TURNING RED
This is a “better late than never” rec because if you haven’t already seen the brilliant TURNING RED (trailer here), you should add it to your list ASAP. Directed by Domee Shi, this heartwarming, hilarious, and witty Pixar film follows Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a confident and dorky 13-year-old torn between wanting to be a perfect and dutiful daughter to her mother (voiced by Sandra Oh), and embracing the chaos of growing up. Which is extra-chaotic for Mei because one day she unexpectedly wakes up in the body of a giant red panda. She soon learns that if she gets too excited or emotional, she’ll uncontrollably turn into this panda.
At once whimsical, hysterical, adorable, and tear-jerking, there is so much to love about this film. As with all great Pixar movies, the animation is beautifully done, blessing us with stunning set pieces inspired by Chinese culture and mythology, and very importantly, hunger-inducing animated Chinese food. And under a fun premise, Domee takes a magical approach in discussing puberty and growing into a body that may scare you, all the while giving us characters who are flawed but deeply lovable. I especially love that I get to see a Pixar story that addresses the stifling pressure for perfectionism experienced by so many children of immigrants—and passed on through generations. And this is what makes the mother-daughter relationship in the film so special. It doesn’t set out to simply criticize the “Tiger Mom” trope, but rather takes a humanizing look at how intergenerational trauma leads to the way Mei’s mom expresses her love for her daughter. And yes, perhaps I did sob through the last bit as a result, thinking about my own family.
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
