WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Turning Red, now streaming on Disney+.

Teen Wolf will always be one of the most beloved properties of the '80s, with the first film focusing on Michael J. Fox's Scott Howard in a small Nebraska town wolfing out and playing basketball. Teen Wolf Too switched gears to his cousin, Todd, at Hamilton University, boxing and becoming a superstar as well. They inspired the 2011 MTV reboot, although this series was a lot more gritty, violent and sexy, ergo why Paramount+ is resuscitating it.

It made sense to divert theme-wise because, ultimately, it was just way too hard to recapture the comedy and magic of the originals. That is until Disney's Turning Red painted a similar human-beast story for young Meilin "Mei" Lee. While it's Teen Wolf for this current generation, it's actually better.

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Now, this isn't to knock the Teen Wolf movies, but they lacked a certain degree of heart. Scott and Todd became cheaters, using the wolf to gain wins in their sporting disciplines, which could be seen as "supernatural doping." On top of that, while it was sympathetic seeing them going through the usual teen rigors in their coming-of-age stories, their journeys felt selfish and superficial. They got sucked into popularity contests, forgetting their friends, family and the ladies who loved them for who they were underneath all that fur. In that sense, their biggest monster wasn't the wolf -- it was their sense of hubris and greed. It's only in both finales they began to care for others around them, becoming better.

In Mei's case, she wasn't into popularity per se. Sure, she craved acceptance after her peers at school thought she was weird, but Mei only used the Panda she turned into for merchandising and media opportunities to raise funds for a 4*Town concert. And while it could be construed as selfish, as seen with garnering cash for Tyler's birthday appearance, it was really for her and her friends (Miriam, Abby and Priya) to have a night out, living their wildest dream in their nascent lives. Mei loved them dearly like sisters, ergo why the thought of them helped her control her Panda, which had her wanting to thank them with the perfect gift.

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More so, Mei enjoyed the money-making photo ops because the Panda's cuteness brought warmth and unity to the usually-divided Toronto high school. To her, the Panda wasn't about unlocking achievements -- it was a public service that could bring people together. More so, the concert represented a bigger symbol than happiness; it was Mei's first step to womanhood and rebelling against an over-controlling mother. She simply had to use the Panda to get there and feel like she was truly independent.

'Turning Red', featuring the voices of Rosalie Chiang, Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Hyein Park.

What also made Mei's story in Turning Red more substance than style was the mentorship. Scott's dad, Harold, didn't really guide him or Todd in Teen Wolf. He just offered friendly advice now and then, hoping they wouldn't give in to their power. It felt like trust, but it could be seen as lazy, given the guys could be menaces if they lost their temper. However, Mei's parents didn't adopt this approach in Turning Red. They isolated her so she wouldn't be a threat to herself or others. Some might think this is harsh, but Ming went through a violent rampage of her own, thus she wouldn't want her daughter doing the same.

As for Jin, he took the opposite approach, encouraging Mei to embrace the flaws and beast within to become her own woman. Ultimately, this duality didn't confuse or hinder Mei's growth; it gave her experienced perspectives to truly understand both sides of the Panda coin. This allowed her to make her own informed decisions, alleviate her emotional anguish, and last but not least, help heal Ming and all the generational trauma passed down from her grandmother. It culminated in Mei being a better Panda and a better person, pivoting on family rather than cliched cosmetic adventures to climb the social ladder.

Turning Red is now streaming on Disney+ and will also be released in theaters to regions where the streaming service is not available.

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