26. Turning Red; movie review

 

TURNING RED

Cert PG

96 mins

BBFC advice: Contains mild threat, sex references, language

Remember the horror that was Covid and the many months that theatres were shut and movies could not be made?

More than two years on, there continues to be a backlog of films that either need to be released or have already gone straight to streaming services.

Pixar's Turning Red emerged on Disney+ because it was scheduled to be shown to cinema audiences as the Omnicron variant of Covid took hold.

Thus, the studio is now bringing it to the big screen, although I can't help wondering if most who would be interested have probably already seen it.

Domee Shi's movie revolves around Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old A-grade student.

She has two motivations - to be top of her class and a polite and dutiful daughter.

However, puberty releases a tide of emotion, manifesting in her becoming a giant red panda.

Unsurprisingly, this causes embarrassment and shame, but gradually, she embraces the changes and puts herself on a collision course with her ultra-possessive mother (Sandra Oh).

Essentially, Turning Red is a message to teenage girls to be themselves and not worry too much about life's pressures.

It has an imaginative story that tackles fears over school, friendship groups, parents and fashion.

Meanwhile, Chinese culture and ferocious and friendly red pandas are thrown into the mix.

If it were a new movie, it would be a big hit, and I am fascinated to see how it does the second time around.

Reasons to watch: Original concept

Reasons to avoid: Essentially a film about periods

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? There is a mammal called the red panda but it is small and looks similar to  raccoons, weasels, and skunks. It is not closely related to the giant panda,

The final word.  Domee Shi: "I just wanted to tap into what it was like for me and for a lot of people when they woke up one day and didn’t recognize their body or their emotions or why they went from hating their mom one second and then worshiping them the next." Indiewire

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