Turning Red
Turning Red
Starring Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Directed by Domee Shi
13-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang) is a very studious, overly talkative geeky girl living in the Chinese city in Canada with her mother Ming Lee (Sandra Oh) and father Jin Lee (Orion Lee). Ming is overbearing and controlling, keeping up with Mei's every move and strictly enforcing her will on Mei, even having her work with her at the family temple. Mei has three best friends, Abby (Hyein Park), Miriam (Ava Morse), and Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), and the four of them have plans to attend the concert of their favorite boy band, 4 Town. All seems normal in Mei's life until one morning she wakes up as a giant red panda, and understandably freaks out. Ming thinks at first that her "red peony bloomed," but when she sees Mei, she knows the truth - Mei has begun the transformation into a woman, which, in the Lee family, means she has to undergo the Red Panda curse.
Whenever Mei is exposed to strong emotional moments, she turns into the red panda, and the more it happens, the harder it'll be to expel it, which consists of a family ritual conducted during the next red moon. Meanwhile, Mei and her friends concoct a plan to go to the concert behind their parents' backs by using Mei's transformation to give them the income to go to the concert, which further separates Mei from Ming, as she starts lying and going behind her back - things she never thought she'd do. As the night of the ritual - and the concert - approaches, Mei struggles with the idea of living with the red panda because it's changing her into a more confident, stronger woman - or getting rid of it to appease her mother and return to the sweet little girl Ming knew and loved.
Thankfully I never had to endure the coming of age events that girls go through in life, because it seems that it's so much more stressful than a boy transitioning to a man. I remember an episode of "American Dad" where Stan and Francine remember when their daughter Hayley went through the "change" and the humorous effects of it ("what do you mean EVERY MONTH?" as her parents huddle in fear holding a fork, stapler, and torch), and obviously "Turning Red" doesn't go down that path, but it's more a subtle story of a girl's coming-of-age and how it affects her and her family, as she undergoes that life-altering change.
Not only that, but "Turning Red" also focuses on the cultural heritage of Mei's family history, centering on the story about her ancestor who became a red panda to protect her land when the men were away fighting, and how that red panda curse passed down to the women of the family for generations. It also sheds light on the importance of heritage and family history, giving thanks to the ancestors for what they've gone through and incorporating centuries-old traditions and rituals to eliminate the red panda menace. Again, I can't connect to the movie the same ways as others, but I can appreciate the differing worldview that they have that I don't.
Director Domee Shi became the first solo female and first female of color to direct a full-fledged Pixar film after receiving a well-deserved Oscar for her Pixar short "Bao," and you can tell this story (which she co-wrote as well) is a very personal one. Mei is a full-fledged character that you associate with right away, even though her introduction (to me anyway) was a bit over-the-top and annoying. Mei isn't popular, she's the traditional perfect student, and, unlike most girls in films, doesn't seem to mind. She has a self-assurance that's already way beyond her years, and all she cares about is her three best friends, the boy band they all adore, and wanting to please her mother. Yet when the "change" begins, she begins exhibiting a new persona - that of the red panda, which is a not-so-obvious nod to that special time in a girl's life when she begins transitioning to womanhood.
Yet Shi doesn't give it a straight black-and-white correlation, as Mei changes even when she isn't the red panda. She starts noticing boys more (in a humorous and hilariously cringy moment when her mother discovers her journal,which, again, is something I think most girls fear), speaking out against her mother, and sneaking out to do what she wants. Is this willful disrespect? Probably, but it's nothing new for girls (and boys) to experience when they're learning more about the world around them and who they're becoming in it. It's just a part of life, something most people go through (even when they don't admit it) and Pixar manages to tell this very adult situation in a way that's easy to talk about with your family, opening the door for mothers to talk to their daughters in a more personal way.
The voice talent is extraordinary, which is nothing new in the Pixar world. Sandra Oh's domineering Ming is more than the sum of her parts, a woman who is overbearing toward her daughter, but with good reason, at least in her eyes. Newcomer Rosalie Chaing shines as young Mei, a girl who expresses her emotions with more than just the animated range but the vocal range as well. The animation was something I was worried about at first, because the trailer didn't do anything for me personally, but I found it to be amazing as always. Fusing traditional animations with some elaborate anime and an infectious energy, "Turning Red" honors its story through it's lavish animations as well as the heartfelt, deeply personal story behind it.
Making a family-friendly animated film about the "change" in a woman's life isn't easy, but Pixar more than rises to the challenge with "Turning Red," as well as infusing the story with a personal religious heritage touch that makes it more enjoyable, memorable, and leaves the door open for those important conversations.
The Score: A
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