I kinda didn’t get much love during childhood, so I kinda get obsessed about it. I recently watched Spy x Family and holy hell, I get so jealous of the wholesomeness of their family dynamic, I cried. I need more of that.
Watch Bluey! It’s a kids show, but everyone should watch it.
I’ll admit that this does sound kind of like a joke suggestion, but I’m serious, after a hard day, sit down, suck up your pride and put an episode or two of Bluey on. It’s a warm blanket on a cold day.
I hope I didn’t come across as joking. Bluey models probably the most wholesome parent-child relationships on television. Yes it’s acted out by cartoon dogs; but the scenarios hit home.
I’m a father of two; watching (and often emulating) Bluey has absolutely made me a better parent. It’s not all “go 100% with your kids all the time”; sometimes it’s “we have to stop playing so I can go to work” or “mom and dad are tired, let’s play a game where we don’t have to leave the couch” or “it seems we’re spending too much time watching TV or screens, how do we reconnect to the real world”. Yes, the irony of a TV show covering that last topic isn’t lost on me :P
Yeah bluey is 100% a show anyone can watch and get something out of, I’ve cried watching it and I’m a 39 year old dude, good stories are good stories regardless of their target audience.
Seconded.
Bob’s Burgers has got to be the #1 here. One of the most loving families in television history.
Avatar - The Last Airbender might be a contender. If you can tolerate some entirely NOT wholesome dynamics alongside all the wholesome ones.
The Owl House also comes to mind.
I was coming to say Bobs Burgers
I came here to say Owl House, one of the best found family stories I’ve ever seen
Came here to say Spy Family, but since you’ve seen that…Schitt’s Creek has a good bit of it, though it is def a slow starter in that regard since it’s kind of all about the mc family being shitheads that learn better over time. Still, lots of sweet familial bonding moments all throughout. It’s also just a stellar cast and series. No complaints from me about it iirc.
Spy Family also has a manga that has been going on quite a bit longer than the anime. I think their chapter count is in the 200s last I checked? So it’s quite far ahead of where the anime left off and is genuinely just as good a read as it is a watch. Maybe even funnier at times with the differences in the way the medium sells comedy compared to animation.
Speaking of comics, there’s a great western one called Black Science all about a family surviving some very unfortunate scifi chaos. Less cozy vibes than the others by a good deal, but that just makes it more satisfying when they do pop up imo.
I’d be surprised if you haven’t seen it already, but Lilo and Stitch has a ton of this. Less parent/child and more inter-sibling, but still very effective and very sweet. One of my favorite animated movies of all time for this and a ton of other reasons.
There’s also the anime Ponyo; a story about a strange aquatic creature that makes friends with a young boy and his family. The visuals on this one are gorgeous to the nth degree. Such a good watch!
Adding a couple anti-picks (the opposite of what you’re asking for) cause they’re on my mind and I have the time lol
anti-pick #1
Berserk. No true family bonding, but the mc connects deeply with his mercenary group in a similar way. It’s nice for a time, but ultimately does not end well. The manga is the best version by far, but the 90s anime team did a great job with what little budget they had. If you choose to watch the anime just know that it only follows the first major arc, and its ending will leave you wanting more. Edit: the author also died before finishing the manga. There are plans for his support staff and understudy to finish it using his original notes, but I haven’t checked in on that in some time now.
anti-pick #2
Lovesick. Specifically the prequel; Dollparts. A girl hates and is hated by her family while learning about hyper violence online and sex via irl context clues, basically. Not for the weak of heart and somehow figures out how to take a grim premise and just keep on making it darker and darker as things go on. The threat of SA is heavily implied and a regular presence, so maybe steer clear if you know you can’t sit with that. While I’m sure it’s a hard sell, it’s also very effective at being what it intends to be and explores some topics that really need talking about, but often aren’t because of how almost universally uncomfortable they are to address. Fascinating and disturbing read. If you’re not sure it’s for you, that means it’s probably not for you.
My Neighbor Totoro!
Whispers of the Heart, From Up on Poppy Hill, and Arête also have good child/parent dynamics. Among most other Ghiblis. I just wanted to mention some of their lesser known ones.
Figure 17
Loving dad. And what if you suddenly had an identical twin that’s trying to better you and helps you get out of your shell?
We should setup a watch party thing around some kind of FOSS friendly deal. At a minimum we could watch and discuss for a day+ of open conversation. It might be fun?
You didn’t ask for a video game, but the first piece of media I thought of was, Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2. They literally made me cry at some scenes because of how wholesome parts of them are. He kinda adopts a little girl, and starts an orphanage. There’s even a section of the game where you just walk around town holding her hand. Although the game has a lot of mature elements and is not entirely about this.
I can’t really think of many parent/child wholesome media, but Mr Rodgers is something I enjoy watching with my daughter.
Edit, I just remembered, I Love Lucy is pretty wholesome with a parent child relationship
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Except for scenes with Worf or Keiko
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
It’s a new anime and it’s more focused on the kids, but the relationship the main has with his family is so good. Honestly all of the characters are just so darn good. They’re all so wholesome and just good.
The original Naruto series has its moments. The first two or three arcs hit me throughout several times.
Hunter x Hunter has friend dynamics like that and can turn up the feels with missing father throughout.
Film: Mitchell’s vs the Machines.
TV: The Great North
the original black and white The Addams Family is extremely wholesome. There’s an absolutely lovely family dynamic and the parents are extremely loving to the children and each other. I highly recommend it!
Fresh Prince of Bel Aire with Will Smith and James Avery. Not a perfect family, but James plays a wonderful tv dad.
A story about found family overcoming trauma that I love is Fruits Basket, particularly the 3 season remake.
I’m also very partial to Boy Meets World (TOPANGA!!!)
Long Story Short - it’s not all rainbows and butterflies, but a realistic family working to get by.
Modern Family - Antics of an extended family. Since it’s a comedy it’s usually pretty wholesome and each family unit brings something different to the table.
While there are definitely more out there, I figured these would be good suggestions as they really focus on family dynamics.
The Paddington movies are absolutely delightful.
