Growing up is tough but Pixar knows how to help us through it and their latest film, Turning Red, is a humorous yet sobering look at the enormous pressure young women face they come-of-age. The familial and societal pressures force girls to buck trends all the while discovering their own identities.
The film focuses on 13-year-old Meilin “Mei” Lee as she lives with her family in Toronto in the year 2002. While oddly specific, the time period serves as a constant for those who remember the bygone era of the early aughts; the prevalent obsession with boy bands, lack of smartphones/social media and tamagotchis. While Mei is on the cusp of womanhood, she experiences a vivid dream which causes her to transform into a large red panda. Mei later finds out that all of the women in her family share this ability but also have to undergo a ceremony to suppress the spirit of the red panda.
Mei is reluctant to take part in this ceremony as her panda persona, while humorously destructive at first, is embraced by her friends and schoolmates bringing along newfound popularity as she poses for photos and creates keychains to be sold in her downtime. This popularity comes into conflict with her mother and the other women in her family as Mei is constantly being told to control her urges and not let the panda emerge. While in panda form, Mei is allowed to be everything her mother doesn’t want; rebellious and emotional all while forgetting that she is only 13 and just wants to enjoy her life. It’s a reminder that children shouldn’t have to grow up so fast and should be allowed to enjoy what life has to offer while they can.
Mei continuously finds herself at odds with the desire to make her parents while wanting to dance with her friends and listen to boy bands. During the film’s climax, Mei’s mother unleashes her kaiju sized red panda to wreck downtown Toronto as she teams up with her friends, father, aunts, grandma and the world-famous boy band to calm down her mother and bring peace to the Lee family. Mei realizes that her emotions and feelings are perfectly normal and her mother finally sees that it’s not possible for her daughter to remain a little girl but what’s more important is their relationship as she matures and embraces every part of her personality. Turning Red is the latest in Pixar’s catalog that tackles complex family dynamics while balancing a unique humor palate. It’s the ideal family film to tackle issues like broken relationships and puberty.
VERDICT: 4 red talismans out of 5
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Featured Image Credit: IMDb
