PONYO! and what that means for me

Last night, I saw Ponyo. My friends were late. But my intense anger aside (I HATE tardiness of any sort), it was an AMAZING movie. Amazing not only because of Hayao Miyazaki's ability to create a collective imagination but because of the experience before, during, and after.
Before the film, I had saved four seats for my late late friends. As the coming attracts started to roll, a woman with an adorable little boy asked if they could take two of the seats. I obliged, certainly too begrudgingly on my part. I had, apparently, forgotten what a blessing it was to watch a movie with a little kid. Through Where the Wild Things Are, Toy Story 3-D, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Princess and the Frog, he looked like his day was made. And the movie hadn't even started. When it did... WOW. Hand drawn and perfect, the movie captivated everyone. My late friend barely distracted me. Although, this might have to do with the fact that I literally waved her away when she asked what had happened in the first two minutes. However, I fell in love. The movie took us all on a ride, and hearing the kids throughout the theater react so happily to an animated film simply drawn and without gimmicks made my heart soar. The little boy next to me was so excited throughout the whole film. Sure, I saw that perhaps it didn't have much of a conflict, and certainly no climax. All he saw was Ponyo and Soske on a magical adventure through sea and land, with a wonderful mother (Tina Fey is SO COOL) and some lovely old friends (props to Betty White and Lily Tomlin for being amazing even as animated characters). By the end of the movie, all I could do was smile and continue to ignore my friend. The little guy next to me left with a smile on his face, happy to have seen Ponyo, the little goldfish turned girl.

After weeks of feeling less-than-confident in my chosen career path, I remembered why I want to make movies. I want little kids to see them. I want every theater to sound and feel like that one that I was in last night.
So I went home and wrote eight pages of Teddy and Gary for that little guy sitting next to me.
Today I wrote another eight for myself. It's so inspiring to know that there is room for imagination in this world, for stories for children that don't treat them as less-than-human, as unintelligent. Ponyo is not Miyazaki's best film, but it is one of the best films in theaters right now. And it inspired and uplifted me to actually write.
It feels so good to know I have a place in this industry waiting for me. Like little Ponyo, I know what I want and I've got the magic to get me there. I can write for kids; I pride myself on being able to write and speak to them as people. I'm so excited to continue work on my script. I understand how to write it now. It's catharsis for me. I told a friend earlier, Gary and Teddy's monsters have become my monsters. When I sit down and write about their journey to save Dad, it might as well be me writing about my journey of growing up, of finding a new relationship with my parents, of understanding what it means to be independent, despite feeling like a kid.

So thank you, Ponyo. Thank you, Mr. Miyazaki. In making me feel like a kid for a night, you helped me grow up in the right direction.