Directed by Domee Shi, Turning Red centers around Meilin “Mei” Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old girl who is horrified to discover that, whenever she gets too excited or stressed, she turns into a giant Red Panda, but she can turn back if she’s calm. Soon Mei learns of a family curse and a shared history with the species, so she must try to maintain her new lifestyle as a teenager while also dealing with her overprotective mother.
Once again Pixar is back with an original film, this time coming from one of Pixar’s own short film directors, Donee Shi, who made the beautiful yet underrated short film Bao. Despite how bizarre this film’s premise seemed to be upon first glance I was nevertheless looking forward to it, given Pixar’s unbeatable film streak. And after watching the film I can confirm two things: 1. The Pixar winning streak remains strong. 2. This film should have been released in theaters. I can’t for the life of me understand why this gem of a film was set to be on streaming only when all the hard work and effort for this film deserves to be shared on the big screen.
It’s a film that goes beyond the simple premise about a kid that turns into a giant Red Panda and actively explores a lot of themes that viewers of all ages can understand and connect to. This is an animated film we should have had so much sooner because of just how relatable and impactful it is while also being funny and full of charm. I think out of all the Pixar films we have had this one contains the most relatable characters as well as the most relatable lead.
It is through the character of Mei Lee, voiced fantastically by Rosalie Chiang, that we get to experience the journey of adolescence, personal growth, and independence. Basically, she is going through the exact experiences that many kids around her age go through and what many older individuals, like myself, have gone through. I can understand all she is going through, especially when it comes to dealing with the challenges of growing up and the challenges of certain relationships, in her case with her mother and her friends. No matter who you are you are bound to relate to Mei in some way as she deals with life’s pressures at every turn that get represented with her transformation into a giant fluffy Red Panda. You’d think that wouldn’t work and that it would come off as too silly, but Domee Shi made it work as she did with Bao.
Mei’s friend group was an awesome gang of diverse characters voiced by fantastic individuals including Ava Morse as Miriam, Hyein Park as Abby, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Priya. Everyone has had friends like them at some point in their life and I really love the fun interactions they all have with each other as well as how much support they give.
There are also other great characters with equally great voices throughout the film but I think the biggest stand out among them is Sandra Oh as Mei’s mother, Ming. We have seen over-controlling/over-protective parents in films many times before but I will say the way it’s done in this film is different and way better compared to what I’ve seen before. It feels more realistic in some ways and we actually get to really explore the relationship between mother and daughter and the challenges that can come with it. To go into further detail would be getting into spoilers but I will say I thought this aspect of the film was handled extremely well and again reminds me very much of the relationship that was perfectly executed in Bao.
The narrative takes on a slice-of-life approach, which is a new genre for Pixar to take on but I enjoyed it a lot. The film was also very fun, funny, and surprisingly moving at times as you would expect with Pixar. They know how to pull on the heartstrings when appropriate as well as deliver really important messages.
I can definitely see a lot of people connecting to this film whether it be for the goofy fun elements or the emotional elements. Everyone is going to take away something from this film for certain and I’m interested to see how people react. Also, there were definitely some wild surprises in this film that I didn’t expect especially in the third act.
Now let’s talk about the animation because this was apparently one of the strangest controversies that divided people when they first saw the trailers. I honestly don’t see why there was any need for controversy because the animation is absolutely gorgeous and the style they adopted was unique and fresh. I like that Pixar is choosing to break away from previous styles of animation and try something new like they did with their previous outing, Luca.
Everything from the character designs to the surrounding textures and fleshed-out colors are all so beautifully crafted and ooze out in every frame, standing out from other Pixar films. It’s the kind of art that deserved to be seen on the big screen and not streaming only. I really don’t understand why people seem to hate this so much but then again it seems to be a common thing these days to hate something different.
Now the biggest surprise of this film that I loved and did not expect was the music. The great Ludwig Göransson created a fantastic, vibrant, and original score for this film and we also get several awesome original songs from Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. It’s such an odd pairing of talented musicians and yet they all work in perfect harmony, delivering perhaps the best soundtrack in a Pixar film that I’ve seen in a long time.
This film is a perfect example of why you don’t judge a book by the cover. There was zero need to criticize or religiously hate this film before it was even released. Did I think it was a bit bizarre at first glance? Yes, but I didn’t choose to loathe it entirely as most of the internet did because I have firm faith in Pixar. They have delivered some of the best-animated films of all time and they always defy the odds. Have they had some misfires in the past? Yes, but Turning Red is certainly not one of them and I think everyone should watch this film rather than judge it based on nothing. I’m giving Turning Red an A.
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