The revered Disney and Pixar production released in 2022 known as Turning Red has in its credits Domee Shi as the director and Shaodong Zhang as the producer. In the short time since its release the movie has been nominated for several awards and the brightly colored visuals combined with the emotional narratives have served as the backbone of this profound piece of art. The plot revolves around Mei and her intensely colored experiences as she undergoes growth with the added twist of having her transform into a gigantic panda at the height of her forte emotions. Mei is a zealous 13-year old with her gracious and multi layered personality brought out so vividly throughout the film.
The plot of the movie is set in the early 2000s Toronto and follows the life of a loving family, with a gentle harmonious mother bonding with her daughter, Mei Lee. The family statues at the time were a bit on the nerdy side with the daughter being the most impacted and a true character of filial piety as she tries her very best to play the daughter role as most flawless daughter and a role model. The unique family special is a Japanese temple which has a rich history and helped Mei demonstrates her paternal side.Mei, throughout the course of the story, shifts from childhood into pre-adolescence and attempts to explore and cultivate an individual self. Along with her best buds, classmates Abby and Priya, and neighborhood chum Miriam, school is fun, and filling her notebooks with doodles of imaginary romantic interests, eagerly anticipating visits to the local cinema to see the latest teen movie starring the dashing boy and gagaing over the sensational girl group, 4*Town, hooks her attention. These factors increase the degree to which she is able to imagine, and thus, think. She is also at an age where there is a marked increase in self-expression, and thus, these developments are most likely to be in conflict with how her mother envisions her daughter, a deluded vision where Mei is something that goes beyond a mere ‘Mei Mei’ to an idealized version of her ‘perfect’ self.
One day, Mei wakes up to find that she has morphed into a huge fluffy red panda. She is in shock and fright, and if that’s not enough, she has to find a way to deal with her worst nightmares. Her class fellows, and most importantly, her mother. She soon learns from her mother that the ability to morph into a panda has been a ‘curse,’ for most ‘modern’ women in the family, as these weathered women are cursed to live in a ‘modern’ setting. Even in the so-called ‘modern’ world that Mei ‘feels’ she’s living in, Sun Yee transforms into a panda to protect her daughters and the village. These facts about Sun Yee’s life alter the way women are thought to live life these days. Her ancestral daughters were able to live in harmony with the civilization.
Mei’s family will perform a ritual to bind the panda spirit to a charm, a tradition bestowed upon the older women in the family. The ritual takes place in a couple weeks during the night of the red moon. In the meantime, Mei is asked to remain calm and contain herself from feeling any strong emotions.
Mei’s friends adore her panda form, and she is even able to use it to help her friends fundraise for the upcoming 4*Town concert. The red panda, a part of Mei, offers her newfound confidence and the ability to perform any acts of her choosing. No longer is she restricted.
Mei is now torn between her mother’s wishes and her choices. It’s easier for Ming to disapprove of Mei’s new behavior, which is a desire to attend the concert. In her eyes, it is far too much of a distraction and her behavior is inappropriate. Mei is torn between being the good daughter which her mother wants her to be and the strong independent woman she is choosing to be.
The climax takes place that night, much like how 4*Town’s concert occurs. Mei’s internal conflict of letting go of the panda and fulfilling her family’s panda history versus keeping him and following her heart comes to the forefront at this very moment.
Mei sprints to the concert intending to embrace her panda. In doing so, she seemingly attends the concert and transforms at the same time. In doing so, she also rips off her mother’s shirt. Ming, alongside the rest of the town, is bewildered seeing that she also unconsciously transformed into a gigantic red panda, meaning she had also suppressed the spirit inside her for so long.
The daughter helps her mother realize her current position in life and that it’s okay to evolve. With the support of her family and friends, Mei is able to start a new tradition that also encourages her individuality. Rather, Mei embraces what it means to be a daughter, which is preserving one’s family traditions.
The balance Mei achieves is due to the family’s attitude towards her, alongside the community. At the same time, Ming stops trying to control everything and starts trusting Mei, allowing her to explore what is means to be truly free.
Cast and Crew
Rosalie Chiang as Meilin “Mei” Lee. A charming young girl and the center of a vibrant story who goes through the transitions of childhood.
Sandra Oh as Ming Lee. Mei’s affectionate mother still trying to deal with the harsh reality of parenthood.
Ava Morse as Miriam. One of Mei’s very supportive and joyful friends.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Priya. Mei’s easy-going friend who is very much into fiction.
Hyein Park as Abby. Mei’s hyperactive friend who is protective of her.
Orion Lee as Jin Lee. Mei’s gentle and loving father.
Domee Shi (also the winner of the Oscar for the short film Bao) is the director.
Domee Shi and Julia Cho are the screenwriters.
Lindsey Collins is the producer.
Canvas for the Pixar film that highlights the immigration experience is more personal for Shi. It was her childhood as a Canadian-Chinese that influenced the connection enjoyed by the first female sole director of a Pixar feature film.The original songs for the film were written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, notably for the fictional boy band ‘4TOWN’. Their songs ‘Nobody Like U’ and ‘U Know What’s Up’ were and continue to be instant fan favorites.
The emotional and pop influenced pieces that lend character to Mei’s Universe were scored by Ludwig Görnsson.
Reception and the films score on IMDb is 7/10. The reviews for the film were reasonably positive and focused on the emotional depth, representation of culture, and the storytelling. The heartfelt and unique approach to the animation style was also greatly appreciated.
The film was appreciated for:
Real representation of adolescent changes the identity and the different shifting emotions.
The multi-generational mother daughter connections that were portrayed by strong female leads.
The emotional and cultural diversity of the characters.
The animation that is paired with the setting of the early 2000’s.
Both the parents and the children walked away from the film feeling relatable and empowered. It also sparked discussions on growing up, communication, and the acceptance of change.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, and regardless of how easily one may dismiss it, Turning Red ‘bends’ and breaks an unfixed boundary that is enables one to easily comprehend growth and may almost be confused to be limited to self-growth considering how well it encapsulates maturity and self understanding, identity formation and other growth facilitators that encompass the myriad of emotions that are to be found tangled and intertwined beneath the layers of any growth process and submerge themselves to the root of the process only to bloom bravely at the surface to remind the ‘the self about ‘the self’.
This film fundamentally addresses the ‘transformation’ that is profound, and for the ‘self’… almost selfless to the point of being a mere anchor of emotion that, when intertwined and embraced with a panda will guide one to the self they were never fully taught to embrace. It is safe to assume that the film triggers and stirs an emotion that empowers the self with the vision to understand that self-empowerment paired with any growth endeavor is inevitable and, especially through the lens of family, friendship, and boundary dissolution to themselves and others is the ‘perfect’ balance required to paint the true essence of being.
This film is a perfect anchor and guide, to someone at any age, keeping the spirit and the heart of the individual alive with joy, laughter, and courage to take a firm that also relishes dreamy emotions- almost ‘brave and red, fuzzy.
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