Turning Red

directed by Domee Shi - no rating

When I first saw the trailer for Turning Red, I thought that Pixar had finally gone off the deep end into irredeemable territory. However, the film’s marketing did it a disservice - it was not nearly as bad as the advertising made it seem. It’s a sweet and relatively inconsequential movie that delves deeper into adolescence than most family movies dare to. It isn’t perfect, but it makes itself hard to hate by the end. 

The biggest talking point around the film is its representation. WhileTurning Red ’s representation is important, it’s crucial to note that Disney’s more diverse strides don’t undo their white supremacist origins and history. They are still a corporation that cares most about turning a profit, not about making underrepresented groups feel seen by the media. When the market inevitably swings conservative again, inclusivity will no longer be a priority of Disney’s if wokeness doesn’t drum up revenue. However, it is essential not to use broad statements about consumer metrics to undermine the people who connect with this movie (I also discussed this concept in my review for Encanto). Also, it’s important to note that many of Disney’s progressive milestones revolve around people of color turning into animals, an odd choice when it comes to representation (The Princess and the Frog & Soul both employ the same trope). 

In terms of writing, the story's stakes seem to be lower than in most recent Pixar movies. In Soul, Joe Gardner’s journey was one in which he had to dodge the grasp of death and come to terms with individuality. In Luca, our protagonists had to overcome an entire community opposed to their existence. But in Turning Red, the main goal of the characters was… to go to a boy-band concert. It feels cheap and inconsequential when watching, but the story is written in a way that still allows us to become invested in the characters’ ambitions.

The story’s fundamental structure is built upon the protagonist 13-year-old Mei, who turns into a giant red panda whenever she feels a strong emotion, coming to terms with the changing parts of her that make her different. The red panda is a metaphor for menstruation and adolescence in general, and this symbolic representation is not tackled subtly - and it didn’t have to be. Sometimes, the direct nature of this metaphor is apropos. Other times, it is far too on-the-nose and downright idiotic. In one scene, Mei shouts, “My panda, my choice!” at her mother, a very cringy reminder of the contrived social awareness that this film is built upon. It’s an interesting allegory, but it isn’t tackled from the right angle and comes across as very out-of-touch.

From an audiovisual standpoint, Turning Red also avoids subtlety. It’s is a non-stop barrage on your senses, refusing to give the story a chance to breathe until the very end. The editing is in-your-face, the animation is exaggerated even by Pixar’s standards, and the colors and sounds never cease to flash and blare until the final scene. If the pacing had been a bit better, it wouldn’t feel as jarring when the story comes to a sudden halt in the end. 

Modern Disney films also seem to suffer from the increasingly corporate animation aesthetic. The company seems entirely opposed to adopting diverse artistic styles, which means that their films become increasingly visually dull and relatively homogenous. This movie includes a few nods to anime and other art styles here and there, but the style is not unique enough to stand out in my mind. However, there is a sequence in Turning Red where Mei’s mother tells her about her ancestral connection to red pandas, in which the animation style switches to something much more pleasant and exciting. If the film had employed this style throughout, it would have made the viewing experience much more enjoyable and highlighted different artistic voices while drawing ties to the characters’ ancestry. 

In addition to Disney’s corporate feel, their obvious marketing ploys make the film unenjoyable. The movie dedicates an entire montage to characters creating merchandise that canonically promotes the movie and its star, which can easily be translated into real-world profit. It’s a facet of the film that’s impossible to look past, and it tainted the overall sweetness of the story in my eyes. 

Turning Red was released on March 11, 2022 and is currently streaming on Disney+.