What better way to spend the course of a summer completing your own personal film festival. Each week I’ve looked to my shelf of Blu-ray discs and pulled out a color coded steelbook containing a masterpiece from Hayao Miyazaki. While not my first time navigating through the filmography of Studio Ghibli it still provides a unconditional thrill and emotion each time I revisit these films. The beauty of nature that is painted with stunning color and realism in the backgrounds to the unique characters and unpredictable narratives, I find each rewatch beyond rewarding. All those aspects of the craft are enhanced by the incredible scores written by longtime collaborator, Joe Hisishi who manages to compose some of the most beautiful themes in cinema.

So today I wanted to tip my hat to this incredible artist by sharing one of my favorite compositions of his, “To the Adriatic Sea” from Porco Rosso. The symphonic melody instantly sets you along the Italian Mediterranean coast, with the bluest shades of sky and ocean kissing the ivy draped palazzos floating like tiny islands. The music is timeless and whimsical, perfect for story whose main character is a cursed pig pilot who fights air pirates and a fascist government.