Our Spoiler-Free Review of Disney-Pixar's 'Turning Red'

On March 11th, Disney and Pixar’s new animated feature film, ‘Turning Red’ will premiere on Disney+. The coming-of-age story explores the changes that come physically and emotionally during puberty. For anyone who has been through this awkward stage of life, we know that even the best of relationships are tested during this time when we are growing, learning, and discovering new things about ourselves in a very short period of time. It sometimes felt as if our whole world had been flipped upside down. But what if one day you woke up as a completely different person… or panda? Suddenly covered in new body hair, sweating in new places, and feeling every eye on you as you walk the halls of your middle school!

Disney-Pixar’s “Turning Red” introduces Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda. Additionally, the voices behind Pixar’s first-ever boy band include Jordan Fisher as Robaire, Finneas O’Connell as Jesse, Topher Ngo as Aaron T., Grayson Villanueva as Tae Young, and Josh Levi as Aaron Z. “Turning Red” is directed by Academy Award® winner Domee Shi (Pixar short “Bao”) and produced by Lindsey Collins (“Finding Dory”).

As I have shared previously I want to note that this is the first time we are seeing a female protagonist in a Disney or Pixar film going through the complicated transition of puberty and some themes and discussion topics may not be suitable for young children. That being said, I recommend parents watch this movie before putting it on for family movie night just to be sure your family may be ready to have crucial conversations about their development and growth as a tween/teen.

Outside of this factor, I do have to say that I appreciated the exploration of a story that doesn’t shy away from being honest about a universal experience in a Disney and Pixar movie. So many studios would rather hide behind insinuations instead of confronting the true nature of relationships and physical development, particularly with girls. Though the Red Panda is used as a euphemism for puberty, the struggles are still the same. Relationships get tested, our perspectives change, and the smallest inconveniences and disagreements feel world-ending.

After the initial shock of “Did they really just say/show that?” I was actually impressed with the boundaries that were pushed in the story. Speaking of boundaries, Pixar also outdid themselves with the setting of Mei’s world. The pastel palette and anime-inspired movements for scenes sprinkled throughout the film help viewers to understand Mei’s experience and perspective throughout the film. I also easily see 4*Town’s music from the film becoming a new social media trend, so TikTok users beware, hehe.

To prevent any spoilers I’ll leave my analysis there. Overall, I would say that Disney-Pixar’s Turning Red is a great coming-of-age story that I will happily watch with my family once we are ready to have honest conversations about the changes that come with puberty. This film can be a great tool to open communication between kids and their parents and/or guardians. I would caution parents of younger kids (like myself) to watch the movie before viewing it with their kids to be sure it is age appropriate.

Disney-Pixar’s Turning Red will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on March 11th. Be sure to check back here at Chip and Company for updates and all things Disney and Pixar!

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