Becoming a woman can be a messy process. For many, puberty hits hard, transforming our bodies into strange creatures we no longer recognize. 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. For Meilin "Mei" Lee, the heroine of the latest Disney/Pixar movie, Turning Red, all of this is true, also, she turns into a giant red panda. This cuddly cute shape-shift is a metaphor for puberty that's bold, bonkers, and totally brilliant — while being a boatload of fun.
Co-written and directed by Domee Shi, Turning Red is set in 2002 Toronto, where 13-year-old Mei (Rosalie Chiang) is a straight-A student with a bit of a double life. With her Chinese-Canadian family, she is a devoted daughter, volunteering at their temple, helping with dinner, and ever-poised and polite. With her friends, she's a headstrong goofball who loves karaoke, boy bands, and imagining her crushes as mermen. With these dueling identities, Shi and co-writer Julia Cho set the child that Mei is to her parents against the young woman she's becoming. When the pressure to be perfect for her mom and her friends becomes too much, Mei transforms into a towering, fluffy red panda.
Turning Red brings back to the poppy fun of the 2000s
Steeped in 2000s nostalgia, this transformation is less traumatizing and more terrific, making Mei as cute and appealing as her Tamagochi virtual pet. With flip-phones and old-school emojis, she and her friends find the fun to be had in her panda. But to her mother, this "gross red monster" is a shameful secret that must be hidden, suppressed, and banished with the blood moon. As the moon approaches, so does the concert date for Mei and her friends' favorite boy band, 4 Town. And so comes a showdown full of panda action, mother-daughter drama, and deliciously catchy pop music (written by Billie Eilish and Finneas).
Kids and grown-ups will love Turning Red
Panda aside, Mei's journey to young womanhood is similar to those seen in cringe-comedies like Eighth Grade, Pen15, and Bob's Burgers' Tina Belcher plot lines. All possess a deep empathy for the harried heroine, who is flustered, awkward, and frantically horny. Their fumbles and foibles make us laugh not at them, but at ourselves way back then. Turning Red is less cringe-inducing than its thematic sisters, thanks to the '00s pop-optimism, vivid color palette, and Pixar's kid-friendly polish. Whether Mei is feeling insecure about her body, fighting with her mother, or fantasizing about a cute boy, the vibe is more romp than recoil. This is a genius move by Shi. Because while parents (and child-free grown-ups) will relish the nostalgia for the '00s in aesthetic and perhaps personal naivete, actual kids won't feel the crushing weight of all that cringe. That comes later, be it through age, wisdom, or therapy (or all three).
Kids won't put together what Mei's mom (an apoplectic Sandra Oh) means when she asks if daughter's "red peony has bloomed." The central metaphor will go over their heads, as will the reason Mei's mom reacts so intensely when she discovers a notebook swamped in steamy doodles. To youngsters, this will be a bouncy 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.
Mei breaks the mold of Disney heroines
Forget the flawless and poised princesses of Disney past, who get ball gowns and sea creature serenades in their quests for romance. Mei is not crushing on princes, but those pretty boys of elementary school, who'd toss their long floppy bangs with no idea how it made our hearts skip a beat. (Shi re-creating exactly this move in slo-mo is dead-on and divine.)
Mei doesn't make pretty smiles or flirty lip bites when she swoons. Her face contorts in a way typically denied Disney's female characters. It's a face that's not cute but is crucial to expressing that juvenile pang of lust that's so abrupt and confounding that your face basically short-circuits. Even in these moments, Mei's got her girls, each of whom is a familiar yet distinct brand of 8th-grade awkward. Always a booster, 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, but also will punch you in the face with a moment's notice. Just like the red panda, they break the mold on what being a girl means in a Disney movie. They do it with verve and style — and we love them for all of it.
A coming-of-age tale that shows maturity in the Disney/Pixar brand
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 a pivotal prop. There's the rollicking pace that makes the movie feel like a roller coaster, full of swerves and thrills. The soundtrack is both throwback and self-aware, nudging at the message while gently parodying boy band jams while being an undeniable bop. The wealth of '00s details will amuse kids but will pitch grown-ups full-bodied back into the era of choker necklaces, flannel fashion, and emo kids. The jubilant animation builds a world familiar yet fresh, perfect for a perplexed giant red panda running amuck. Led by 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 in that, 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 protagonist who is confident, kooky, but also a mess, Disney and Pixar gave kids a role model who rejects convention and is better for it — and better for us.
Full of fun, humor, and heart, Turning Red is a coming-of-age comedy that's as exhilarating as it is groundbreaking family entertainment.
Turning Red is returning to theaters for a special engagement on Feb. 9.
UPDATE: Feb. 2, 2024, 12:34 p.m. EST "Turning Red" was reviewed for its release in 2022. This review has been republished to celebrate its theatrical debut.
