Disclaimer: There may be spoilers for the 2022 Pixar film “Turning Red.”
All over the Internet, I kept hearing people talk about the Pixar film, “Turning Red.” Part of me was ready to avoid watching it because I usually lack the attention span to even try. Additionally, I felt so much cringe from watching promo clips. I saw comments from people saying that this is what we were like as children. And if you think about it, yeah, we were. We were weird with that middle schooler audacity.
The film came out in March 2022, and I was busy with midterms around then. Turns out, I might be one of those people who take multiple days to watch films. I started the movie around the summer of 2022 when I had more free time. I watched up to the part where things would probably get interesting and stopped. It was not until March 2023 that I finished the rest of the film. I have to thank a certain someone for watching it with me. It was a rollercoaster.
This film’s main character is thirteen-year-old Meilin “Mei” Lee, who is in the process of change. She is in middle school, which is puberty season. She is beginning to have her first crush and learning how to handle those emotions. She is also learning how to deal with parents who embarrass her. As I continued to watch the movie, I was filled with so much nostalgia for my life. Around the time I was thirteen, I was also going through many changes. Puberty was kind of embarrassing, but that is what happens when no one warns you ahead of time about what to expect. Some of us have awkward crushes that we begin to form. Some of us are beginning to figure out our identities. However, it was a time when I was beginning to figure out what I wanted out of my life.
Mei’s journey with her red panda was fascinating. She was only ever able to control her red panda when she found peace in her life. However, that peace was artificial, and she forced herself to let go of the negative emotions to achieve it. In the film, you see her forcing herself into acts of self-care. Self-care is great, but her way of handling it is a form of distraction from her worries. Mei tries to ignore her issues, putting them on the back burner to hide some of the negative emotions that she is afraid of showing.
I took a real lesson out of those scenes by the end of the film. We are going to feel these more negative emotions, like frustration or anger. It is not fair to us to hold it back and force ourselves to be happy in a situation that we are not finding joy in. It was hard watching her separate from her red panda. It was like trading our perfectly messy selves for a more “perfect” state of being. That was a unique aspect of her and her family, and as she went through a portal to separate herself from it, I understood why she could not bare parting ways with her red panda. She comes from a family where the red panda is a curse. It is passed down through the women in her family, but unlike Mei, they have chosen to let go of their red panda. They hide it in objects to keep it contained. However, the risk is always there for their red panda to be released.
The film is such an amazing representation of us Asian Americans trying to figure out how to balance both our worlds, being in America and being Asian. You see Mei struggle with explaining some of her more American-developed qualities to her mom, such as her enjoyment of boy bands that her mom disapproves of. It eventually leads to her choosing between her family and her friends after Mei gets caught at a party trying to earn money for a concert behind her family’s back. However, unlike many critics have said, this is a film that anyone could relate to. I am thrilled to finally have representation for Asian Americans in coming-of-age films, and I like that we are talking about mental health. I think the critics who say that they do not like the movie because they do not see themselves in it means that they are not paying attention to the fundamental value of the film. It is not just an Asian American story. It is a story about overcoming trauma passed down in the family. It is a mother-daughter relationship. It is a story about accepting yourself even if there are things about you that are different. It is a story about loyalty and friendship. “Turning Red” is about the awkward and confusing parts of growing up. There are other components besides racial identity that make this film amazing for anyone to watch.
I am so used to seeing an obvious villain when it comes to films that depict conflicts. I am used to seeing a clear villain in Disney and Pixar films. There is always a bad guy to bring everyone down. However, in this case, it was more like the struggles of growing up and trying to figure out life that replaced what would have been a clear villain. Even generational trauma played a role. They do it so naturally too, in my opinion. I believe that for those who see generational trauma happen within this film, it can be hard though. We see Mei eventually break the cycle by refusing to let go of her red panda after her mom repressed her giant Red Panda. It is not easy to break something, especially depending on the environment you are from. However, it is possible. It might mean staying behind with your personal red panda and not only accepting it but also finding healthy ways to deal with it. Neither the film nor I can tell you how to break the cycle. It takes a lot of work, and I would recommend consistent professional help. You can do it though.
Growing up, there was a lot on our plates. We used to be that age in middle school where we were figuring out more of our interests. By then, we may have started to have more independence from our family. With that independence came more personal responsibilities. However, this film reminds me of those awkward struggles of figuring things out. I was also the kid who struggled to make plans for the future while everyone seemed way beyond me, knowing what they wanted. It was a time. In the end, it took a lot of trial and error to find out what I enjoyed. I spent a lot of nights worried, and during the day, I acted like I had figured it out. I do not know if I have a full idea, but I am learning to take my time to understand my interests rather than compare myself to someone else’s experience.
There is no shame in taking time to process and accept that the red panda is in you. That is what “Turning Red” taught me. We started as these weird little kids, and that was cool because we needed to be weird to know what worked for us as individuals. At the same time, I learned that even adults have more to learn. Mei taught her family and me that we might have lessons to unlearn. It is okay to break a cycle if it means doing what is best for you. It is also okay if you need to learn that as an adult.