The preteen to early teens targeted film Turning Red does a good job of showing how to deal with your peers, even if it takes a change in temperament at times. It’s a bit self-centered to begin with, however it puts our Brainiac main character to the test in a weird mystical kind of way. The movie is all in fun and has some great lessons to be learned, even for us adults. “Release the Panda!”
It’s her last year of middle school as we find 13 year old Meilin Lee the leader of her foursome of classmates. Smart and talented, Meilin is liked by most, but she’s determined to enter high school as strong willed as she is among her current peers. When a strange thing come over her, it’s her family that has all the answers to the red fur.
Director and co-writer Domee Shi (she dips a bit into her past winners “Bao” and “Inside out’ and it shows here) makes her film as close to the average middle schooler as she can and from what I have observed in real life, she’s right on the money. I like the characters that include a cross section of ethnic groups, the age group challenges she shows them having and the very creative way Meilin and her friends deal with their problems. It’s a family film, but I must caution that that this animated movie does get a bit testy when it comes to those that offend young Meilin.
Turning Red has been rated PG by the MPAA for thematic material, suggestive content and language. It may get a little overly aggressive sometimes, so parents my want to be present when letting immature youngsters watch the movie. It’s from Pixar Animation Studios and the quality shows. For young teens and pre-teens my rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, James Hong, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Directed and co-written by: Domee Shi
Genre: Comedy, Animated, Adventure
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for thematic material, suggestive content and language
Running Time: tbd
Opening Date: March 11, 2022
Distributed by: Disney/Pixar
Released in: Disney+
