The various reactions to TURNING RED are more fascinating than the movie itself. The reaction is undoubtedly politicized: it's either a masterpiece of female empowerment or oversexed degeneracy out to make sure kids don't obey their parents. Turns out it's neither.
The movie is often touted as a metaphor for menstruation, but I found the red panda operated more as a symbol of the sense of independence and separation from one's parents that comes with puberty. It's not encouraging kids to disobey their parents so much as depicting that sort of rebelliousness often comes with puberty. The protagonist is torn apart by her desire to be independent and grown-up (though her ideas about maturity are decidedly immature, as it is with middle schoolers), and her desire to please and stay close to her mother. Similarly, the mother is not an ogre, but someone who wants to do what's best for her child while also keeping up the pretense of being perfect herself (a condition we later learn comes from her own domineering maternal figure).
As for the "horny" elements, it's pretty tame (the main character draws shirtless mermen and swoons over a boyband about as sexually dangerous as cotton candy), though any allusion to burgeoning sexual desire is a raging taboo by Disney/Pixar standards. Preteen girls tend to be boy crazy-- that's not being degenerate, it's being honest. However, this does mean that parents with smaller children might want to screen the movie first. Unlike earlier Pixar films, this one is more for the preteen and up crowd considering the themes it tackles.
Judging by my lengthy defense of the film, you might expect I loved it. Not quite. It's a decent coming of age movie with some funny scenes and a well-done mother-daughter relationship, but I confess I dislike the CalArts style, which is frankly unappealing in CG. Many of the supporting characters were not as developed as I would have liked either: with the exception of Miriam, Mei's other friends are simple types (the deadpan one, the hyper one), and I would have loved to have seen more of Mei's imposing but well-meaning grandmother. It has the same issue as Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME in that it wants to tell a more mature story but it's held back by the requirement of certain kiddie movie conventions, like the action-packed climax.
In the end, TURNING RED is undoubtedly a unique entry in the Pixar canon, exploring themes that still seem to be too taboo for mainstream western animation. The screenplay could have used a little more fleshing out, but it turned out much better than I expected. It's worth a single viewing at the very least-- certainly worth more of a viewing than something sterile and safe like THE GOOD DINOSAUR.
The movie is often touted as a metaphor for menstruation, but I found the red panda operated more as a symbol of the sense of independence and separation from one's parents that comes with puberty. It's not encouraging kids to disobey their parents so much as depicting that sort of rebelliousness often comes with puberty. The protagonist is torn apart by her desire to be independent and grown-up (though her ideas about maturity are decidedly immature, as it is with middle schoolers), and her desire to please and stay close to her mother. Similarly, the mother is not an ogre, but someone who wants to do what's best for her child while also keeping up the pretense of being perfect herself (a condition we later learn comes from her own domineering maternal figure).
As for the "horny" elements, it's pretty tame (the main character draws shirtless mermen and swoons over a boyband about as sexually dangerous as cotton candy), though any allusion to burgeoning sexual desire is a raging taboo by Disney/Pixar standards. Preteen girls tend to be boy crazy-- that's not being degenerate, it's being honest. However, this does mean that parents with smaller children might want to screen the movie first. Unlike earlier Pixar films, this one is more for the preteen and up crowd considering the themes it tackles.
Judging by my lengthy defense of the film, you might expect I loved it. Not quite. It's a decent coming of age movie with some funny scenes and a well-done mother-daughter relationship, but I confess I dislike the CalArts style, which is frankly unappealing in CG. Many of the supporting characters were not as developed as I would have liked either: with the exception of Miriam, Mei's other friends are simple types (the deadpan one, the hyper one), and I would have loved to have seen more of Mei's imposing but well-meaning grandmother. It has the same issue as Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME in that it wants to tell a more mature story but it's held back by the requirement of certain kiddie movie conventions, like the action-packed climax.
In the end, TURNING RED is undoubtedly a unique entry in the Pixar canon, exploring themes that still seem to be too taboo for mainstream western animation. The screenplay could have used a little more fleshing out, but it turned out much better than I expected. It's worth a single viewing at the very least-- certainly worth more of a viewing than something sterile and safe like THE GOOD DINOSAUR.