Disney embraces the panda with new movie, “Turning Red”

Not everyone can say that when puberty hit them, they turned into a giant red panda, but Mei Lee can. 

The newest Disney/Pixar coming-of-age film, “Turning Red,” was released exclusively on Disney+ on March 11. This film stands out, as the content is something not necessarily seen in a Disney/Pixar movie. 

This film is a beautiful representation of Chinese culture, and the struggles that people within the culture may face. It is important that these stories are told, and with “Turning Red,” it is done in a tasteful way that educates many people who are not a part of the Chinese culture. 

However, there are some issues with how Disney/Pixar handled this film. 

Especially after the success of “Encanto,” there is no reason why this film could not have been released in theaters. COVID-19 has changed the movie-going experience for everyone, but not providing the option for a theater viewing is suspicious. 

It seems Disney is trying to gatekeep this movie from the general public, only releasing it to those who have a Disney+ membership. 

There also was a poor promotion period for this film. Not many people knew the actual release date of the film, or even what the movie was going to be about. 

Of course, now that the film has been released and has gained popularity, Disney has been promoting it better, but why couldn’t it have been like this from the start? It seems shady, and disrespectful to the story being told. 

This film perfectly describes what going through puberty feels like emotionally, and it is important that kids have this movie. It was amazing to see Disney talking about periods; we rarely get that conversation in any type of film, let alone one from Disney.

Mei Lee and her group of friends have to be some of the most iconic Pixar characters to date. This movie really is a great example of how sometimes all you need in life is your friends to keep you calm. 

Seeing the discourse, however, about Mei and her friends is funny. People are almost appalled at the fact that these kids do not act like “normal” kids, but come on, no one acted normal at the age of 13 and this movie showcases that. 

The most relatable aspect of the film is the boyband fever Mei and her friends are struck with — as it was a perfect reflection of early 2000s culture.

While at times it does seem kind of shallow that the main conflict is Mei wanting to go to the concert and not being able to because of her mother, it helps make this movie seem more realistic. Of course, we are talking about a movie in which the character turns into a panda when her emotions get the best of her, but it is a realistic conflict that fits. 

The songs, written by Billie Ellish and brother Finneas O’Connell, are the perfect definition of what boy groups sounded like during 2002. So ridiculous in content, but the perfect music to jam to. They did a good job of creating that feel. 

With the end of the movie there should have been more time allowed to really help develop the storyline involving not feeling good enough for your parents. 

Yes, we get that element throughout the movie as Mei’s mom, Ming, is doing the same thing to Mei as her mother did to her, but if there were a quick backstory included at this moment with Ming and her mother, then this ending could have been made stronger and wrapped the storyline up to make a good movie great.