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. 

Onward: a brother adventure in a magical land

Onward is the newest Pixar film directed by Dan Scanlon, written by Scanlon with Jason Headley and Keith Bunn. The film stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer. Set in a suburban fantasy world, the film follows two elf brothers who set out on a quest to find a rare artifact that well bring back their deceased father for one day. Released on March 6, 2020 in the US, the film received generally positive reviews and grossed $104 million worldwide before the coronavirus pandemic shut down theaters. It was released on Disney+ and other screaming services on April 3.

In a world of mythical creatures, magic was once commonplace. After technological advances over the years, magic became obsolete and was largely discarded. It is now modern day, Ian Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland), an elf socially awkward high schooler who lacks self-confidence. His older brother, Barley (voiced by Chris Pratt), is a history and role-playing game fanatic. They live with their widowed mother, Laurel (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in New Mushroomton. Their father, Wilden Lightfoot, died shortly before Ian born. As the story opens, it is Ian’s 16^th birthday and Laurel gives the brothers a gift from Wilden: a magical staff, a rare gem, and a letter describing a visitation spell so the boys can resurrect their father for one day. When Ian accidently only resurrects their father’s lower half, the brothers are now in a race against time to fully resurrect their father. 

Onward is a funny and heartwarming adventure that audiences have come to expect from Pixar. Although, a few reviewers have pointed out that it has become a bit too cliched. For me, it was an emotional as it deals with death, loss and trying to capture experiences one never had a chance to have as Ian never had the memories of his father that Barley did. I also liked the musical score. I especially liked the song that Barley played plays in his van. It suggests Vikings and great battles. The end credit song, “Carried Me With You,” performed by Brandi Carlile, is an emotionally charged song about not taking love for granted and accepting love even when you don’t feel its deserved. One of my favorite lyrics is “To the darkness of the blue/I was just too blind to see/Like a lighthouse in a storm/You were always guiding me.” I like the lesson Ian learns along way as he gains confidence in himself, although it is a theme used quite often.

As no movie is without faults, there are a few things about the film I did not like. While I did enjoy the film, it felt like a Frozen II film for boys. A sibling adventure story for brothers rather than sisters. Also, the use of mythical creatures didn’t really add to the story. The filmmakers could have used human characters and the movie would have been just as good. It is also a film that I wasn’t overly excited to watch for the story concept didn’t grab my attention. I only watched it because my eight-year-old daughter wanted to when it was released on Disney+. She thoroughly enjoyed it and watched again the next day and watched it a third time with her dad. The animation is as expected from Pixar; however, it does not have the stunning beauty of Coco or the heart of Toy Story or Finding Nemo.

Overall, Onward is a good movie with magic, mythical creatures and a theme that we all could relate to. It may be hard to watch for individuals have lost a parent, especially early in life, as it may be too relatable. However, I wouldn’t say it was a reason not to see this film. While it had a few flaws and may be the adventure story we’ve all seen before, it is still an entertaining movie that I think families will enjoy. I recommend watching Onward as the heartwarming and funny adventure story that is expected from Disney and Pixar. 

Frozen II: a decent sequel

Frozen 2 was released into theaters on November 27, 2019 and is the sequel to smash hit Frozen (2013). Many from the original film return for its sequel. Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and composer Christophe Beck all return. As well as actors Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad and Jonathan Geoff returns as their characters: Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Kristoff. Frozen 2 is set three years after the original film when a new threat comes to Arendelle and it is up to Anna and Elsa to save the day. The movie is currently on DVD, Blu-Ray and streaming on Disney+. As I do with all my movie reviews, I will give a spoiler free synopsis and discuss what I did and didn’t like about the film.

The movie opens as King Agnar tells a story to a young Anna and Elsa about their grandfather, King Runeard, who established a treaty with the neighboring tribe of Northuldra who resides in the Enchanted Forest. Soon after, a fight occurs, resulting in Runeard’s death and enraging the elemental spirits of the forest. The spirits disappeared and a wall of mist traps everyone in the Enchanted Forest. Agnar barely escapes due to a mysterious savior, Fast forward to present day, life is going well in Arendelle. Until one night, Elsa hears a mysterious voice call out to her. After much resistance, she decides to follow it and causes the elemental spirits to awaken which forces everyone out of the kingdom. Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven embark on a journey to the Enchanted Forest to save the people of Arendelle and discover who the mysterious siren who calls to Elsa.

There are three major elements that I liked about the film. First, the story is great. Anna and Elsa discover the story they’ve been told about their grandfather and the Enchanted Forest may not be exactly the truth. In order to save Arendelle, they must discover what went wrong and the right that wrong. It also explains that there are three sides to the story: one side’s version, the other side’s version and somewhere in the middle is the truth. Second, I liked that there wasn’t a stereotypical “villain.” The fight is against the past and the attempts to right a wrong as much as anyone can. Although this was criticism in many reviews I read, I liked that the characters weren’t up against an evil person. Third, the idea that water has memory. Even though science has proven this to not be the case (but since when is science important in a fairy tale?), it is a theme I have heard before. Along with the idea that water is healing, having memory helps Anna and Elsa discover the truth behind the events which caused the Enchanted Forest to be sealed off and what they need to do to solve the problem.

There are a couple elements of the film that I didn’t care for. First, the music wasn’t on par with the original film. While “Into the Unknown” is a good song, it didn’t have the same impact as “Let it Go.” Olaf’s song, “When I am Older” had the same musical style of his song, “In Summer” from the first time. “In Summer” was a more enjoyable song as it was comedic as to Olaf’s blissful ignorance. “When I am Older” tried to capture that same comedic ignorance, but I feel it fell short. The music wasn’t bad and was enjoyable but wasn’t on the same lines of the first film. Second, Frozen 2 may not be as rewatchable as the first film. My daughter, who was 2 when she saw the first film had watched it over and over for years. Now she is 8 and enjoyed the first viewing of Frozen 2, but quickly got bored when watching it a second time.

In conclusion, Disney has always had a hit and miss history with it comes to sequels. The majority of their film’s sequels were direct to video. The Toy Story franchise has been insanely popular (although I would argue that the fourth film as not necessary) and broke the mold that sequels couldn’t be successful in theaters. Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) wasn’t as good as it’s original film and an unnecessary sequel. I enjoyed Frozen 2 for its story and, some level, the music. However, it wasn’t as memorable as its predecessor. I don’t see many children annoying the adults with their constant singing of “Into the Unknown” as they did with “Let it Go.” I do recommend Frozen 2. If you enjoyed the first film, you may enjoy its sequel.

Moana: another Disney adventure with a great message

Moana is the story about an Ancient Polynesian girl who must save her island from a curse. Moana (voiced by Auli’I Cravalho) is the daughter of the chief and has felt the call of the ocean. But her father, Chief Tui (voiced by Temuera Morrison) has forbidden anyone to sail past the reef. Her grandmother, Gramma Tala (voiced by Rachel House) tells her the story of Te Fiti, the mother island who created the islands and life. One day, a demigod, Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) took the heart of Te Fiti. With the heart gone, a demon of fire and earth, Te Ká, seeks the heart and spreads death to island after island. Gramma Tala tells Moana that one day someone will journey across the sea, find Maui and restore the heart of Te Fiti. That day comes when Moana’s island suffers as the food supply dies. Moana finds a boat and defies her father and sails past the reef. She finds Maui who tries to trick her out of her boat but Moana is resourceful and finds a way to compel Maui to help her. The two journey together and battle pirates and mythical monsters. They finally reach Te Fiti, they must battle Te Ká to restore the heart.

I enjoyed the movie. It was uplifting and adventurous as any Disney film would be. I enjoyed seeing a tale which featured a people other than the more commonly told stories. The music was good. The song “How Far I’ll Go,” (written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, performed by Auli’i Cravalho) is a great uplifting song. I loved the songs which featured the native language of the Polynesian people. The only song I didn’t care for was “You’re Welcome” (written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, performed by Dwayne Johnson) was a little awkward at first but then develops into a fun song. Second, I enjoyed how nature and the ocean is a character in the movie. The ocean helps Moana, guides her on each step of her journey. It reminds me of Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas, although the ocean doesn’t speak in Moana. Third, I loved how the movie gives the message that its ok to have second thoughts and doubts. When the journey proves too difficult and there seems no nope to continue, Moana actually gives up and is ready to return home. She is visited by a person who helps her overcome those doubts. She’s very relatable this way. We’ve all had second thoughts and doubts and through Moana, audiences can be encouraged to keep trying.  

There are a few things I didn’t like. First, some of the humor falls flat for me. There is a scene where Moana thinks the ocean has not helped her find Maui and she’s on a desert island, she yells insults at the ocean including a line about fish pee. Then another scene where Maui is teaching Moana how to sail and he tells her to feel the current, if it’s warm you are going in the right direction. She feels the water and it’s cold, then suddenly warm. You see Moana react and you realize that Maui has peed in the water. I know the main audience is children but why does the humor how to usually center on bathroom jokes and gross humor. Second, Moana’s animal sidesick, a chicken named Heihei, seems to be outplace. I know he’s supposed to be the comedic relief during many scenes but sometimes the humor didn’t add to the scene. It was just awkward.

There were a lot of criticisms surrounding Moana and its story. First, a group of Polynesian people criticized Disney for making Maui overweight as an insult to the people and to Maui who is revered as a hero in oral traditions. Osnat Shurer, producer on the film, said they worked closely with different Polynesian groups in the South Pacific and found that each group had a different interpretation and image of Maui. So which one to depict in the film? Overall, I do not see overweight or even obese. He is bigger than life, muscular. There are many images of Polynesian people as fit and muscular. Second, many have called Moana as “cultural theft” which “inaccurately depicts Polynesian culture.” The problem is Polynesia isn’t a singular group but has hundreds of different languages with millions of people with different versions of these stories. So Disney took different aspects of the stories and created a fantasy world. I understand their concern and want the culture and stories accurately depicted. Unfortunately, many stories which Disney has told in the past were changed for the audience. For instance, Hercules (1997) depicts the hero as the son of Zeus and Hera. According to Greek mythology, he’s not the son of Hera. In fact, Hera tries to kill him as an infant. Many Disney stories do not resemble the original story: Pinocchio (1940), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and Cinderella (1950), Mulan (1998), to name a few. Does that mean these movies aren’t enjoyable? No, it doesn’t. If Moana encourages children to read about, explore and experience the Polynesian culture through their stories, to be introduced to the Polynesian people in the world today, what is the harm in that?

Moana is a fun adventure about a people that many do not much about. I enjoyed the music and the look into Ancient Polynesian life and the people who bravely sailed across the ocean and populated the South Pacific. A people who did it long before many thought it was possible. Moana is a great character filled with a desire to help her people that she will brave the open ocean. I loved the message of continuing on your journey despite your second thoughts and doubts. I understand the cultural concerns of a group in the Polynesian community; however, with such a broad area that is Polynesia that even within the area there is a diversity that no movie could accurately depict. Overall, I enjoyed Moana. It is a great addition to the vast Disney movie library. If you haven’t already seen the film, I highly recommend it. It’s available now on Blu-ray and DVD. Check it out. 

Frozen: another Disney classic

I recently saw the movie “Frozen” for the first time and I loved it. I don’t know why I waited so long to see it. The film stars Kristen Bell as Anna, Indina Menzel as Elsa, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, Josh Gad as Olaf and Santino Fontana as Hans. The movie is inspired by “The Snow Queen” by beloved Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875). The songs were written by husband and wife team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. The song “Let it go” won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Since the movie came out, I’ve read two article which heavily criticized the movie. One for the overly sexual nature of the Snow Queen and the apparently homosexual propaganda of the relationships in the movie. I will address each criticism later. But first a short recap.

                The story opens with village men cutting the frozen river to make ice blocks, singing a work song which sets up the story: “Beware the frozen heart” and “Ice has a magic that can’t be controlled.” Inside the castle, younger sister, Anna, is wide awake and wakes up her older sister, Elsa. Elsa have magic powers to create ice and snow. Anna is able to get Elsa up and they play in a great hall, where Elsa makes a frozen wonderland. During their play, Elsa accidently hits Anna and their parents afraid of her growing powers, forcing Elsa to live isolated from everyone. “Do you want to build a snowman?” is a song which shows the continuing isolation of the Elsa and the loneliness of Anna as they grow up.

Elsa is now of age, which I assume is 18 years old but the film gives no indication of her age, and it’s her coronation day. With the excitement of the coronation and the open castle gates, Anna meets Hans, prince of the Southern Isles and they have a seemingly magical evening together. The song “Love is an open door” is sung as they fall in love. Hans proposes, Anna accepts and Anna presents their engagement to Elsa who become angry at the prospect of more people in the castle. The sisters have an argument and Elsa can’t control her powers as it seems they grow with fear and anger. She runs away as they are revealed and imparts fear into the people.

                Elsa runs high into the mountains while singing “Let it go” as she creates her ice castle and becomes the Snow Queen. Elsa’s power has grown so great the she has created an eternal winter. Anna, feeling guilty, decides to go after her and leaves Hans in charge. Anna employs the help of Kristoff and his pet reindeer, Sven, to go to the North Mountain where Elsa has set up her castle. Along the way, they met Olaf, a magic snowman who Elsa created with Anna as children and recreated when return the land to summer. Elsa hits Anna in the heart with ice magic and creates an ice monster to chase them off the mountain. Kristoff takes Anna to the magical trolls to heal from the magic hit and the troll tells them that only true love can undo the magic. They assumed that Hans is Anna’s true love and they rush to get there soon. When Anna arrives back at the castle, Hans shows his true colors and leaves Anna to die and goes after Elsa. Hans attacks Elsa just as Anna steps between them, turning into ice and breaking the sword. Elsa falls to the ground in grief. Anna begins to thaw and the sisters embrace and that’s when Elsa realizes how she can control her powers with love.

                The first criticism of “Frozen” was Elsa’s transformation into the Snow Queen. As the Snow Queen, Elsa is sexier and more womanly

My response is every little girl becomes a woman. Ignoring that fact does not change it. Little girls need to stay little girls for as long as possible; however, eventually they will grow up and if I assumed Elsa’s age correctly, she’s 18. She’s no longer a child. She’s a woman and deserves to look like a woman.

                The second criticism of “Frozen” was famously posted in the blog “A Well Behaved Mormon Woman” by Kathryn Skaggs. Her claim is that “Frozen” is filled with pro-gay propaganda and that even Elsa is a lesbian. There were NO homosexual themes in this movie. Anna’s curse broke because of true love. The head troll, Pappie, said, “Only true love can thaw a frozen heart.” Not true love’s kiss, but true love. Why not the true love of sisters? John 15:13 says “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” And that’s what Anna does when she steps between the sword and Elsa, she laid down her life for her sister. Mrs. Skaggs’ other criticism was that since Elsa was not “boy crazy” like her sister, she must be a lesbian. Not being “boy crazy” doesn’t mean that Elsa’s automatically a lesbian. Her parents instilled in her fear of her powers, fear of hurting others. So Elsa closes herself off from others. She couldn’t allow herself to get close to anyone.

                “Frozen” is going to be counted among the beloved Disney movies. I enjoyed this movie very much and look forward to seeing for years to come with my children. I love the song “Let it go.” It’s a great about being freed from whatever may have been holding you in prison. It’s being free from stress and fear. I particularly like the line “It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small.” I don’t see any basis for any of the criticisms of this movie. My only suggestion to those critics is: if you think Disney is corrupting the youth, don’t let your children see it. Don’t buy movie tickets, don’t buy the merchandise.