All The Things I F$%*ing LOVED About Turning Red
Warning: Spoilers ahead as I gush about one of my new favorite animated films!! My little queer, Asian heart is just so full after this movie! If you haven’t watched Turning Red yet, it’s on Disney+, and I highly recommend. It follows Mei Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian, through puberty where she turns into a big red panda whenever she’s emotional! Read on for my top five favorite things about Pixar’s Turning Red…
1. The Behind-The Scenes Team
Before we dive into the plot! Let’s just start with the powerful team behind this incredible film. All women in leadership! This is pretty much unheard of and is literally the FIRST ever Pixar film to do so! (There were also queer women, mothers, soon-to-be mothers on the team!)
2. The Characters
Priya! BIG PSA - The Asian diaspora is ginormous, and it has always been quite disappointing to constantly only see paler-skinned, East Asian representation in the more popular movies/shows.
Side characters: Did anyone catch the blue diabetes patch on the students who greet Mei? The team definitely put a lot of thought in who would be represented in this movie!
3. Is turning Red queer??
Disney sucks. If you haven’t heard of the walk-out, and the actions that Disney has finally made in response to the backlash for “Don’t Say Gay” bill, click here. The explicitly queer scenes are always rare, but it was super sweet to see that little gem with Priya and the goth student at the party. Her friends were loudly and enthusiastically in support of their interaction!
4. Food
Coming from an Asian family—one full of chefs and bakers—it was just so cool to see the longer focus on food and cooking for family dinners. Food is such an important part of the culture—all our holidays are usually marked by specific foods!
We really won’t ever verbally say that we care about each other. But it’s shown in other ways! The many questions that Ming asks in concern for Mei are followed by asking if she’s eaten yet? In Asian families, food or offering food is a common way of showing love and care for our family members. (Not to say that that’s always the best way of showing love, but it is one that many Asians relate to.)
5. Digging Deep
Intergenerational trauma and generational differences are key themes in this movie (also, if you haven’t read Gaby’s blog reacting to Encanto yet, read more about how the Family Madrigal depicted intergenerational trauma, do so now!). Ming assumes that Mei is imagining her parents when thinking of those who show her love, which we know is not true. Similarly, Ming is still noticeably frightened whenever her own mother calls.
Filial piety (or 孝顺 xiàoshùn) runs back to Confucian values and explains the common ideology that may started with—honor your parents, the ones who birthed you, by doing…basically everything they ask! Family is incredibly important for that reason, but at the same time, that can make it equally difficult to explore your identity and desires outside of home and family, which is what Mei was struggling with!
The last scene where the entire family (& friends) redid the ritual was also highlighting the healing of trauma through love and care for family. Mei saw that Ming struggled with never feeling good enough for her family, and as they share in the experiences, they come to an understanding. The way the family has shown love has not been the most supportive, but through empathy and sharing their stories and true self, they are able to find a better way of communication.
what exactly does the Red Panda represent?
And now, to answer the big question with my own interpretation, I’d first like to state that the Red Panda does not represent having your period. Yes, having a period for the first time is a part of puberty, but the Red Panda represented so much more than that!
The director mentions herself that the red panda represents puberty and what we inherit from our parents. What that feels like to me is how culture, tradition, and upbringing show up in self-expression, self-exploration, and how we navigate the world! Mei is finding herself by connecting with her emotions that come up with her red panda state. And extra side note, I think the Red Panda also represents safety. Looking back on the history of Sun-Yi and the Red Panda, Sun-Yi was given the power of the Red Panda to protect her family. Mei found that the way she calmed down and controlled the red panda state was by thinking about those she loved—those she felt safe with to be herself. As her immigrant family has settled in Canada, they’ve slowly been able to build and be in a space that is safe within community.
If anyone has more thoughts and analysis, I would definitely love to discuss!
Amanda Lam is an empath, aspiring therapist, and the Care Coordinator at Kindman & Co. They really enjoy connecting with others and building community. They are especially interested in working with/supporting QTPOC folx. For fun, Amanda loves to explore different coffee shops, dance, and be creative—whether through art, design, or photography.
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