In many ways, Pixar’s newest film, “Turning Red,” is a post-modern period piece this side of Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” — It does not follow the rules.
Set in Toronto, Canada in 2002, Pixar’s latest feature film pivots away from its traditional storytelling by presenting itself as a nearly universal coming-of-age comedic drama centered around navigating one’s emotions, discovering personal identity and fostering healthy communication between mother and daughter.
Directed by Domee Shi, who also directed the 2019 Academy Award-winning short film “Bao,” “Turning Red” follows 13-year-old Meilin “Mei” Lee, voiced by Rosalie Chiang, as she navigates awkward middle school encounters. Lee is a Chinese-Canadian student who makes straight A’s, hangs with her best friends in her spare time, loves boy bands and her Tamagotchi and, most importantly, helps her family’s temple. She overworks herself in trying to appease everyone, including her mother Ming Lee (played by Sandra Oh), and hides her personal interests when spending time with family.
Though when her mother finds her diary, along with numerous other cringy scenarios depicted in the movie, Ming discovers she has a unique ability — she transforms into a giant red panda when feeling overwhelming emotion.
“Turning Red” divulges from many Pixar tropes by granting the main character more agency over the curse she grapples with and follows her journey through accepting this aspect of herself. It tackles complex, grown-up topics normally gawked at in children’s media like puberty and menstruation. Shi and Pixar break the mold with this film, venturing to create a representation of honest dialogue for tweens and parents over subjects normally considered taboo.
Even from a more surface-level standpoint, the film offered a humorous feel-good plot and cute animation styles to back it up. Pixar has made the right decision in recent years to transition the focus of its films’ antagonists away from a human villain and instead focusing more on combatting internal struggles or familial clashes, like with “Inside Out” and “Soul” — young viewers take away lessons that are more applicable to real-world problems, rather than watching fantastical battles of good vs. evil.
Sure, “Turning Red” had a plot leaning on the predictable side, but the journey from start to finish was rooted in reality, endearment and all-too-relatable embarrassing childhood experiences. The characters are charming, the animation is top-notch, and the attention to culture and authenticity is praiseworthy.
Any critic accusing Pixar of slacking should be put to trial, because this was a good movie.
Pixar’s main mistake with “Turning Red” was not offering it the in-theatre debut it deserved. I fiddled with the controller before watching, debating whether it would be worth my while to click on the play button — if only I had been able to purchase a ticket to make me commit more easily. That’s what irks me about streaming — watching something at home loses all the commitment and experience of seeing it on a big screen.
It is especially sad because it will resonate with so many people, and that magical shared experience when seeing it in theaters with total strangers will be nonexistent. Not to mention children across the country likely would’ve jumped with excitement to go to the movie theatre with their parents to see a red panda stretched 50 feet tall across the screen. A movie that creators and artists tirelessly worked on to be seen by people far and wide should be displayed in a premium format, so just shoving it into your streaming service is a missed opportunity.
I am just turning red thinking about it.