Disney Pixar’sTurning Redhas a lot of the familiar elements that have made the storied animation studio a household name. There’s a fantastical premise that takes simple concepts and explores them through an otherworldly lens; top-notch animation that packs a tremendous amount of detail into every frame; and a heartfelt message at the center that is both relatable and rarely seen in an animated film. It may not rival some of thebest that Pixar has offeredover the years, but Turning Red is still a bona fide hit and an enjoyable movie for a variety of age groups.
13-year-old Meilin Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) is more self-assured than the average pre-teen. Her confidence allows her to embrace the pop culture she loves while also honoring her Chinese heritage with her mother Ming (Sandra Oh). She’s an atypical young girl that soon finds herself in an atypical situation.
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Seemingly out of nowhere, Meilin transforms into a massive red panda, and over time she comes to learn that her emotions are driving that transformation. Any sudden feeling of extreme anger, joy, embarrassment, or anything in between triggers her to become the panda. And so the once self-assured Meilin quickly finds herself acutely aware of her surroundings and emotions, and her mother becomes a constant source of conflict and strife.
Through Meilin’s transformations into and out of her red panda form,Pixartells a story that focuses on the emotional turbulence of a 13-year-old. From boys to friends to parents, Turning Red runs the gamut and the creators do well to weave everything together. There are also cultural elements touched upon, specifically Meilin’s Chinese heritage and Ming’s relationship with her mother.
While the messaging is clear and there is a great emotional center to Turning Red, the beats of the story are oftentimes hit or miss. A key storyline about Meilin trying to attend a boy band concert feels a bit stereotypical for a movie about pre-teen girls, and the relationship between Meilin and Ming borders on familiar territory. The concept of the overbearing Asian mother has been pervasive in films for a long time now, so it would have been nice to see Ming’s characterization head in a slightly different direction.
Pixar does do a lot of clever things with the giant red panda concept, though. Visually, the panda design is bursting with color and the fine details of each hair are stunningly rendered. And there are some really cool sequences that highlight the scope and scale of this massive creaturetraipsing around Toronto.
It isn’t often that an animated film tackles the topic of puberty, but for Pixar, the wayTurning Redmixes an absurd conceit with a relatable concept shows its talent. The film brushes up against formulaic territory a bit more than we are used to seeing from the company, but even then Turning Red gets at something that should resonate with anyone. For kids, the sights and sounds of a giant red panda will be plenty exciting, and older viewers will find the messaging poignant.
