As of now, Pixar’s newest film “Turning Red” has been released exclusively on Disney+. Pixar is known for making some of the most memorable animated films in the last 20 years; so does Turning Red continuing Pixar’s streak? Here’s my spoiler-free review of Turning Red.
MAIN REVIEW:
I don’t know if it was the movie’s fault or just me waking up at 5 in the morning to watch before the day began, but I wasn’t a fan of Turning Red. The film is the story of a girl from Toronto named Mei Mei who is thirteen, and of course experiences the awkward stages of being a kid. Everything gets weirder when one day she wakes up as a giant red panda. The film is a coming-of-age comedy about being a thirteen-year-old girl from the early 2000s, in which her, her interests, and her crushes are all changing. Weird, right? Anyway, it’s explained that she and her family are Chinese-Canadian and honor their ancestors at their own temple instead of a God. Her ancestors also had “a mystical connection with red pandas”, and the quirk of the women turning into a panda has run through their family. To get rid of the beast, Mei Mei must perform a ritual at the next red moon, which is one month still with the beast. To make it worse, Meilin and her three friends are obsessed with a boy-band 4-Town (like NSYNC) that is coming to Toronto the week before the ritual. To get enough money to get tickets for them all to go together ($800) they start using the red panda inside Mei Mei to get pictures and merchandise at their school, and that’s the main premise.
WHAT I LIKED:
Overall, the film was funny. Occasional jokes regarding puberty make for a weird-funny experience. The characters are also supposed to be living in 2002, and it really feels that way. It’s like you’re getting transported back to the early 2000s. Then there’s the animation. The animation is like a cartoon; in which the tears look cartoonish, the “puppy-eyes” look, and the “love” look, all look more cartoony and less realistic. The setting is bright and vibrant, looking amazing. The fur on the red panda looks so real and soft, like you want to hug it and it feel like hugging a real red panda. The animation is stellar in Turning Red.
WHAT I DISLIKED:
Like I said, Turning Red was not a movie I was very impressed with. The main issue is just the plot, in which it also was a bit simple. There isn’t much new stuff you realize each rewatch, which is something I don’t like as much. All the characters are doing is trying to get concert tickets and hiding it from the main character’s mom. And come to think of it, the “bully” named Tyler is barely a threat in the story. He doesn’t seem to have much importance to the storyline. Then, we randomly find out that concert is actually the day the ritual is happening, which is what I call a dumb thing to add some entertainment value. The movie had some good things, but more dislikes.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall, Turning Red is a fine addition to the Pixar lineup, but underwhelming from a studio that crafted some of the most memorable and beloved animated films of all time. I give Turning Red a 7.2 out of 10.
Are you a Pixar fanatic? On Sunday I’m releasing on both my YouTube and website a rank of all 25 feature films with Turning Red, so get ready for that! (9am premiere)
Reply below your favorite Pixar film! Thanks for reading!