Meilin "Mei" Lee (Rosalie Chiang) wears what she wants and does what she wants every day of every year. But this time around, it’s different. She’s in eighth grade now, and there’s no space to mess around. Everything should be perfect. She doesn’t want to disappoint her mother (Sandra Oh), who invested a lot in her.
But maybe there’s a tiny space for her to loathe and pursue her self-interest. Like fangirling over the boy band 4-Town with her best friends, Miriam (Ava Morse), Abby (Hyein Park), and Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan).
One night, Mei suddenly wakes up to discover that she has turned into a large red panda. Mei was shocked and disgruntled. Her first instinct is to hide it from everyone, including her parents. But keeping the beast at bay is a tough job, especially if you’re a 13-year-old girl with a busy life.
"Turning Red" is directed by the Academy Award winner, Domee Shi. She is also the first woman to ever direct a Pixar feature film. This is also the first Disney computer-generated film to implicitly tell a story that alludes to a girl’s puberty. In fact, most, if not all, of the film’s allegories and plots are female-centric struggles. It is refreshing in a sense that Pixar has only a few movies with female leads and a story that solely focuses on womanhood.
"Turning Red" is also about generational trauma experienced by young adults like Meilin. In the film, Ming pins her hopes and dreams on Meilin. It might be her way of "protecting" her daughter, but it has negatively affected her self-esteem and relationships with her friends and family. It touches heavily on toxic Asian culture, whose ideals of obedience and perfection are so absurd that they become ruinous.
Shi’s pickup of young actress Rosalie Chiang was a hit. For one, Chiang has the youthful energy to play the character. Chiang brought forth the intricacies in Mei’s mind and let us experience them as spectators of her journey. Her voice is also easily recognizable and full of spirit.
All in all, "Turning Red" is a movie that everyone should watch at least once. This film also blends different styles in reminiscence by popular anime like "Inuyasha" and "Sailor Moon." The story is really memorable and it got its heart in the right place. Kids and adults alike will surely love Mei Mei and her journey to accept change.
