For an extended period, we’ve only seen werewolves and the Incredible Hulk as colorful metaphors for mood swings and angry outbursts, which represented boys’ mood swings. But what about the girls? We also have mood swings, yet nobody has ever talked about it until now. The transformation from a girl to a woman is a messy process. Our limbs stretch; our curves swell—a natural musk blooms from our skin. We grow hair in places where there was no hair before. And our emotions attack in a wild rush. As for Meilin Lee, the latest Disney / Pixar heroine. And the most fun part is she becomes a red panda. This cute shift is a metaphor for puberty that’s bold and brilliant while being absolute fun.
Co-written and directed by Domee Shi, Turning Red is set in 2002 Toronto. Meilin Lee is a 13 years old straight-A student. Like most teenagers, she has a dual personality. When she is with her family, she is this perfect young girl who always listens to her parents, helps her mom, and is always polite and poised. However, when she is with her friends, she is a different person. She loves karaoke, boy bands, and imagining her crushes as mermen. As sometimes many young women feel the pressure to be perfect in these dueling identities, it’s the same for Lee. Whenever she feels it, she becomes a fluffy red panda.
Turning Red definitely brings back the poppy fun of the 2000s, with the flip-phone and the old-school emojis. Lee and her friends find their way around the panda, and they accepted it and loved it. On the other hand, her mom wanted to keep it a secret and banished with the Blood Moon. The performance date for Mei and her friends’ favorite boy band, 4 Town, lands on the same date as the Blood Moon. And so comes a showdown full of panda action, mother-daughter drama, and deliciously catchy pop music (written by Billie Eilish and Finneas).
Aside from the part where Lee becomes a panda, we all can relate to this movie. Whether Mei feels insecure about her body, fights with her mother, or fantasizes about a cute boy, the vibe is more romp than recoil. In comparison, most of us will laugh at ourselves when seeing this movie. Because for an older audience, we all went through this. And kids will consume this story about a girl fighting for her right to grow up, find her own identity, and rock out with her best friends. More importantly, they’ll get to see a group of girls who don’t fit the typical Disney/Pixar heroine mold not only be heroes but also be loved just as they are.
The most amazing part about this movie is that Mei doesn’t represent the typical Disney princess we’ve grown up watching. She represents an ordinary teenage girl.
She is beautiful, even with her chubby cheeks and wild hair. And that’s not all her friends; each has a different personality Miriam (Ava Morse) is enthusiastic but a bit oblivious. Priya ( Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) is steadily chill but will give in for a dance break. Abby (Hyein Park) is a girly girl who loves pink, flowers, and fluffy friends and will punch you in the face with a moment’s notice.
I could go on and on about the joys of Turning Red, from the visual gags of bunny slippers crushed under big panda feet to the concert merch that becomes an essential prop. The wealth of ’00s details will amuse kids and pitch grown-ups full-bodied back into the era of choker necklaces, flannel fashion, and emo kids. Led by Rosalie Chiang, the voice cast is sensational, bringing to life characters who get to be cranky, frantic, caring, and occasionally “kind of a perv.” But the most remarkable thing about this movie is how it marks a maturity for Disney animation. For decades, Disney sold little girls polished princess fantasies to sell toys. But they also sold an idea of girlhood that was woefully limiting. Here, the fantasy has an element of body horror but is treated with a jocular touch that makes Turning Red an absolute blast.
In giving us a confident, kooky protagonist, but also a mess, Disney and Pixar gave kids a role model who rejects convention and is better for it — and better for us.
Turning Red is a coming-of-age comedy with family entertainment, full of fun, humor, and emotion.
