"[The film] delivers a bigger, and in some ways more universal message: It's okay to not always be in control, to let your freak flag fly. To paraphrase Sigmund Freud, sometimes a red panda is just a red panda. And sometimes it's a metaphor for that inner spark of creativity, the flame of originality that is to be cherished, not extinguished. With 'Turning Red,' Shi demonstrates that she's got it, in spades".
-The Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan
I remeber as a kid in theater class rehearsing THE ADDMAS FAMILY MUSICAL, i was a little frustrated that we had to censor or completely remove some of the material. after I graduated, I went to see a production of SHE KILLS MONSTERS at the same school under a new drama teacher. I loved that show so much more, because of how eager it was to take risks about death, queerness, and the bizarre isolation of figuring yourself out. The more Pixar and Disney films I watch, the more obvious it is that Pixar is the big risky brother to boss baby Disney.
Turning Red is a 2022 American animated fantasy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It was directed by Domee Shi (in her feature directorial debut) and produced by Lindsey Collins, from a screenplay written by Shi and Julia Cho, and a story by Shi, Cho, and Sarah Streicher. The film marks the first Pixar feature film solely directed by a woman. It stars the voices of Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho, Tristan Allerick Chen, and James Hong. Toronto, Canada, 2002. Trying to juggle her burgeoning independence and the family's expectations is about to become even more complicated when 13-year-old high-achiever Mei Lee makes an eye-opening discovery. As her hyperactive teenage hormones kick in, having a mind of their own, Mei's emotions also take on a life of their own. Whenever she gets too stressed or excited about something, Mei triggers a strange, radical metamorphosis. Can Mei Lee endure puberty and the growing pains of growing up, or will she keep turning red?
In 2017, Shi had recently completed the Pixar short Bao when Pixar invited her to pitch three ideas for a full-length film. Her proposed concepts were all coming-of-age stories centred on teenage girls. The one that became Turning Red was based on a girl going through a "magical puberty", which Shi wrote based on her own personal experiences. It's not trying to break any new ground when it comes to the subject matter and basic plot structure, but that being said it does so much more for me than other movies like this one.
If you saw this movie playing from across the room on mute, even for a second, you would know how beautiful this movie is. similar to BARBIE, this movie often feels like you are flipping through a pastel Lisa Frank trapper keeper. The backgrounds are beautiful and the animation is satisfying, if I were rating it purely on visuals it would get a 1000000/10. but all that great art works perfectly with this movie's scattered main characters. knowing that this movie mainly focuses on a group of 12-year-old girls doesn't exactly get me excited, but I must say there was no real cringe or annoyance to be found. if I didn't know any better, I meant the woman who made this movie actually experienced some of these feelings in real life...
Despite the few problems I have with it, the end product is a mostly entertaining movie that only occasionally loses focus with red panda hijinks. The movie has some top-tier characters, settings, animation, and surprisingly emotional moments.
kinda wish we would have a bit more understated finale instead of going GODZILLA mode, but maybe next time
8/10
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