- “Turning Red”This is the latest Pixar film and it’s streaming on Disney+ Friday.
- The animated film follows a teenage girl who poofs into a red panda— a metaphor for adolescence.
- Julia Cho, co-writer and director Domee Shi wanted to embrace this. “messiness” of puberty, growing up.
When we think about puberty, we typically imagine raging hormones and teenage angst. But Pixar’s newest movieThis is not a cause to be ashamed of.
“Turning Red”(Streaming on Disney+Friday) offers a refreshing take on a traditionally uncomfortable topic by telling the story of Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian honors student with adorably dorky confidence. Like any awkward eighth grader, she enjoys hanging out with her friends and obsessing over boy bands, but often hides her true self in order to appease her protective, slightly overbearing mother Ming (Sandra Oh).
Mei, however, marks her womanhood with “poofing” into a giant, 8-foot red panda whenever she gets excited, angry, or overly emotional – a metaphor for adolescence.
“You kind of see the panda’s metaphor evolve along with Mei,”Domee Shi was the director. Pixar’s short film “Bao”In 2018. “It starts with puberty, but by the end, it’s clear the panda represents messiness: The messiness of growing up. The messiness of life. The messiness of all the emotions inside of us that we’re taught at a young age to put away because it causes a stir (and) grabs attention.”
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Young girls have learned “The Art of Being a Girl” for many years.To be smallShi, who co-wrote and directed the screenplay, said that they were trying to control their emotions. So instead of banishing the “beast,”Julia Cho, Julia’s co-writer, wanted Mei to embrace her teenage years. “inner panda” in a society that often shames women for being too emotional.
“We’re living in this moment where it’s so much about authenticity and being our true selves, but it’s impossible if you don’t actually embrace every part of yourself,”Cho.
In Mei’s family, which frames her mom as strong-willed and her dad as steady and reserved, “there’s something so empowering and cool about how Mei is the first to embrace the messiness of herself. To be loud, to take up space and to be this unapologetic, large, goofy creature,” Shi adds.
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“Turning Red” has already garnered praise from critics for its empowering and humorous take on a familiar coming-of-age story. As a mother,Tessa Smith is a film critic said the ending moved her to tears. “I related so hard to ‘Turning Red.’ I get Mei, but I also get Ming,”She tweeted.Kevin Lee, CriticMei “reminded me of myself and how difficult 13-year-old me must’ve been for my mom.”
The film is based on Shi’s own childhood experiences: Like Mei, she recalls frequentlyHer protective mother is a good friend. while navigating changes in her body and relationships – a common experience for Many Asian children immigrant parentsYou are torn between being a good parent and the chaos of adolescence.
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For those who are behind “Turning Red” made sure to evoke that nostalgia andRepresentation for Asian viewersWhile avoiding stereotypes. For instance, the filmmakers initially hesitated on making Mei a straight-A student, out of concern that it could perpetuate Asians’ nerdy stereotype. But while reflecting on their own experiences and whether they were allowed to be B or C students growing up, Shi and Cho agreed to keep the narrative.
“We always approach the writing of these characters from their goals and motivations,”Shi. “Mei really wants to be a good daughter to her mom and she truly loves her mom and family… but also she’s being inexplicably drawn to this new world, to boys, her friends, to everything that the red panda represents.”
The same precautions were made to humanize Ming as more than just a stereotypical, emotionless “tiger mom.”
“What I tried to do was to make sure Ming was just as well balanced (as) Mei,”Cho. “Ming is fully real and human as a mom, so you’re not only seeing her through Mei’s perspective but also having a larger perspective on who (Ming) is and why she’s protective.”
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Though the cute family-friendly film is all about the complexity of puberty, the beauty of “Turning Red” is that it hits home for viewers of all ages.
“Whether we’re 13, 33, or 53, we’re all constantly evolving to a version of ourselves that isn’t really our best version, but it’s our more true version,” Cho says. “It’s not about being the best you can be. It’s about being as much you as you can be.”
