Pixar's latest animated feature Turning Red, coming to Disney+, delivers a heartfelt coming-of-age story with a magical twist. Much of the online discourse surrounding Turning Red has focused on Disney's decision to forego a theatrical release in favor of distributing it directly through its premium streaming service. Regardless of its release strategy, Turning Red stands as one of Pixar's more energetic recent films. More than blending teenage hijinks with a mythical metaphor, Turning Red is a rollicking thrill from top to bottom that will entertain audiences of any age.
Set in Toronto during the early 2000s, middle schooler Mei Lee is torn between emerging from the shadow of her overbearing mother Ming and embracing a freewheeling lifestyle with her friends. As Mei struggles with her sense of familial duty and desire to view a popular boy band set to hold a lavish concert in town, she learns that women in her family share a magical heritage of transforming into an enormous red panda whenever they experience extreme emotions. As Mei deals with this supernatural secret, matters with her mother come to a head. Mei must choose whether she should accept tradition or follow her teenage dreams.
Turning Red lives and dies by its young characters and, fortunately, the film's cast delivers. The quartet of instantly relatable friends, led by Rosalie Chiang's Mei, play off each other well as they experience the emotional rollercoaster that is middle school, even before the magical stakes surface. The cast is anchored by Sandra Oh as Ming, who elevates what could have been a typically stern East Asian mother portrayed as a one-note antagonist. Instead, Ming is a nuanced role that brings a surprising amount of fun to the story while giving Mei her central conflict.
Directed and co-written by Domee Shi, Turning Red boasts a more cartoonishly expressive animation style even with its human character design. This helps underscore the more exuberant nature of the film, leaning into clear anime influence with swooping action imbued into daily life. The red panda element and its thematic allusions help presents a universal coming-of-age arc for Mei and for audiences of all ages. Where the film really excels is when it leans into its boy band goal, giving an evocative musical aesthetic to the proceedings. There are serious themes and arcs in Turning Red but the movie isn't a Pixar movie that'll leave its viewers emotionally devastated. Instead, Turning Red keeps sight of how much fun the core premise is.
Turning Red is a film that takes what appears to be a familiar tale of culture clash under the backdrop of a coming-of-age story of self-discovery and breathes new life into it. With literal magic, Turning Red leans into the creative possibilities that come with the story's time period and themes. The red panda element to the story gives Turning Red its core premise but it's the cast's naturally buoyant energy that makes the film stand a cut above the rest.
Pixar has been in an unusual place for the last several years, both in terms of its release strategy dating back to 2020's Onward and continuing with Turning Red. While it's frustrating that the film won't be receiving a wide theatrical release, the movie will hopefully find its audience on streaming. Turning Red will have viewers talking about it and singing boy band pop songs in celebration of just how magical the teenage years can be, even without a family curse.
Directed and co-written by Domee Shi, Turning Red will be available to stream March 11 on Disney+.