefore feels like a tribute from Miyazaki to Italian animation history.
The cornerstone of the Porco Rosso Italian dub is the late Michele Kalamera. For those unfamiliar with Italian voice acting, Kalamera is a legend—best known internationally as the voice of Clint Eastwood (as the Man with No Name) and, tragically, the late Michael Gambon’s Albus Dumbledore. porco rosso italian dub
Kalamera did not "voice" Porco; he inhabited him. The character design by Miyazaki is cool and cynical, but Kalamera added a layer of weary, aristocratic resignation that is distinctly Italian. Miyazaki was a huge fan of the Pagot
Kalamera passed away in 2023, and upon his death, Italian social media was flooded with tributes to his Porco Rosso. Many Italians confessed they cannot separate Kalamera’s voice from the image of the Savoia S.21 seaplane. Kalamera passed away in 2023, and upon his
Celentano is a musical genius, and he brought rhythm to the dialogue. He famously ad-libbed certain grunts, sighs, and muttered asides not present in the original script. In the scene where Porco fixes the engine of his Savoia S.21, Celentano hums a fragmented, unrecognizable tune—a sound that feels like the mechanical heart of the plane itself.
Furthermore, he insisted that the environmental sounds (the wind, the engine roars, the sea) stay slightly louder than the dialogue, forcing the viewer to lean in. This broke the standard "cartoonish" clean audio mix, giving the film the texture of a 1970s Euro-war film.