Pixar has released their latest film, Turning Red, which is all about a middle-school girl named Meilin Lee, who finds herself transforming into a panda whenever she gets too excited or stressed.
Does the studio that churned out acclaimed films like The Incredibles, Toy Story, and Monsters, Inc. have another win with this film? Well, the answer is…Yes, a RESOUNDING yes!! Turning Red may be my favorite film of 2022 so far because it is not only sweet and likable but also extremely relatable.
Even as a 21-year-old male, the journey and emotions expressed in this film absolutely resonated with me, especially since I found my inner self jumping from elementary school to middle school age again and that is exactly what Meilin goes through in this movie. She, at first, sees this transformation as a curse, until she realizes that she no longer wants to be seen as a dorky, goody-two-shoes kid, and wants to become a woman and break free from her parents, specifically her mother.
This movie also nails another point that Pixar absolutely gets right: the themes. Pixar has successfully explored themes such as death and living life to the fullest (Soul), finding your place in the world (Toy Story franchise), and parenthood and mid-life crisis (The Incredibles). Here, Pixar explores themes such as adolescence, rebellion, and growing up to a tee, in a way that will no doubt appeal to adolescents. I have two cousins who would no doubt relate to this movie (after all, they are both females).
The film is also very sweet and heartwarming, with the characters around Meilin just being as likable as ever while trying to help her through her situation. They may not be on the level of “Buzz Lightyear” or “Woody,” but they are still extremely hard to resist.
This film, while it certainly has all the trademarks of other Pixar pictures, is also more mature and even darker than you may expect. For instance, a sneaky mention of periods manages to make its way into the film at one point. The climax takes a turn that you will definitely not expect, but it results in a Shazam!-Esque moment that I definitely didn’t expect to see in a movie like this, but still feels rewarding in equal measure.Turning Red may not be Pixar’s best film to date, but it certainly comes close, as it still has those Pixar-isms that we all know and love, and, with the studio churning out content like this, it’s clear that they are the pinnacle of family-friendly entertainment.
