Even before Turning Red came out on Mar. 11, people were already questioning the themes and topics that were shown in this latest animated children’s movie. Since its premiere, there has been a lot of attention called to the film, but it has retained its highly positive message, with a 94 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This movie is a coming of age story set in 2002 Toronto, with some very era-appropriate features, but also some new topics that have not been featured in past Pixar films.
Turning Red follows the story of 13 year-old Meilin Lee as she navigates “adulthood.” Meilin and her friend group start to go through puberty and experience womanhood. Unfortunately, Mei finds out that her maternal line has been cursed to turn into a red panda every time they feel intense emotion. This poses a problem since emotions are a huge part of puberty, but she has to keep them under wraps to maintain the perfection that her mother demands.
As someone who is neither a small child nor a parent, animated movies are pretty hit or miss for me. Turning Red had some awesome themes that I loved as someone with a uterus. I have never seen a children’s show so much as mention periods, so watching the clear connections between Mei’s panda and that time of the month was heartwarming. I am so happy to think that young children will have a better understanding of periods and I love that it was presented as a normal part of life, even though the panda thing is obviously not quite so normal.
Turning Red’s creation team was headed by Chinese-Canadian director Domee Shi, who also worked on the Academy Award-winning animated short film Bao. There are many hints of Shi’s directorship, from the Lee family eating bao for dinner to the similar animation style. A key goal of Shi’s throughout the creation of the movie was true Chinese representation that did not fall into common steryotypes. Shi focused on the shared experiences of Asian families and the dynamics that come with intergenerational families. She also wanted to portray Mei’s mother as more than just the stereotypical Asian mom who is looking for perfection from her daughter.
One of my favourite parts of Turning Red was Mei’s friend group. It features three other girls, each from a different cultural background and with their own unique styles. They get along even though they have interests entirely separate from the group. Best of all, the character of Miriam resonated with me as a masculine/androgynous-dressing person. As a thirteen year old, I was a total tomboy, so I loved seeing a young girl who wore something other than pink and dresses.
Another part of Mei’s friend group that I liked was the inclusion of Tyler. Once the class bully, Tyler becomes part of the gang after they discover his secret love of 4Town, the girls’ favourite boy band. Tyler joins the group, but he is not made into a love interest, and there is not any message about him being mean to Mei because he likes her. I was so happy to see another form of friendship being shown in the movie, and that Tyler’s bad behaviour was not just blown off.
Turning Red offered a branching-out from the typical themes of an animated film. It covered puberty in an informative and funny way that made it seem natural, if scary at the beginning. The friendships that were featured were heartwarming and unique. The movie also featured the boy-band-obsession and Tamagotchis of the 2000s, which was an awesome touch. Overall, Turning Red had some great themes that desperately needed to be included in coming-of-age movies, the experiences of thirteen-year-old girls were spot on, and the representation of Chinese-Canadians, from the perspective of Domee Shi, was refreshing.
Allison is starting her BA in English with a minor in Criminology to become a publishing contract lawyer. In her spare time, she watches way too many true crime shows and reads a lot of Y.A. fiction, while slugging along on various articles.
