Turning Red Review

It's been a while since Pixar last made a film that I had a wholly uncomplicated relationship with. As much as I utterly adored their 2020 opus Soul, I had some genuine problems with the way it structured itself. I'm not quite willing to say that Turning Red matches Soul for quality, as for most people that film's impeccable imagery and beautiful, life-affirming story will represent a high point for the studio that a comfort movie about puberty will be hard-pressed to match. At the same time, however, my relationship with Turning Red is wholly uncomplicated; I adored this film, and have little significant critique of it to speak of. That certainly doesn't mean I don't have anything to say about it, however.

Pixar has been in need of a reinvention of its formula and identity as a studio for some time now. Far removed from their golden age of the 2000's, ever since 2010 they've been plagued by a baffling devotion to unnecessary sequels and a rigid formula. Films like Finding Dory and The Incredibles 2 were fun but largely forgettable affairs overshadowed by their classic predecessors, and films like Brave and The Good Dinosaur fell almost entirely through the cracks. Even their occasional hit like Inside Out were held back by their insistence on following a fairly generic adventure formula. By the time the 2020's came around and John Lasseter was removed from his leadership position of the studio, it was more than clear that Pixar would have to change its direction as a studio or fade into obscurity.

Many people found 2021's Luca to be an underwhelming release, and in hindsight I can see how. After the grandiosity and majesty of Soul, it was such a small, almost plotless release whose ambition didn't even come close to what people loved about Soul. At the time, though, I loved it. Soul was the end of an era; it was the most ambitious they could possibly get with that particular formula. I mean, an epic yet intimate character drama about life, death and the nature of identity itself? Where do you go from that? Instead of topping it, Pixar wisely decided to do something completely different afterwards. And while, in hindsight, Luca was just pretty good and not great, I was excited about what it meant for the future of Pixar. A pivot to smaller, more intimate character-focused stories from diverse backgrounds with all the charm and heart that Pixar is practically synonymous with seemed like a perfect antidote to the oversaturation of franchise building thrills rides masquerading as films that define Hollywood's contemporary output. The question was, ultimately, was Luca going to be a a stepping stone to a brand new Pixar, or was it destined to go down as just a minor curiosity in Pixar's decline period?

Turning Red gave answer to that question and more. Turning Red may not be as big and ambitious as some of Pixar's previous gems, but it's nonetheless a bold new direction for Pixar, and a far more well rounded picture than Luca. I'm not exaggerating when I say I adored this film. It seemed specifically crafted from the ground up to be a personal favorite of mine specifically. It has its share of formulas and predictabilities, but it's just so uncompromisingly itself that none of that matters.

Turning Red follows young Meilin Lee, the 13 year old daughter of the owner of one of the oldest temples in Toronto. Now mostly a tourist site, the temple is the heirloom of their family who immigrated from China and brought with them their heritage; an ancestral connection to the red panda. Unbeknownst to Mei, they also brought with them an ancient gift; starting at puberty, the women of their family will turn into giant red pandas upon feeling uncontrollable extreme emotions.

What follows isn't a quest to reverse this curse so much as a coming of age romp where Mei is forced to hide herself from others, but ultimately winds up hiding herself from her parents instead. The film deals with themes of immigration, self-expression, dysfunctional families and burgeoning pubescent sexuality in ways that are both tasteful but also surprisingly blunt and authentic for a Disney film. Much controversy has been stirred up over the scene where Mei's mother attempts to help her with what she thinks is her first menstruation, or the scene where Mei draws some risque fanart and attempts to hide it from her mother, but this is all genuine, authentic stuff that girls go through at this age, especially in the period depicted in the film. Much can be said about how the controversies surrounding this film view how we see children and teenage girls specifically, but that is beyond the scope of this review - I recommend Jessie Gender's video essay on the subject.

Turning Red is directed by Domee Shi, an actual woman of Asian descent, and her cultural heritage lends an authenticity to the immigration and ethnic themes on display. This element really helps Turning Red stand out as something fresh and interesting; it brings a perspective that Pixar has never really explored before, and that allows them a brand new angle to tell a story. Domee Shi has also stated that much of Turning Red aside from the red panda stuff was based on her own experiences as a teenage girl and again, that authenticity really shows and helps make this film an extremely textured and well-rounded experience that sets it apart from just being another fun kid-friendly romp.

But it also is a fun, kid-friendly romp. The animation is bright, colorful and beautiful, but also emotive and energetic in ways that feel inspired by the recent inventiveness of Sony Animation's Spider-Verse or The Mitchells vs. The Machines. The texture of the fur is gorgeous, the character designs excellent, and the cast itself is exquisitie. Mei is an incredibly believable and likeable protagonist; her annoying elements are realistic for her age, and her interests and vulnerabilities make her relatable. Her friend group is very wholesome and supportive, and each get their own unique quirks and personalities that add to their greater dynamic. Even her family are complicated and overbearing but also genuinely well meaning and sympathetic. All of this is tied together with a brilliant and hilarious script into a genuinely evocative re-creation of the early to mid 2000's middle and high school landscape, a time period that is ripe for a new wave of nostalgia.

Also, permit me to talk about a personal bias for a moment, but this film is really furry? In like a purely wholesome adolescent way. It's about a teenager whose weird inner self and the way she expresses and explores it is represented by a large, cuddly anthropomorphic red panda. She at one point just has ears and a tail but is otherwise fully human. She make wearable tail and ear merchandise and sells it to classmates and starts a scene about it, and also she's absolutely a nerd with an interest in fandom. It just feels like an authentic representation of the adolescent furry experience beyond what people all too often misconstrue it as, and it's extremely resonant for me.

Turning Red is a film that fires on practically every cylinder for me. It's a fun, funny coming-of-age romp that hits on a perfect mix of nostalgia and self-aware cringe while recreating a time period I'm intimately familiar with. It's a frank and honest depiction of pubescent feminine identity and sexuality without being crass or inappropriate about it. It's beautiful animated with a fun and adorable transformation gimmick, and it repackages a familiar story with an interesting twist and a fresh new perspective and cements Pixar's new direction as a studio as something to look forward to. It's one of my favorite films of the year so far, and that includes everything I saw at Sundance this year, and so far it's the one I'm most excited to own on Blu-Ray.