Turning Red

Domee Shi directs the latest from Pixar, again oddly straight to streaming on Disney+.

Meilin (Rosalie Chang) is a 13 year old girl of chinese dececnt, growing up in Toronto, a good student, a small group of good friends. She is devoted to honouring her parents and ancestors, she helps at home and in the family business, a temple they that attracts visitors to learn about their heritage. Life is good, her biggest problem is how her and her friends will get to see their favourite band. That’s until one morning she awakes to find she has turned into fluffy Red Panda. However Mum (Sandra Oh), is not shocked and explains that this is a family “inheritance” passed down through the families women, but it can be contained. At first the Panda Is a “curse”, until her friends find out and love her cuddly Panda form, turning Mei and the Panda into school celebraties! But that comes with its own problems as she now has choices she’d never considered and into conflict with her Mum like never before.

Turning Red has all you expect from Pixar. It looks fantastic a lovely mix between western animation and Anime. And of coursen, as a Pixar film, wrapped into this beautiful animation and humour is a layered story of growing up and testing boundaries.

While this doesn’t quite rank at the top of Pixar’s work, it doesn’t stop it being a wonderful bit of storytelling. Ultimately Pixar do good and very good films and this sits at the good end of good!

The story engages adults and children alike not with grown up jokes for adults and silly gags for kids, instead it is the same story but a story with layers that appeals to the whole audience.

The voice cast is super as you’d expect and the story is engaging, funny and emotional in all the right proportions.

Turning Red may not be a Pixar classic but it looks fabulous, with a talented cast and engaging story about growing up, finding your way and relationships. You can always trust Pixar to deliver and deliver again they do.