Watch Turning Red on Disney+
Written by: Domee Shi & Julia Cho & Sarah Streicher (story by), Julia Cho & Domee Shi (screenplay by)
Directed by: Domee Shi
Starring: Rosalie Chiang (voice), Sandra Oh (voice), Ava Morse (voice), James Hong (voice)
Rated: PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
A 13-year-old girl named Meilin turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited.
Verdict
This Pixar movie has all of the depth expected from the studio, but it's aim is issues teens and parents face. This does a great job with the coming of age genre that often isn't from a female perspective or skews a bit older. The crux is that life is changing during the teenage years and can be quite awkward. Parents and kids need to understand that and empathize. Even younger children would enjoy this as they wouldn't realize the metaphor. If they did, it's a great discussion point. We don't have to hide these topics, just like the main character doesn't need to hide.
Watch It.
Review
This works on many levels. This is certainly a play on puberty. Meilin (Rosalin Chiang) wakes up one morning with something odd happening to her body. Meilin's mom assumes it's her first period, but Meilin has turned into a red panda. The panda is a metaphor for how life and Meilin's body is changing at that age. Meilin is embarrassed and hides the fact she's a panda, but for a girl around thirteen, bodily developments can be embarrassing because of how society has incorrectly treated it.
This movie is certainly about a mother daughter relationship where the dynamic is changing. Meilin is growing up, interested in boys, boy bands, and wanting to hang out with her friends more than mom. Mom still wants her little girl. That's how she envisions Meilin. It's difficult for her to accept reality, the fact that Meilin is growing up and that she's a panda. That aspect is what gives this movie a lot of levity. It's examining a serious event that happens to half the population while still dressing this up as a kids' movie. Young kids won't realize the subtext. While there is a quick mention of a period, this movie in part is breaking that taboo of never mentioning such a thing.
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| Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Rosalie Chiang, Ava Morse voice Priya, Meilin, Miriam |
Turning Red does such a good job with Meilin's three friends. They get just enough characterization to make them distinct and likable. It's clear they're close friends. They help her through this traumatic experience, and eventually so does her mom.
I wondered where a movie like this goes for the ending. I've never seen a movie where a boy band rescues the day, and that's not even half of it. In the end the relationship between Meilin and her mom is changing, but they're going to build on what they have, realizing change is inevitable. The mom realizes the pressure she put on Meilin and how that mirrors the mom's childhood.
This works on levels for kids and adults, and that's what makes Pixar movies so good. This is about parents and kids and how that bond changes in the teenage years. Kids become rebellious and form their own opinions which can be a tough adjustment for parents. The panda represents the awkward feelings of being a teen, feeling like everyone is looking at you, how your body changes and you feel like you have no control over it, and how these changes lead to rebellion. I do like that this throws in a "my panda, my choice" line. The movie's point is that Meilin should be empowered by her experiences, not ashamed.
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| Meilin transformed into a red panda |
Another aspect is how this touches on the "American Dream." Meilin finds something unique about herself and finds a way to commodify it. The push in life is to make money. Even young children want to 'get rich on Youtube.' It's a culture thing, and I'm sure Meilin's mom pushed her to do well in school so she could get a good job. Less and less are kids allowed to be kids and have fun.
I've seen a few reviews that state this was geared for a small audience or object to the introduction of a woman starting to menstruate. That's ridiculous. If it were true, then the American Pie movies are geared to a small audience. It's one of many entries into the raunchy teen coming of age sex comedy. Half of the population has a period. The world is roughly split evenly among sexes. Other criticisms have been that guys can't relate to this, but I find that difficult to believe. A teen boy getting too excited could certainly produce an embarrassing moment as well.
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