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I watched Turning Red knowing close to nothing about the plot, only that the main character turns into a giant red panda when overcome with emotion. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Turning Red went above and beyond the tropes, which I assumed would align. When I first heard of the film, I was afraid that it may fall onto the conveyor belt filled with other films that turn POC characters into animals for the majority of the film and further marginalize the character, or that the Asian parents would fall into the cold-hearted and strict parent stereotype. As mentioned above, most of my fears came from knowledge of harmful trends and stereotypes displayed in television media. I thought this movie wouldn’t cut as deep as it did and would show a shallow version of the characters, as is usually the case when a film features 13-14-year-olds. Aside from all my fears regarding the film, I was also excited about the film's main demographic that this would be Pixar’s first feature film directed by a woman and its first feature film to display an all-female cast of main protagonists.
When I finally watched the film on its release date, March 11th, I was beyond excited. The art style was vibrant and adorable, and the anime-like elements that the director decided to implement worked amazingly well with the film’s visuals and aesthetic. I enjoyed the way the film decided to portray this beautiful group of friends. They’re all loud, wild, and weird, as 13-year-old girls usually are, and it was both hilarious and immensely relatable. Even at 16, I still act a little like the way they do with each other with my friends and seeing them be rambunctious together without shame and still being able to support each other in serious situations was delightful.
That was one fear that calmed down almost immediately, now onto the others:
The POC turned non-human trope is exhausting, but its use in this film was rather delightful. Although the red panda was an inconvenience for part of the film, it was meant to be that way, and it served as a beautiful symbol rather than an animal selected for this character. Mei’s red panda became a part of herself, and she still maintained all parts of her humanity that made her unique, with some extra spice. Not only that, but Mei’s journey to accepting the red panda as a new and unique part of herself also helped strengthen her relationship with her mother, and help her mother start to move forward from her past traumas. Her mother was strict and watched over Mei very closely, but still allowed her to have some freedom with her friends. It’s quite clear that all of this protection is out of her love for her daughter and fear that Mei may drift away as she did with her mother. In short, I’m quite relieved. I’m relieved that Mei is her person, and the red panda is an extension of her already fun traits. I’m relieved that her mom wasn’t made to fit a stereotypical mold for East Asian parents. And I’m relieved on how the teen girls were allowed to simply be teenage girls.
That accompanied by the adorable 2D elements implemented into 3D animation create a euphony of joyous characters that are immensely relatable even to that outside self-love. Even the side characters had their charms (I personally loved Abby).
Turning Red is a fun and relatable film, and it presents much deeper themes in regard to parent-child relationships, friendship, self-love/acceptance, and puberty. It’s definitely worth the watch.
Written by Ruby Moran
Cover page by Francine Gado
Editing by Poorna P.
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