Turning Red: more than just a girl going through puberty

Turning Red is the newest Disney and Pixar film which had limited theater screens while being fully available on Disney+. There was a bit of shock and outrage from Pixar when Disney decided to not put the film into movie theaters and place it on the streaming service. Inspired by her childhood, writer, director and producer, Domee Shi, brings the story to life in Turning Red. Shi was born in Chongqing, Sichuan, and immigrated to Canada at the age of 2 with her parents. They eventually settled in Toronto. She has worked on many Pixar films including Inside Out (2015) before writing and directing Pixar’s short, Bao (2017) which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. As usual, I will write a brief synopsis of the film, then discuss what I liked and my response to criticism of the film. 

Set in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 2002, Turning Red is the story of Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky thirteen-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl. She is the dutiful daughter who does well in school, excels at her extracurriculars and helps out at the family temple. But she is also a typical teenager who loves the popular boy band and crushes on a local older boy. She becomes torn between staying her mother's dutiful daughter and being her own individual self. Add in the chaos of adolescence, conflicts over friendships and a family secret. Her protective, and slightly, overbearing mother, Ming, (voiced by Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter. When a popular boy band is coming to Toronto, Mei, along with her friends Miriam (voiced by Ava Morse), Priya (voiced by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Abby (voiced by Hyein Park), set up a plan to attend the concert, with or without their parents’ permission. Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t be worse when the family secret rears its ugly head and Mei turns into a giant red panda every time she experiences strong emotions. She can get rid of the transformation at the next red moon but will she want to? 

There were a few aspects of Turning Red that I liked. First, its openness. It doesn’t shy away from the rebellion that is often a feature of growing up. Mei is torn between honoring her parents and honoring herself. It is a stage and decision that every child will come to as they grow into adulthood. It also doesn’t shy away from periods. In one scene, after Mei first turns into a panda, her mother thinks she has gotten her period, or as she called it, “the red peony,” and is prepared. Unfortunately, many parents do not prepare for this moment for their daughters and are often caught unaware when it occurs. If this film opens the conversations between mothers and daughters about puberty and periods, that is a great thing. Second, the full acceptance of friends. When Mei reveals the panda to her friends, they are immediately accepting. Mei cries that she’s a freak and Miriam replies “You’re our girl.” They stood by her as she struggled to contain and come to terms with this transformation. It is important that we have a support system through our good times and our struggles. I liked that the film shows that type of friendship. 

While overwhelmingly praised, Turning Red had created a firestorm online. First, many parents were upset that it dared discuss puberty and periods. I have read parental reviews online and many parents were shocked at the topics and angry at Disney. To those parents, I must say, do your research! Any movie, book or tv program geared at kids should not be taken on blind faith as appropriate for your child, Read into it, watch it yourself and decide if you want your child to be exposed to the programs. That is your responsibility as a parent. Second, Clarissa Cruz (2022), writes that “normalizing the emotional and physical messiness of puberty” is refreshing. However, that hasn't be the overall sentiment. In a now deleted review, Sean O’Connell of CinemaBlend called the movie limiting and exhausting (Shivaram, 2022) I’m not sure how the film can be limiting and exhausting, unfortunately, I think Mr O’Connell is being a typical male who is uncomfortable with the topic of female puberty and periods. Gasp! Third, I don't think the fact that the movie features an Asian family and culture takes away from the overall message. While there are some cultural differences when it comes to puberty and coming of age, I believe there is an universality to the story. My oldest daughter who is 10 absolutely loved the movie and related to Mei and her friends.

Turning Red is not a absolute favorite for me. I didn’t have the same emotional response to it as I did with Coco (2017) or Encanto (2021). After watching the film, I was conflicted about how I felt and how the story would deal with puberty and periods. However, after discussing the film with my oldest daughter, I appreciated and enjoyed that it was brave enough to discuss the often taboo topics. It is a stage of life that we all go through, by being open and having honest conversations with our children can lead to a deeper relationship with trust. With that trust, a child would hopefully feel comfortable enough to come to their parents with any questions and for any topic. If Turning Red can be a catalyst to opening that door for parents and children to have that conversation or any meaningful conversation, then I recommend Turning Red. 

References

Cruz, Clarissa (March 13, 2022). What Turning Red means to me as an AAPI parent. Entertainment Weekly. https://ew.com/movies/what-turning-red-means-aapi-parents/?fbclid=IwAR2QiU6_80CkMVCCVjiz2ZsYU915p5vA1Ls7-zeGTUjo81vmYRWXc5VQlPk. Retrieved April 4, 2022.  

Shivaram, Deepa (March 12, 2022). 'Turning Red' is a turning point for Asians in film. Why is it seen as unrelatable?. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/03/12/1086040083/turning-red-controversy. Retrieved April 4, 2022.