Disney+ 'Turning Red' Review: This Red Panda is more for the parents than the kids
Disney never seems to beat around the bush, especially when it comes to its animated flicks. 'Turning Red' is definitely one such film and it comes as an addition to a diverse catalog that includes films such as 'Mulan' and 'Raya and the Last Dragon' to name a few.
Directed by debutant filmmaker Domee Shi, known for making the short film 'Bao' and for being a part of other Disney blockbusters like 'Inside Out,' 'The Incredibles 2,' 'Onward,' 'Soul,' 'Luca,' and the upcoming 'Lightyear,' the film is a rich blend of animation and storytelling. So, what is 'Turning Red' all about? Quite simple! It's about Meilin Lee, a Chinese Canadian teenager, who is trying to wade through the tricky and confusing waters of adolescence while trying to be a good daughter to her overbearing and overprotective mother. Except, every single time she feels any strong emotion, such as anger or sorrow, she turns into a giant red panda!
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'Turning Red' starts with Meilin (Rosalie Chiang) describing herself as someone who honors herself, by doing her own thing and making her own moves. As we travel along with her from her neighborhood to her school, we get to know what others think of her. "A very enterprising mildly annoying young lady." "A major weirdo." "An overachieving dork narc." These are just some of the things the people at school have to say about her. What about her parents? Or should we say her mother (Sandra Oh) who tends to speak for her father (Orion Lee) as well? She thinks of Mei as "today's honor student" and "tomorrow's UN Secretary-General." We soon find out that the 13-year-old has no control over her life whatsoever, and that the only time she feels remotely free is when she's around her best friends, Miriam (Ava Morse), Abby (Hyein Park), and Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan).
An embarrassing experience that takes place due to her mother's overprotective nature makes Mei go through waves of emotions one night and she wakes up as a giant red panda the next morning. She soon figures out that she turns to her normal self once calms down but she has a public transformation after once gain being triggered by her mother.
This makes Ming reveal to Mei that it's a generational process and that it can be curbed through a ritual. However, Mei has to keep her emotions under control because every single time she transforms, the being within her gets stronger, making the ritual even more difficult than it already is. With the ritual just a month away, Mei has to overcome the various obstacles in her way, and whether or not she does forms the rest of the film.
Now, 'Turning Red' isn't your average teenage film about pointless rebellion. It has its head and heart in the right place, making it a film about an age group that is trying to find its own voice while still trying to be the kids that their parents expect them to be. Given that your parents are the beings who gave you your life and put a roof over your head and food on your plate, the least you can do is every single they ask. At least that's what Mei thinks is right at the beginning of 'Turning Red.'
But this opinion of hers doesn't last long and the lesser she fights the return to self, the more pleasant things get around her. This is exactly what 'Turning Red' is all about. It's a film by adults for adults, asking them to just let their kids be and telling them to do the same as well.
With a razor-sharp screenplay by Julia Cho and Domee Shi, and a heartwarming story by Cho, Shi, and Sarah Streicher,' Turning Red' is a film that gets its point across because it doesn't try too hard or take too long. Ludwig Göransson, known for composing scores for films such as 'Black Panther,' 'Venom,' and 'Tenet,' once again excels at elevating scenes when necessary but what he seems to be a master at is knowing when to let a scene breathe. The casting choices are perfect and other technical elements just fit perfectly, making 'Turning Red' a fun-filled experience for the kids that's packed with the right amount of pointers for the adults.
The film's core message can be summarized in a dialog from it. "The point isn't to push the bad stuff away, it's to make room for it, live with it."
'Turning Red' is currently available for streaming on Disney+