Ponyo (2008) made me a better father.

I've always been a fan of Miyazaki movies, to the point where my phone always auto-corrects the spelling even though I always forget. Really, praising this master on r/videos is like tossing a drop in the ocean but I'm not here to talk about the beautiful hand-drawn cells, or the warm childish backgrounds, or probably some of the best scores from Joe Hisaishi. I'm here to talk about the theme of fatherhood in this movie.I became a dad about two years ago so naturally my girl gravitated to her favourite things, two of them to my absolute luck was Totoro and Ponyo. Now I'm not a purist with kids movies but one thing I will put Miyazaki movies over Disney is their little details and re-watch-ability, there's always somthing new with every watch and if you have a kid you know what I'm talking about with re-watching things.A few views in I always found myself getting emotional during the scene where the boy Sosuke and his father communicate over their spot lights in Morse Code. The music is esspecially delicate, and his mother being angry, and the need to keep their words short and sweet and careful really build into a scene that feels special and personal. My dad would work a lot when I was younger but we would always try and communicate and as I get older I know as long as my kid knows I mean the best for them, they will forgive the absence now and then.The character that really kills me is one that gets overlooked so much, Ponyo's dad, Fujimoto. At first glance he is off-putting, rude and pretty controlling over his kid, putting her happiness aside for the ocean and damning humanity along the way, easily making him the film's antagonist. As the film progresses he seems a lot more bumbling, and introverted and almost, sad. It's the scene where Ponyo's mother shows up that makes everything about his character change with this line;"She's a little girl, and she's in love with a little boy and the whole world is out of balance."I know Miyazaki is subtle with his work so this can't just be about the literal world they inhabit, but a metaphor for what all father's eventually have to go through with their daughters. That one day, no matter how old they become, they will always be their little gold-fish-girl and the world will feel like it's ending as they grow old and eventually leave. That one day, you realize there never was control and that you just have to do your best for her, with her, and she we notice one day. I now take it a lot slower with my little girl. I let her teach me as I teach her and I try to let go and not control so much of somthing that ultimately isn't mine, but I can be along for the ride with. That instead of keeping her in a bubble, I can share in the unbalanced world with her and ultimately make it balanced together.Thanks for making me a better dad Hayao. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/2SVSeg2