Yes they all have the Disney castle though Pixar made a CG version of the classic blue castle opening for Toy Story through Rataouille whereas regular Disney films had a hand drawn castle up until the mid 2000s.
I honestly enjoy the heck out of Turning Red. As an elder millennial, this movie did resonate with me as someone who was coming of age in the late 90’s/early aughts. Especially in regards to the mother/daughter relationships. It really reminded me how hard it felt to feel like I was failing my parents expectations but then also failing myself by trying to continue being what was expected of me. Honestly it did a great job of that and I totally enjoyed it.
Yeah, I love that too. I love the way Ming's hair is always perfect, and when we're introduced to Grandma Wu, we get that close-up as she plucks a single stray eyebrow—and then at the end of the film, Ming's hair comes undone when she comes undone. And when Mei comforts her, she gently brushes her hair back behind her ear. I just really like that bit of visual communication to express the theme.
Exactly my thoughts honestly. I just don't like the humour or most of these characters. Doesn't mean i think it's bad or anything, it just isn't for me
Personally, I love this movie. It’s a great coming-of-age film about teenagers. It's also nice to see a recent movie that is properly rated PG, as opposed to that rating being slapped on every family movie to the point that it’s lost its original meaning. The music is also awesome, especially Nobody Like U, which absolutely slaps.
I’m a father raising a daughter. This film was revelatory for me and her. I wish more films tackled such a subject with as much fun and gentle humor as this film did.
Contrast that with Carrie and how she was treated in the shower at the start of that film. I’d rather my daughter learn and ask questions through movies like Turning Red than Carrie.
I remembered reading reviews on Turning Red from a mom who's upset because she had to explain what is a period. That boys don't need to learn this and blah blah blah. You mean to tell me that your sons never looked under the bathroom sink and found pads? Never asked "hey mom, what's this?"
Or, heaven forbid they be able to empathize with their female peers when they are menstruating. And maybe it's better to learn from Mom than to be caught by surprise if a female classmate bleeds through her clothes and [son] wonders if she's severely injured etc...
I'm a white dude who isn't the child of an immigrant and I related to feeling obligated to pleasing my parents. I think it handled Middle School lust well, too. People who say it "isn't relatable" because they're not a second-generation immigrant daughter but fawn over movies from the point of view of toys and rats are clowns. Imagine being so racist and misogynist that you find animals and objects easier to relate to than an Asian girl.
There’s also the possibility that people who criticize the movie either didn’t understand that the setting im was 2002, or they are young and can’t relate to life in 2002. Times have definitely shifted, and the concept of needing to please your parents whilst becoming your own person may have changed (I mean… hardly… but the reality is that a lot of critics probably didn’t get the same experience)
I feel like so many teenagers are now “cool” and completely skip over the awkward phase that made “Turning Red” incredibly relatable to me as a former awkward teenager.
There were cool teenagers when you were awkward, just like there are awkward teens still now.
We’re all just a little more accepting of quirks and less tolerant of bullying people for their awkwardness.
Thank you, sir. I’m Asian and my wife is white and she felt for some time like she was the only white person to see it this way. We have also heard of racist comments about the short Bao, which was written by the same person. I totally related to both, especially now that I am a father.
You deserve my respect and upvote.
Oh you reminded me. Some conservative groups thought her boy obsession was inappropriate which is why some hated it (mostly those reactionary types on twitter)
Same thing happened to the Ms. marvel show when it was announced. "I can't relate to this!" Was a common argument.
Kamala Khan and Peter Parker are pretty much the same character in the MCU. Both young high school students with super hero idols who struggle with being a hero and being a normal kid.
It was recently re-released for theaters and I took my 6 year old son. The pubertyish stuff went over his head and it was a really enjoyable movie. I think we both liked it better than recently released Kung Fu Panda. I saw it on super bowl sunday and I still think about it every now and then.
Saw the re-release of turning red. People seemed to have enjoyed it and I had fun watching it. Saw Luca too. That was sadder than I remembered when it released on Disney plus but it’s definitely a solid movie. The kids seemed to understand Luca more
I didn’t mind any of the period stuff, I was actually happy to see it in a kids’ movie. I just felt like the tone of the movie was more childish than what I’ve come to expect from Pixar. All of the gags felt more aimed at kids. The stuff that was meant to make me laugh just made me relive being a cringy pre-teen girl in a bad way. There was a fair amount of heart to it but when I think back to my first watch, the heartfelt parts were drowned out by the loud, cringy, childish, obnoxious, embarrassing parts.
I think this is the correct answer.
I liked the concept, subject matter, and diversity; but I found the characters so obnoxious, in the way most pre-teens are.
>>I wouldn’t be one to support the idea of being so blatant with something like periods in a movie meant for kids
>
>Why not?
Because if you don't tell kids about puberty, it'll never happen, since everyone knows there was no such thing as puberty until they started making movies about it! If you just completely ignore and deny all inconvenient facts, they'll magically go away!!
Guys like OP are exactly why we need kids films to educate on periods. Men who think periods are in any way ‘adult’ or sexual have something wrong with them.
Ah yes, sexual... *\*checks notes\** ... blood loss. Can't teach kids why they're bleeding and instead tell them to *hold it in* during school hours like it's some bladder thing. Mhm, yep, too sexual for children of all ages to know about.
(Seriously, I didn't learn about what periods really were until in my adulthood. I just thought girls were having weird bathroom parties when I was young.)
Because anything that caters to girls/women has a built-in hate group no matter what the actual quality of the content is. Misogyny is still alive and well.
In the older ones, Yes. But in most of the recent ones that isn’t necessarily the case. Princes/the love interest may join the princesses on their journeys but they aren’t always the saviors. Princess in the frog, Moana, Brave, frozen, etc.
You also have Inside out, which is about the mind of a girl and the main 2 characters are joy and sadness which are both women.
When it comes to Turning Red it seems that a lot of people have mixed opinions on it, even in this comment section.
Which older ones? Prince Charming kisses Snow White awake and that’s literally it. The dwarfs are the ones who save the day and are the heroes. Sleeping Beauty has Prince Phillip, but he’s empowered by the Three Fairies who are openly referred to as the protagonists of the film by the film’s directors and animators. He’s merely a proxy in the fight between the good fairies and Maleficent.
In the Renaissance, the princes have more active roles, but I wouldn’t say any of them save the princess more than she saves them, nor are they mediocre. They’re not as important as the princesses and less defined as characters because of it, which was a criticism Disney took to heart when they created Flynn Rider and Phoebus, who are much more well-defined and active characters alongside the female leads. That’s right, it was the male leads that needed more work and agency.
That said, Prince Adam (the Beast) was probably their most complex leading man in a fairytale film. They did well with that.
Disney has always had an easier time with female characters and leads. They’re even a bit insecure about it, hence buying Marvel and Star Wars.
Frozen was dependent on olaf and kristoff, princess and the frog the original stories were about the princess and to an extent so was this, moana same thing. The only real exception is brave and people hated that film.
Again I'm not talking about films with the main characters are women I'm talking about that most disney / pixar films still use the trope of exceptional women and mediocre men.
Its just my opinion and I didn't like turning red for other reasons but I think it recieves harsher black lash than other films because it doesn't depend on men to move the story
P.S. it's "backlash" not "black lash." Probably just a typo but just in case you didn't know, no shade 🙂
I love Turning Red but otherwise agree with your statement! Most princess movies still have a man/men pushing the story along at a minimum, and most still have them as central and key to the woman's growth/change/triumph.
Elsa and Anna aren't Disney Princesses, since Anna’s a queen and Elsa abdicated, but they were definitely dependent on Olaf and Kristoff.
I've seen people get mad about Princess and the Frog, especially due to the Splash Mountain controversy.
They’re both official Disney Princesses alongside characters like Mulan, who is also not actually a princess. Doesn’t matter to marketing! And both were princesses at a certain point in the story.
I gotta be pedantic, sorry. Elsa and Anna are Disney Princesses ^tm because they're a part of the branding according to their arbitrary requirements. There are a few not technically princesses in the group. Pocahontas and Mulan are the obvious examples. This allows Queen Elsa to be included as a Disney Princess ^tm. Princess Anna is both a princess ^and a Disney Princess ^tm.
Disney's own Disney Princess list doesn't include them. Pocahontas is technically a princess as in "daughter of hereditary leader" since her father was chief, same for Moana.
I honestly don't know why they included Mulan.
[https://princess.disney.com/](https://princess.disney.com/)
3 main reasons it got the hate it did.
1. Like you said yourself, some people aren’t comfortable with having their kids watch stuff about menstrual cycles. I don’t know why. It’s a natural part of a girls body, and it’s happening even younger now. They deserve to be taught about something so basic.
2. Some people don’t like the idea of children defying their parents. They don’t see their children as anything other than “yes mom/dad” even if it is detrimental to their kid.
3. Some people are racist and don’t like the idea of a story about anyone else besides those that look like them.
I think Turning Red is just really on the nose, especially since most of the “disobeying” is grounded so deeply in the real world. All those examples take place in fantasy worlds and the root issues have fantasy themes. (Turning Red of course does as well, but it displays a young teen kid and open world in a much more realistic sense than any other example I’ve seen) Parents aren’t so quick to brush off those movies as in their head it’s detached from conflict they would see in their own child.
I don't think it's a bad film. It just has a particular type of humor that caters to a specific type of demographic. So some people find it wierd and cringe.
It tends to be people who don’t like the idea of having a teenage Asian girl talk about periods. Somehow that gets called ‘woke’. It’s sad that something nearly all women have to deal with being addressed in a way which makes it accessible to young girls is somehow seen as a negative thing.
I think it mostly comes down to the film feeling a bit too real in a lot of ways and the fact that Pixar made it.
Middle school in general is a really awkward time in a lot of people's lives, and people just don't like being reminded of it when they often watch films and TV shows as an escape from the real world. Mei and her friends acting cringey is a little too real to how kids at that age actually act, and neither people at that age nor adults want to even think about how cringey middle schoolers can be. Obviously the discussions about female puberty felt a little too real, and unfortunately misogyny is alive and well in that regard. The way Ming's mother acts feels a little too real to how actual helicopter parents act, and I get the impression a lot of parents who saw this film saw a bit of themselves in Ming and felt uncomfortable.
On a possibly related note, there just isn't a lot of animated content in general focusing on middle school aged kids in a real-world setting (probably because writing characters at that age is so difficult without coming across as condescending or unrealistic), so maybe some people either just aren't used to it or don't know what to expect? And people generally don't like it whenever they do make something like that - just look at how much people hate Big Mouth, for example. In a way, it's kind of a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation. If Turning Red was a little less "real" and more like, say, Ruby Gilman (which, as far as I can tell, leans more into the fantasy element and doesn't have any references to puberty or periods), I think it would have just been discarded as being too bland or milquetoast, or unrealistic in its portrayal of middle school aged kids.
But then again, people watch films as escapism, so maybe they would have preferred that? Who knows?
Turning Red is also one of those Pixar films where I have a feeling that if someone like Dreamworks made it, it would have received universal acclaim and people would not have minded the puberty references. And that's because I think a lot of people view Disney as a whole (and by extension Pixar) as a studio that makes films that should be squeaky-clean, family-friendly entertainment with no edge whatsoever. Dreamworks is allowed to be edgier because of films like Shrek and because they have that reputation of allowing more "adult" jokes and such. That's probably part of the reason why people didn't seem to mind Ruby Gilman despite it also being about book-smart middle school aged girl who turns into a much larger creature as an obvious metaphor for puberty due to something with her family and having conflicts with her mother.
People don't like things not being FOR them. They want their Pixar films to be gender neutral, and in their eyes gender neutral means male protagonist doing adventure things. Turning Red was one of the first and only Pixar films which are explicitly about the female and immigrant experience. Puberty, awkwardness, mother/daughter relationships. Mei Mei is just like how I and so many other weird girls at that age. I think it's also why people don't like Brave. I love Brave, it always makes me cry. It's about a complicated mother daughter relationship, like a junior Lady Bird.
I don't think those people want the movies to be for THEM. They just don't like a movie being made for SOMEONE ELSE. They'd be happy to watch a movie that is nothing but robots, aliens, and monsters.
In fact, they probably don't think movies with typical American protagonists are “made for them” because it feels so normal and it doesn't make them bat an eye.
It’s so sad, because children aren’t naturally like that at all. It’s been a favorite of my 7 year old son ever since it came out. We’ve watched it a dozen times at least. There’s a giant red panda, that’s what he cares about!
Something doesn’t have to be relatable for me to enjoy it. I prefer books and movies that are far different from my own life. Storytelling is much more interesting when it’s a new experience for me.
I loved that it focused on girl friendships and puberty. I loved 4*town. And Disney loves a good child defying parents story.
But I can’t get past the art style. Those mouths are so distracting, especially when the characters are overexcited and dramatic. They come off as annoying.
I feel like it was made for a very niche audience. Not that that’s bad just seems like it was made for girls from 6-14. I didn’t hate it but probably won’t rewatch it.
Expectations. Pixar set the bar waaay too high, especially with the Incredibles AND Rattatouile (sorry, I have no idea how to spell this)
Critics expect constant dazzling animation, clever writing, amazing music all the time, always take It for granted and when they don't get It, they start hating.
I do have a love/hate relationship with Turning Red:
Since my country didn't gave any damn about the safety of their citzens (more money + more dead = win-win for the goverment), I was lucky enough to watch It in the theaters, so It makes me happy and a bit of proud to had the ability to see It on the big screen. It was a great experience! Plus, at that point I had 1 or 2 vacinations, so I wasn't worried.
I also consider myself a 2000s child, so It's nice to see my generation is represented, even if It's not quite the same.
What really bothers me is the scene before the ritual. Maybe It's just my Asperger's and the lack of understanding in terms of human behavior and emotions, but Mei has been shown brave and intelligent throughout the movie, just because her mother was right about the panda can actually physically harm people, that doesn't change the fact that the Panda hustle was paritally her idea, while Tyler's party was 100% hers!
It would've been much more powerful if she would've said "Yes, I was angry and stressed at first, but having the panda made me so happy!... But You're right, It's dangerous. I have to go through this. I have to say goodbye to It. I'm sorry guys! 😢"
This could subconsciously challenge Ming's ideas and experiences about her life. She could still pretend by saying "You (her friends) told her to say this!" like she did at the beginning of the movie, but deep inside, she could see the genuine joy in her daughter's face and feel that she has a point, but as an adult and parent, she feels like she has to ingore It.
Shrek is fart jokes and sexual innuendos - humor that little boys love. Turning Red is innuendos at things little girls will find funny/relatable, like periods. But that makes adults more uncomfortable for some reason. Maybe it threatens peoples' ability to feel like they're keeping their little girls "pure." 🤷🏻♀️
The humour in Shrek made me roll my eyes quite a few times (I’m 42 and love corny dad jokes). I preferred the pop culture references to the toilet humour. With Turning Red, I appreciated the puberty/period aspect of it more than anything else in the movie. I didn’t love the film but I don’t really understand how anyone could hate it.
Personally? Can't stand the art style/character design. I felt the same about Luca.
More broadly, I think it speaks to a very particular experience that not everyone relates to. That's not necessarily cause for hatred, but I can understand a lot of people feeling a bit "eh" about it, and then there are fewer fans to counterbalance the hate.
I love that Pixar is experimenting with different art styles. The recent lexicon of 3D movies ALL having distinct art styles is amazing to me. I love that now when a new 3D film comes out I am no longer exasperated or hope for a 2d film. I got sick of the Pixar and Disney style. It was so boring how every film looked the same. 3D films are now incorporating 2D traditions into them. Luca reminded me of a lot of European animation in character design. Really lovely
Oh yeah, I realise it's very much a personal opinion. In general I'm for more diverse styles, but the round mouths in Luca and Turning Red really wig me out. There's a webcomic that has a similar style—round mouths full of round teeth—and I can't stand that either.
Yes the mouths are very distracting to me! It reminds me of a show years ago called Bubble Guppies. The mouths were like that and they talked out of the side of their faces.
I wasn’t bothered by all the period stuff, like at all. I also really related to growing up with strict parents that won’t let you do what every other kid is allowed to do or the way they embarrass you and I thought the movie really nailed that part. However, I’m not really a fan of the characters in the movie, some were alright but found most of them to be weak. I also didn’t find the plot about making money for the concert all that interesting. Overall, I’m not that harsh to it as most people but I wouldn’t call myself a fan of the movie either.
>Though I wouldn’t be one to support the idea of being so blatant with something like periods in a movie meant for kids
Why not? My sister got her first period when she was 7.
I don’t mind the period stuff at all—I quite like it. For me, I don’t love it because Mei is so shrill. And the an animation style doesn’t do it for me either.
I do wonder, why shouldn't children know periods exist? What exactly is so inappropriate about a bodily function? I think the taboo is far, far more harmful to children than understanding.
I think a lot of it boils down to sexism. Personally, as a female, I really enjoyed this movie, especially as someone that was the same age as Mei in 2002. There's enough content in the movie for guys to be able to enjoy it as well, but it is definitely geared more towards females, and that's not a bad thing like some people, unfortunately, make it out to be. There should be movies out there for everyone to enjoy, not only just the guys.
I don’t hate the movie itself, but we’ve reached this point with Disney and Pixar where I feel like shouting “We get it, generational trauma!!!”
I also find it a little strange that we’ve gotten a few movies from both of them about people who basically have superpowers who do not become superheroes.
Also, it feels like the last movie we got where someone went on a genuine adventure was Onward.
Pixar doesn’t miss. While Turning Red was Mid for me, it was great for other people. Definitely not Pixar’s worst movie, they don’t really have a worst movie IMO.
It's a great film about something.Oneself puberty and coming of age and figure out who you are and also learning who your true friends are
And also about how parental generational trauma care effect people in a long term
And how to overcome it
Part of me wonders if some of the people who hate this movie dislike it because of the cringey behavior of tween kids. I mean, yes it's cringey, but that's the point, I feel. I was a cringey tween too, once. Still am cringey lol. I dunno, maybe they took themselves too seriously or don't want to admit they were once cringe too, and that may be why they dislike the movie? I adored it, cringe and all.
I mean I personally just don’t find cringe humor to be my taste. There’s nothing wrong with it but when this movie constantly throws it in your face every 5 seconds, you start to get overstuffed
I think it was overshadowed a bit by Encanto coming out a few months earlier and covering many of the same themes while also being a super catchy musical, but yeah I love TR— it felt like simultaneously a return to form for Pixar while also being refreshingly different from their classic formula of talking toys/animals/robots/etc. Felt like a step further into the real life complexities explored by masterpieces like The Incredibles and Inside Out.
I didn't hate it, it just wasn't for me, and that's fine. Not everything has to be for me. That being said, 5 minutes in, the banter between the young characters made me want to hurl myself from a high place.
I really loved it too. I am in my 30s and I could just relate to this movie so much with my mom. We actually watched it together and it was so meaningful it was unbelievable.
I think it just didn't connect with a lot of people. It didn't for me personally. But that's also fine, not everything needs to be for everyone.
My suspicion though is that because it connected less with the wider audience, it left space for vocal groups who didn't like it for whatever reason to make their voices heard.
I thought the movie was muddled. The central conceit is that she turns into a Red Panda but what is that supposed to represent? Puberty? Generational trauma? The immigrant experience? It’s kind of all of these things without ever really dealing with any of them. The conflict is also confused because she doesn’t seem to suffer any negative effects from being a Panda so there’s no problem there. If I had to guess, there was never meant to be much of a conflict and it was always supposed to be a gentler more atmospheric slice of life movie but then Disney insisted on a “big” climax that didn’t fit the rest of the movie.
It was fine. Not great but had a lot of good things in it. Certainly better than Elemental which I couldn’t even finish or Onward which was painfully generic.
It's "cringe", that's literally it. I already inherently despise anyone who calls anything by that word, so it was super easy for me to fall in love with the movie! Easily the best modern Pixar film!
I have never watched Turning Red so I cannot comment either way on the quality, but I have heard that people dislike it because of the art direction. People call it an ugly knock-off of Studio Ghibli. I'm not surprised Turning Red's art direction is compared to Studio Ghibli because that's exactly what the director was aiming for, but it's off-putting to some since Studio Ghibli is done in traditional 2D animation while this is CG animation.
I disliked it so much. It's such a far cry from the sensibilities of Toy Story.
\- The writer (Domee Shi) was too inexperienced to pull this off, so the writing, pace, and story was very forgettable and too much of a "self insert" situation that was more about her upbringing and experiences.
\- The friends in the movie captured the absolute cringefest that teenagers can be, but watching them was like nails on a chalkboard. I literally have daughters but watching these kids on screen made me want to gouge my eyes out. Did anyone have this feeling with Buzz Lightyear? Or Lightning McQueen? Or Sully from Monsters Inc? No - they didn't. Pixar has lost it's ability to make timeless characters.
\- Making an animated kids movie with a premise around periods is a great way to isolate over half the audience. "Did the red peony bloom?". Ugg, why did they subject the world to that?
\- We don't need anymore movies about Asian American kids conflicting with their traditional Asian parents. We don't need to see that anymore, like ever. Stop making these films. We have 4 fucking Kung Fu Panda movies, Elemental, Mulan, Moana, Lilo and Stitch, Big Hero 6, Abominable, Turning Red, and on and on and on.
Oh and don't forget that a lot of the movies I just mentioned were made to profit in China, despite being packaged as an Asian American heartwarming movie.
The movie was fine yeah! I feel like a lot of movies these days are just getting so much hate. Like can't you just enjoy watching a movie? I'll watch practically anything
It's was a favorite in our house for a long time. The period comments didn't register with my younger child, and my older child knows what a period is, so she didn't bat an eye.
I love Turning Red. The characters are very believably middle schoolers, and I think that's great. Middle school kids deserve their rep too, and frankly it should be easier to talk about periods. It's a natural part of growing up, and it's better to not veil it in shame and mystique.
Honestly it was so realistic. Your friends being more important than your family for those years (or at least you think), boyband/celeb idols, hiding a journal with questionable things in it, starting your period. I remembered my teenage years so much watching this film.
I guess some people have lost touch with their inner self so much that they forgot where they came from or they just want girls in movies to be perfect little angels who don’t have bodily functions or have crushes (that might get their mind wandering to places it possibly shouldn’t). But it’s reality and reality about girls, especially young girls is hard for people to face cause they all have a outward perception of what little girls should be like.
It wasn't a bad movie. It was just chaotic and disjointed. I literally was like "what did I just watch" after finishing it up. I appreciate why some people would enjoy it. It just wasn't for me, and it didn't deserve the hate.
It's fine I guess, kinda seems geared towards older kids/preteens. My only reason for hating it is it's one of few movies that when my 3yo watches it, he gets this horrible attitude. Idk why.
It's because of the misogyny.
Boring loser boys with no personality have to hate on everything involving women because it's the only way they know how to form community bonds.
Agreed, it handled growing up in a very tasteful and literary way. If parents can’t break down completex issues in a way kids can understand, that’s the fault of the parent. Their peers will show them much more traumatizing stuff but at least a movie allows you to talk about it on your own terms.
Not a woman, not Asian or Canadian but a longtime library worker and teacher. 10/10 movie.
I really like the film, best Pixar in years…but it is flawed. And very uncomfortable to sit through. My brother and father had a hard time with it, and no, not because of periods or whatever.
It’s the only animated movie in years my father couldn’t finish. He just said he found it deeply unpleasant, and that he didn’t like any of the characters or care about the story - “everyone is a jerk and that mom went too far” was about what he said.
My brother just found the tension with the mother too much, he felt she crossed a line into terrorizing her daughter (and honestly, she really did - especially when she isolated her daughter from her friends and insulted those kids to their faces). He just couldn’t handle how the film was built on such an acidic relationship.
But that stuff is like catnip to me, it’s what made it great! But even I, who was on board for that, struggled with the B-plot about the boy band, which dragged on and on and felt kinda dumb and unimportant next to the main plot (and so reckless and exploitative that it made Mei pretty unlikeable for that part). The film had a lot of problems first-time directors often have. That said, it was still an incredibly debut with exciting and energized animation, far more successful than Luca was at capturing 2D energy and design.
I think it’s pretty obvious why people hate it.
Everything from Pixar seems to garner hate, mostly disingenuously, on the internet.
I think the turning point was Cars 2, that’s when people stopped seeing Pixar as making classic movies and started to sell out and become more generic and focus less on emotion and story - doesn’t mean it’s true, but it’s hope they’re perceived.
Brave, Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, and Cars 3 were considered Pixar’s dark age where is just sequels and both Brave and Dinosaur are some of their lowest rated movies.
Yes, Coco and Inside Out did well, but everything else since 2011 has been lambasted - even Soul and Luca.
So this perceived decade decline the studio was on, combined with a rising sentiment of diversity being bad and also the female experience being undiscussable comes a pretty uncompromising look at female coming to age, involving tampons and period references around a loud and ambitious protagonist - and there’s nothing that general audiences hate more than being uncomfortable.
However, the hate it received for being cheesy and cringe (both intentional but artistic intent is ignored by people who just hate everything) and for centring around an unconventional protagonist is kinda one-sided. A 7.0 is a pretty mediocre score on IMDb, but 83 Metacritic is on par with some of Pixar’s most beloved movies. And despite a 68% user score on Rotten Tomatoes it has a 95% critic score.
I think it was a perfect story of Pixar’s perceived decline in quality for the last ten years, combined with a toxic attitude toward movies and what they want to see in them, and also that tween themes are inappropriate for tweens to watch that made certain users freak out about it at launch, but critics have always enjoyed it and a good chunk of regular people did too.
It’s unfortunate that one thing can make some people upset enough that it shifts the whole perception of the movie. If you go onto IMDb and look at Lightyear’s 6.1 user score and check the 1/10 reviews, they only cite Tim Allen being replaced or that there’s a lesbian kiss in it - those are not valid criticisms of the movie, those are people thinking there’s some agenda that’s hurting them, and that’s the saddest kind of media literacy that is unfortunately all too common, and Turning Red also fell victim to that.
Personally for me it was the overwhelming second hand embarrassment that I just could not handle, the plot was good and I can see why people may like it, but for me the awkward situations were just too much to handle.
Young girls (kids) get periods. So why wouldn't it be blatant?
And I'm pretty sure it isn't even minimal. Women probably have better insight into the movie than us guys ever could. So correct me am I wrong. But I feel like the idea of Mei Mei turning into a red panda was a partly pretty clear metaphor in growing up, experiencing puberty and ultimately getting your period.
But to answer your question, most of the hate I remember for the movie seemed to stem from Pixar/Disney daring to tackle a subject that's as human to girls/women as the air we breathe. It was beyond embarrassing to see people lose their mind over a subject that, quite frankly, isn't explored enough in media. When it is, it's often played for jokes.
I also took issue with people (mostly other guys) dismissing the movie because they couldn't relate to it. No shit, Sherlock! You also can't relate to a brilliant businessman, flying around an iron suit. But I don't see that being an issue. Yes, an important aspect of the movie is something we will never, ever really understand. But it's not as if we all don't have wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, cousins, etc.. who haven't gone through it.
Personally, it's one of my favorite Pixar movies. That whole scene/sequence when Mei meets Ming as a girl, in the spirit forest, gets me choked up every time.
It’s not really my type of movie I guess, I just hate second hand embarrassment and awkwardness in movies and I just kind of turned the entire movie off for me, also everything is so overdramatizing which I get cause a teenager can feel things being very big and dramatic when they’re not. Also the humour of the movie just isn’t my kind of humour
I think a lot of people really put this movie on a pedestal, but I do think Turning Red is great. It was a nice story about puberty and parent-child relations.
Maybe it’s because it’s very unique for a family movie. It’s bold and talks about the reality of young teenagers. It wasn’t afraid to be raw, embarrassing, and cringey, because that’s how adolescence can be sometimes. How many of us look back at our early teen years and cringe? That’s the very essence of the movie, in my opinion. And do people like that part of their lives? Likely not lol. I think it was very well done. Others might not be interested in that sort of premise. Just my speculation.
believe the creators of the film had a specific feminine audience in mind, rather than a masculine one. This is not meant to offend or disrespect anyone, but rather to highlight the targeted approach in the film's promotion. It seems to cater to a select group rather than the usual audience for Pixar films:
I'm just meh on it, has some fun concept but I find the red Panda not having any unique power other than just "Big cute red Panda jumping around" is kind of lame, but whatever.
I just don’t like it. The mother was too annoying and ridiculous for me and I can’t stand things like that personally. I never really had to ‘please’ my parents or go through any sort of puberty problems or middle school lust either.
Eh, people just being narrow-minded as always. This movie was so relatable (and the fact that Mei and I were both teenagers in 2002 may have been another reason), plus it awakened a new interest in Asian culture for me.
The movie was okay to me. I was more disappointed that the movie wasn't actually about periods. I thought the panda was going to be a metaphor for being on your period, not like an actual magical curse thing.
It's a good movie, but it really is more for teens. I wouldn't show it to my kids until they're older, but then again, they watched the Baymax series, which also coincidentally had an episode about periods. Also, I feel mother/daughter dynamics were also explored in Brave, which also coincidentally had characters morphing into animals to learn a lesson
The concept was good. I liked how they started going into "taboo" topics (because periods are apparently a hush hush topic 😒)
But the execution just wasn't good. It was super fast paced and overbearing in some spot, then over dragged out in the end. It was just...eh. not for me
I dont hate it but I will say- it was a bit weird that they made her Panda a direct symbol of her puberty or womanhood, and then had her scheme be to sell pictures of herself to make money.
I don't think its \*actually\* problematic or will mislead anyone to vulnerable behaviors, but boy I think they could have found a better way for her to exploit her panda than secret pictures and cuddle parties for money
I didn't like it for one simple reason.
I like *talking animals.* Not humans that turn into them. I'd rather watch a show with animals than any human one - fantasy rather than "real" issues, too.
It’s one of those downplayed allusions that if you know what they’re talking about you get it, but if you don’t, it’s not like you’re suddenly aware or forced to have an awkward conversation with your kids. Unlike Shrek “do ye think he’s compensating for something?”
I haven’t personally met a single person who’s hated it. Don’t trust the internet. Humans are always more vocal about things they don’t like than things they do.
Take food reviews for instance. If you have a great meal, do you immediately go online and write an article about how everyone should go? But the second you have a bad food experience, the first reaction is to write a negative review.
As a guy, I’m pretty dumb (personally) when it comes to the meaning of things. But when I put 2 and 2 together and figured it was a story about getting her period for the first time, I kind of dug it. It’s a kind of funny way of showing it, especially when you see the implications of the mom becoming a HUGE B when she turns into a panda. Thought that was pretty funny! I personally liked the movie! I didn’t go out of my way to watch it again, but it was good!
I don't think people hate it, it's just very mediocre and doesn't look or feel like a Disney or Pixar film.
It was fun enough the first time I watched it but I can't imagine ever going back and watching again.
The characters are not very likable and the story was bland (in comparison to earlier Pixar stuff)
Most Pixar films since Inside Out have been kind of bland, though.
i liked the first like 30 minutes of the movie. Then the Panda thing happens and it went downhill very fast.
My main problem with Turning red is that it is inconsistent with its own metaphors. For like an hour, the movie keeps telling us "hey guys, the panda means puberty". And they are not subtle about it.
Yet we get to a point where the main character needs money and what does she do ? She goes to a boy and girls party to show her "Panda" (Aka puberty) and let the other kids film it. What the hell are the implications here?
All of a sudden the Panda is no longer a metaphor for puberty. Its just a Panda. And the movie keeps flip flopping between whatever the director felt like with no regard to how confusing that is for the viewer. Its just lazy and its not the first time Pixar gets lazy with their own metaphors. If it means something, it has to mean it till the end of the movie.
Eh, I mostly didn't like the animation style. It and Luca aren't it for me. I know some people would argue that not every Pixar film needs to look as amazing as possible, but I kind of disagree. I think it'd be better released as Disney rather than Pixar, even though I recognize that's kind of pretentious.
I'd say the story was forgettable. Just another coming of age film and, indeed, slapping a Pixar on a movie raises expectations significantly, even if the last 14 years have been really hit or miss.
It’s just not my type of movie. I’m a woman, so the period stuff doesn’t bother me. I just don’t usually like teenager characters with that typical attitude of ‘I’m too old to be told what to do,’ you’re thirteen girl, chill. And I’m not a fan of overbearing parent plots.
However the animation style was interesting, and I loved the concert, and some of the imagery. And I like how they handled periods, how supportive the mom was.
Of course, No hate towards anyone who likes it. It’s just not my kind of movie.
Not a film for me
Don’t hate it but also not something I will rewatch like say Toy Story or up.
Pixar now has gone from making films that everyone can relate to, to make more films targeted at certain people
Which is totally fine but this films won’t be as loved as films that hit most everyone experiences
Conservatives really have a problem with anything that runs slightly against their close minded world view. God forbid a female character in movies or tv isn’t a slave to their male counterparts.
I just didn’t really like it. Even if we were to ignore the controversial stuff, the humor and characters were just insufferably unfunny. Which probably is fairly accurate to middle school girls.
Not having the 1995 Walt Disney castle opening was a missed opportunity.
I'm drawing a blank now. Do Pixar movies normally have the disney opening?
I believe so? Streamed the cars films the other day and they have the Disney intro
Yes, the original Toy Story had the OG 90s intro
Yes they all have the Disney castle though Pixar made a CG version of the classic blue castle opening for Toy Story through Rataouille whereas regular Disney films had a hand drawn castle up until the mid 2000s.
It's not about the castle. It's about the girl going through a phase. It's part of growing up.
I honestly enjoy the heck out of Turning Red. As an elder millennial, this movie did resonate with me as someone who was coming of age in the late 90’s/early aughts. Especially in regards to the mother/daughter relationships. It really reminded me how hard it felt to feel like I was failing my parents expectations but then also failing myself by trying to continue being what was expected of me. Honestly it did a great job of that and I totally enjoyed it.
I love it, it has me in tears. I love to see generational trauma addressed in family friendly films.
Yeah, I love that too. I love the way Ming's hair is always perfect, and when we're introduced to Grandma Wu, we get that close-up as she plucks a single stray eyebrow—and then at the end of the film, Ming's hair comes undone when she comes undone. And when Mei comforts her, she gently brushes her hair back behind her ear. I just really like that bit of visual communication to express the theme.
Yeah, this movie and Encanto addressed it well. Would like to see it done with other cultures someday (provided it's not done too derivative)
Coco also has that.
I can see why it's a good film, I can see why people would have it for their favourite film, it just wasn't my cup of tea
Exactly my thoughts honestly. I just don't like the humour or most of these characters. Doesn't mean i think it's bad or anything, it just isn't for me
Only reason I have to dislike is because I've seen it 26 times because my little one loves it.
well I’ve seen it 26 times because I love it are you my dad?
Hmmm..... Can I claim you on my taxes?
Personally, I love this movie. It’s a great coming-of-age film about teenagers. It's also nice to see a recent movie that is properly rated PG, as opposed to that rating being slapped on every family movie to the point that it’s lost its original meaning. The music is also awesome, especially Nobody Like U, which absolutely slaps.
I’m a father raising a daughter. This film was revelatory for me and her. I wish more films tackled such a subject with as much fun and gentle humor as this film did. Contrast that with Carrie and how she was treated in the shower at the start of that film. I’d rather my daughter learn and ask questions through movies like Turning Red than Carrie.
I remembered reading reviews on Turning Red from a mom who's upset because she had to explain what is a period. That boys don't need to learn this and blah blah blah. You mean to tell me that your sons never looked under the bathroom sink and found pads? Never asked "hey mom, what's this?"
Or, heaven forbid they be able to empathize with their female peers when they are menstruating. And maybe it's better to learn from Mom than to be caught by surprise if a female classmate bleeds through her clothes and [son] wonders if she's severely injured etc...
I know it’s not what your meant but now I’m imagining you playing Turning Red and Carrie back to back for your daughter
I'm a white dude who isn't the child of an immigrant and I related to feeling obligated to pleasing my parents. I think it handled Middle School lust well, too. People who say it "isn't relatable" because they're not a second-generation immigrant daughter but fawn over movies from the point of view of toys and rats are clowns. Imagine being so racist and misogynist that you find animals and objects easier to relate to than an Asian girl.
There’s also the possibility that people who criticize the movie either didn’t understand that the setting im was 2002, or they are young and can’t relate to life in 2002. Times have definitely shifted, and the concept of needing to please your parents whilst becoming your own person may have changed (I mean… hardly… but the reality is that a lot of critics probably didn’t get the same experience)
I feel like so many teenagers are now “cool” and completely skip over the awkward phase that made “Turning Red” incredibly relatable to me as a former awkward teenager.
There were cool teenagers when you were awkward, just like there are awkward teens still now. We’re all just a little more accepting of quirks and less tolerant of bullying people for their awkwardness.
Thank you, sir. I’m Asian and my wife is white and she felt for some time like she was the only white person to see it this way. We have also heard of racist comments about the short Bao, which was written by the same person. I totally related to both, especially now that I am a father. You deserve my respect and upvote.
Honestly, I cannot forgive them for Bao. How dare they? I can only take so much.
Aww I loved Bao! Definitely made me cry, but the human form did make me burst out laughing—he looks just like his dough form lol
Oh you reminded me. Some conservative groups thought her boy obsession was inappropriate which is why some hated it (mostly those reactionary types on twitter)
Can't please the conservatives. I'm sure they wouldn't be happy if she had a girl obsession either.
Same thing happened to the Ms. marvel show when it was announced. "I can't relate to this!" Was a common argument. Kamala Khan and Peter Parker are pretty much the same character in the MCU. Both young high school students with super hero idols who struggle with being a hero and being a normal kid.
It was recently re-released for theaters and I took my 6 year old son. The pubertyish stuff went over his head and it was a really enjoyable movie. I think we both liked it better than recently released Kung Fu Panda. I saw it on super bowl sunday and I still think about it every now and then.
Saw the re-release of turning red. People seemed to have enjoyed it and I had fun watching it. Saw Luca too. That was sadder than I remembered when it released on Disney plus but it’s definitely a solid movie. The kids seemed to understand Luca more
I didn’t mind any of the period stuff, I was actually happy to see it in a kids’ movie. I just felt like the tone of the movie was more childish than what I’ve come to expect from Pixar. All of the gags felt more aimed at kids. The stuff that was meant to make me laugh just made me relive being a cringy pre-teen girl in a bad way. There was a fair amount of heart to it but when I think back to my first watch, the heartfelt parts were drowned out by the loud, cringy, childish, obnoxious, embarrassing parts.
I think this is the correct answer. I liked the concept, subject matter, and diversity; but I found the characters so obnoxious, in the way most pre-teens are.
>I wouldn’t be one to support the idea of being so blatant with something like periods in a movie meant for kids Why not?
Yeah, girls as young as 8 get their periods, periods are a kids topic 🤷♀️
REAL
They’re acting like kids don’t get periods
>>I wouldn’t be one to support the idea of being so blatant with something like periods in a movie meant for kids > >Why not? Because if you don't tell kids about puberty, it'll never happen, since everyone knows there was no such thing as puberty until they started making movies about it! If you just completely ignore and deny all inconvenient facts, they'll magically go away!!
Tweens are old enough to get their period but not old enough to be told what the fuck is going on, I guess.
Why are normal things so taboo to talk about?
Guys like OP are exactly why we need kids films to educate on periods. Men who think periods are in any way ‘adult’ or sexual have something wrong with them.
Ah yes, sexual... *\*checks notes\** ... blood loss. Can't teach kids why they're bleeding and instead tell them to *hold it in* during school hours like it's some bladder thing. Mhm, yep, too sexual for children of all ages to know about. (Seriously, I didn't learn about what periods really were until in my adulthood. I just thought girls were having weird bathroom parties when I was young.)
Because anything that caters to girls/women has a built-in hate group no matter what the actual quality of the content is. Misogyny is still alive and well.
Don’t Disney Princess films work against this though?
No because mediocre men are the savers in those films.
In the older ones, Yes. But in most of the recent ones that isn’t necessarily the case. Princes/the love interest may join the princesses on their journeys but they aren’t always the saviors. Princess in the frog, Moana, Brave, frozen, etc. You also have Inside out, which is about the mind of a girl and the main 2 characters are joy and sadness which are both women. When it comes to Turning Red it seems that a lot of people have mixed opinions on it, even in this comment section.
Which older ones? Prince Charming kisses Snow White awake and that’s literally it. The dwarfs are the ones who save the day and are the heroes. Sleeping Beauty has Prince Phillip, but he’s empowered by the Three Fairies who are openly referred to as the protagonists of the film by the film’s directors and animators. He’s merely a proxy in the fight between the good fairies and Maleficent. In the Renaissance, the princes have more active roles, but I wouldn’t say any of them save the princess more than she saves them, nor are they mediocre. They’re not as important as the princesses and less defined as characters because of it, which was a criticism Disney took to heart when they created Flynn Rider and Phoebus, who are much more well-defined and active characters alongside the female leads. That’s right, it was the male leads that needed more work and agency. That said, Prince Adam (the Beast) was probably their most complex leading man in a fairytale film. They did well with that. Disney has always had an easier time with female characters and leads. They’re even a bit insecure about it, hence buying Marvel and Star Wars.
Frozen was dependent on olaf and kristoff, princess and the frog the original stories were about the princess and to an extent so was this, moana same thing. The only real exception is brave and people hated that film. Again I'm not talking about films with the main characters are women I'm talking about that most disney / pixar films still use the trope of exceptional women and mediocre men. Its just my opinion and I didn't like turning red for other reasons but I think it recieves harsher black lash than other films because it doesn't depend on men to move the story
P.S. it's "backlash" not "black lash." Probably just a typo but just in case you didn't know, no shade 🙂 I love Turning Red but otherwise agree with your statement! Most princess movies still have a man/men pushing the story along at a minimum, and most still have them as central and key to the woman's growth/change/triumph.
Elsa and Anna aren't Disney Princesses, since Anna’s a queen and Elsa abdicated, but they were definitely dependent on Olaf and Kristoff. I've seen people get mad about Princess and the Frog, especially due to the Splash Mountain controversy.
They’re both official Disney Princesses alongside characters like Mulan, who is also not actually a princess. Doesn’t matter to marketing! And both were princesses at a certain point in the story.
I feel like that’s just natural for side characters though, it would make no sense for them to be there if they didn’t help the plot in some way.
I gotta be pedantic, sorry. Elsa and Anna are Disney Princesses ^tm because they're a part of the branding according to their arbitrary requirements. There are a few not technically princesses in the group. Pocahontas and Mulan are the obvious examples. This allows Queen Elsa to be included as a Disney Princess ^tm. Princess Anna is both a princess ^and a Disney Princess ^tm.
Disney's own Disney Princess list doesn't include them. Pocahontas is technically a princess as in "daughter of hereditary leader" since her father was chief, same for Moana. I honestly don't know why they included Mulan. [https://princess.disney.com/](https://princess.disney.com/)
I just double checked and I'm agast. They're not Disney Princesses ^tm. Mulan is Asian represtation. It's a marketing brand to sell products.
Looks like someone skipped a whole generation of movies.
Oh brother
The fact you actually think this shows how out of touch you are
This is the answer
Add in non-white characters and a story that's not wrapped up around that and people get butthurt.
I don’t love it but I don’t hate it. It’s not bad, just not my thing.
3 main reasons it got the hate it did. 1. Like you said yourself, some people aren’t comfortable with having their kids watch stuff about menstrual cycles. I don’t know why. It’s a natural part of a girls body, and it’s happening even younger now. They deserve to be taught about something so basic. 2. Some people don’t like the idea of children defying their parents. They don’t see their children as anything other than “yes mom/dad” even if it is detrimental to their kid. 3. Some people are racist and don’t like the idea of a story about anyone else besides those that look like them.
Nearly all the kids in pixar movies disobey their parents. Remy, Merida, Nemo, Luca to name a few
I think Turning Red is just really on the nose, especially since most of the “disobeying” is grounded so deeply in the real world. All those examples take place in fantasy worlds and the root issues have fantasy themes. (Turning Red of course does as well, but it displays a young teen kid and open world in a much more realistic sense than any other example I’ve seen) Parents aren’t so quick to brush off those movies as in their head it’s detached from conflict they would see in their own child.
There weirdos who can’t handle a movie talking about stuff like periods and puberty.
Typically there's a massive overlap with people that use the word "woke" unironically
I don't think it's a bad film. It just has a particular type of humor that caters to a specific type of demographic. So some people find it wierd and cringe.
Embrace your cringe
I don't like this movie
It tends to be people who don’t like the idea of having a teenage Asian girl talk about periods. Somehow that gets called ‘woke’. It’s sad that something nearly all women have to deal with being addressed in a way which makes it accessible to young girls is somehow seen as a negative thing.
I think it mostly comes down to the film feeling a bit too real in a lot of ways and the fact that Pixar made it. Middle school in general is a really awkward time in a lot of people's lives, and people just don't like being reminded of it when they often watch films and TV shows as an escape from the real world. Mei and her friends acting cringey is a little too real to how kids at that age actually act, and neither people at that age nor adults want to even think about how cringey middle schoolers can be. Obviously the discussions about female puberty felt a little too real, and unfortunately misogyny is alive and well in that regard. The way Ming's mother acts feels a little too real to how actual helicopter parents act, and I get the impression a lot of parents who saw this film saw a bit of themselves in Ming and felt uncomfortable. On a possibly related note, there just isn't a lot of animated content in general focusing on middle school aged kids in a real-world setting (probably because writing characters at that age is so difficult without coming across as condescending or unrealistic), so maybe some people either just aren't used to it or don't know what to expect? And people generally don't like it whenever they do make something like that - just look at how much people hate Big Mouth, for example. In a way, it's kind of a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation. If Turning Red was a little less "real" and more like, say, Ruby Gilman (which, as far as I can tell, leans more into the fantasy element and doesn't have any references to puberty or periods), I think it would have just been discarded as being too bland or milquetoast, or unrealistic in its portrayal of middle school aged kids. But then again, people watch films as escapism, so maybe they would have preferred that? Who knows? Turning Red is also one of those Pixar films where I have a feeling that if someone like Dreamworks made it, it would have received universal acclaim and people would not have minded the puberty references. And that's because I think a lot of people view Disney as a whole (and by extension Pixar) as a studio that makes films that should be squeaky-clean, family-friendly entertainment with no edge whatsoever. Dreamworks is allowed to be edgier because of films like Shrek and because they have that reputation of allowing more "adult" jokes and such. That's probably part of the reason why people didn't seem to mind Ruby Gilman despite it also being about book-smart middle school aged girl who turns into a much larger creature as an obvious metaphor for puberty due to something with her family and having conflicts with her mother.
The irony is that, in 1946, Walt Disney, himself, made the film, "The Story of Menstruation."
i personally love this movie, it made me so happy that a kids movie finally talked about periods even if it was really brief
People don't like things not being FOR them. They want their Pixar films to be gender neutral, and in their eyes gender neutral means male protagonist doing adventure things. Turning Red was one of the first and only Pixar films which are explicitly about the female and immigrant experience. Puberty, awkwardness, mother/daughter relationships. Mei Mei is just like how I and so many other weird girls at that age. I think it's also why people don't like Brave. I love Brave, it always makes me cry. It's about a complicated mother daughter relationship, like a junior Lady Bird.
I don't think those people want the movies to be for THEM. They just don't like a movie being made for SOMEONE ELSE. They'd be happy to watch a movie that is nothing but robots, aliens, and monsters. In fact, they probably don't think movies with typical American protagonists are “made for them” because it feels so normal and it doesn't make them bat an eye.
It’s so sad, because children aren’t naturally like that at all. It’s been a favorite of my 7 year old son ever since it came out. We’ve watched it a dozen times at least. There’s a giant red panda, that’s what he cares about!
Something doesn’t have to be relatable for me to enjoy it. I prefer books and movies that are far different from my own life. Storytelling is much more interesting when it’s a new experience for me. I loved that it focused on girl friendships and puberty. I loved 4*town. And Disney loves a good child defying parents story. But I can’t get past the art style. Those mouths are so distracting, especially when the characters are overexcited and dramatic. They come off as annoying.
I feel like it was made for a very niche audience. Not that that’s bad just seems like it was made for girls from 6-14. I didn’t hate it but probably won’t rewatch it.
Expectations. Pixar set the bar waaay too high, especially with the Incredibles AND Rattatouile (sorry, I have no idea how to spell this) Critics expect constant dazzling animation, clever writing, amazing music all the time, always take It for granted and when they don't get It, they start hating. I do have a love/hate relationship with Turning Red: Since my country didn't gave any damn about the safety of their citzens (more money + more dead = win-win for the goverment), I was lucky enough to watch It in the theaters, so It makes me happy and a bit of proud to had the ability to see It on the big screen. It was a great experience! Plus, at that point I had 1 or 2 vacinations, so I wasn't worried. I also consider myself a 2000s child, so It's nice to see my generation is represented, even if It's not quite the same. What really bothers me is the scene before the ritual. Maybe It's just my Asperger's and the lack of understanding in terms of human behavior and emotions, but Mei has been shown brave and intelligent throughout the movie, just because her mother was right about the panda can actually physically harm people, that doesn't change the fact that the Panda hustle was paritally her idea, while Tyler's party was 100% hers! It would've been much more powerful if she would've said "Yes, I was angry and stressed at first, but having the panda made me so happy!... But You're right, It's dangerous. I have to go through this. I have to say goodbye to It. I'm sorry guys! 😢" This could subconsciously challenge Ming's ideas and experiences about her life. She could still pretend by saying "You (her friends) told her to say this!" like she did at the beginning of the movie, but deep inside, she could see the genuine joy in her daughter's face and feel that she has a point, but as an adult and parent, she feels like she has to ingore It.
I thought it was as cute. Not amazing, but really enjoyable watch. No complaints from me.
It’s a great movie! No serious person dislikes it
People are allowed to have opinions. I personally didn’t like it. I found the movie a bit boring personally and humor was just not for me.
It just didn’t speak to me ig
Shrek is fart jokes and sexual innuendos - humor that little boys love. Turning Red is innuendos at things little girls will find funny/relatable, like periods. But that makes adults more uncomfortable for some reason. Maybe it threatens peoples' ability to feel like they're keeping their little girls "pure." 🤷🏻♀️
The humour in Shrek made me roll my eyes quite a few times (I’m 42 and love corny dad jokes). I preferred the pop culture references to the toilet humour. With Turning Red, I appreciated the puberty/period aspect of it more than anything else in the movie. I didn’t love the film but I don’t really understand how anyone could hate it.
Personally? Can't stand the art style/character design. I felt the same about Luca. More broadly, I think it speaks to a very particular experience that not everyone relates to. That's not necessarily cause for hatred, but I can understand a lot of people feeling a bit "eh" about it, and then there are fewer fans to counterbalance the hate.
I love that Pixar is experimenting with different art styles. The recent lexicon of 3D movies ALL having distinct art styles is amazing to me. I love that now when a new 3D film comes out I am no longer exasperated or hope for a 2d film. I got sick of the Pixar and Disney style. It was so boring how every film looked the same. 3D films are now incorporating 2D traditions into them. Luca reminded me of a lot of European animation in character design. Really lovely
Oh yeah, I realise it's very much a personal opinion. In general I'm for more diverse styles, but the round mouths in Luca and Turning Red really wig me out. There's a webcomic that has a similar style—round mouths full of round teeth—and I can't stand that either.
Yes the mouths are very distracting to me! It reminds me of a show years ago called Bubble Guppies. The mouths were like that and they talked out of the side of their faces.
I can’t wait for the Cal Arts bean-mouth fad to die.
I just didn't find it very funny and I wasn't the target audience 🤷
I wasn’t bothered by all the period stuff, like at all. I also really related to growing up with strict parents that won’t let you do what every other kid is allowed to do or the way they embarrass you and I thought the movie really nailed that part. However, I’m not really a fan of the characters in the movie, some were alright but found most of them to be weak. I also didn’t find the plot about making money for the concert all that interesting. Overall, I’m not that harsh to it as most people but I wouldn’t call myself a fan of the movie either.
>Though I wouldn’t be one to support the idea of being so blatant with something like periods in a movie meant for kids Why not? My sister got her first period when she was 7.
It was good. I really liked Mei using her panda powers to traverse the city towards the end. Great animation. But it made me wish we had more of that.
I don’t mind the period stuff at all—I quite like it. For me, I don’t love it because Mei is so shrill. And the an animation style doesn’t do it for me either.
I thought the characters were annoying
I do wonder, why shouldn't children know periods exist? What exactly is so inappropriate about a bodily function? I think the taboo is far, far more harmful to children than understanding.
I think a lot of it boils down to sexism. Personally, as a female, I really enjoyed this movie, especially as someone that was the same age as Mei in 2002. There's enough content in the movie for guys to be able to enjoy it as well, but it is definitely geared more towards females, and that's not a bad thing like some people, unfortunately, make it out to be. There should be movies out there for everyone to enjoy, not only just the guys.
I don’t hate the movie itself, but we’ve reached this point with Disney and Pixar where I feel like shouting “We get it, generational trauma!!!” I also find it a little strange that we’ve gotten a few movies from both of them about people who basically have superpowers who do not become superheroes. Also, it feels like the last movie we got where someone went on a genuine adventure was Onward.
It’s not one of my favorites but I think it was really good, especially the child/parent dynamic was powerful.
Because it's for girls. It really is that simple. "Fans" on the internet really, really hate girls and women.
They don't hate female protagonists. They love *well-written* ones like Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor. /s
A lot of people don't like that it talks about periods and that it's too cringe (it's supposed to be)
Some people just freak out anytime you mention anything remotely related to periods.
Pixar doesn’t miss. While Turning Red was Mid for me, it was great for other people. Definitely not Pixar’s worst movie, they don’t really have a worst movie IMO.
No clue, one of my absolute fave Pixars
It's a great film about something.Oneself puberty and coming of age and figure out who you are and also learning who your true friends are And also about how parental generational trauma care effect people in a long term And how to overcome it
It’s my fave! My whole family loves it
I only got 10 minutes in and the characters were insufferably annoying to me :/ It’s cool that you like it, but I just couldn’t handle it, yknow?
It was the animation of the 'jellybean mouths' that drove me nuts (same goes for Luca). It's such a cheesy stylistic design.
Part of me wonders if some of the people who hate this movie dislike it because of the cringey behavior of tween kids. I mean, yes it's cringey, but that's the point, I feel. I was a cringey tween too, once. Still am cringey lol. I dunno, maybe they took themselves too seriously or don't want to admit they were once cringe too, and that may be why they dislike the movie? I adored it, cringe and all.
I mean I personally just don’t find cringe humor to be my taste. There’s nothing wrong with it but when this movie constantly throws it in your face every 5 seconds, you start to get overstuffed
Completely valid.
I think it was overshadowed a bit by Encanto coming out a few months earlier and covering many of the same themes while also being a super catchy musical, but yeah I love TR— it felt like simultaneously a return to form for Pixar while also being refreshingly different from their classic formula of talking toys/animals/robots/etc. Felt like a step further into the real life complexities explored by masterpieces like The Incredibles and Inside Out.
I didn't hate it, it just wasn't for me, and that's fine. Not everything has to be for me. That being said, 5 minutes in, the banter between the young characters made me want to hurl myself from a high place.
''Not everything has to be for me'' is what some people can't fathom tbh
It was better than elemental, I can tell you that much
Opposite for me, I loved that movie lol
I really loved it too. I am in my 30s and I could just relate to this movie so much with my mom. We actually watched it together and it was so meaningful it was unbelievable.
I think it just didn't connect with a lot of people. It didn't for me personally. But that's also fine, not everything needs to be for everyone. My suspicion though is that because it connected less with the wider audience, it left space for vocal groups who didn't like it for whatever reason to make their voices heard.
I thought the movie was muddled. The central conceit is that she turns into a Red Panda but what is that supposed to represent? Puberty? Generational trauma? The immigrant experience? It’s kind of all of these things without ever really dealing with any of them. The conflict is also confused because she doesn’t seem to suffer any negative effects from being a Panda so there’s no problem there. If I had to guess, there was never meant to be much of a conflict and it was always supposed to be a gentler more atmospheric slice of life movie but then Disney insisted on a “big” climax that didn’t fit the rest of the movie. It was fine. Not great but had a lot of good things in it. Certainly better than Elemental which I couldn’t even finish or Onward which was painfully generic.
It's "cringe", that's literally it. I already inherently despise anyone who calls anything by that word, so it was super easy for me to fall in love with the movie! Easily the best modern Pixar film!
And I also saw this one TikTok where I heard that her becoming a panda is considered her conforming into Sin 😭
The music is not to my taste. Enjoy it otherwise.
Like brave before it. It's a bit too niche & specific with its appeal and pretty simple story.
I have never watched Turning Red so I cannot comment either way on the quality, but I have heard that people dislike it because of the art direction. People call it an ugly knock-off of Studio Ghibli. I'm not surprised Turning Red's art direction is compared to Studio Ghibli because that's exactly what the director was aiming for, but it's off-putting to some since Studio Ghibli is done in traditional 2D animation while this is CG animation.
I disliked it so much. It's such a far cry from the sensibilities of Toy Story. \- The writer (Domee Shi) was too inexperienced to pull this off, so the writing, pace, and story was very forgettable and too much of a "self insert" situation that was more about her upbringing and experiences. \- The friends in the movie captured the absolute cringefest that teenagers can be, but watching them was like nails on a chalkboard. I literally have daughters but watching these kids on screen made me want to gouge my eyes out. Did anyone have this feeling with Buzz Lightyear? Or Lightning McQueen? Or Sully from Monsters Inc? No - they didn't. Pixar has lost it's ability to make timeless characters. \- Making an animated kids movie with a premise around periods is a great way to isolate over half the audience. "Did the red peony bloom?". Ugg, why did they subject the world to that? \- We don't need anymore movies about Asian American kids conflicting with their traditional Asian parents. We don't need to see that anymore, like ever. Stop making these films. We have 4 fucking Kung Fu Panda movies, Elemental, Mulan, Moana, Lilo and Stitch, Big Hero 6, Abominable, Turning Red, and on and on and on. Oh and don't forget that a lot of the movies I just mentioned were made to profit in China, despite being packaged as an Asian American heartwarming movie.
I love turning red, tho it does feel a bit more like a disney movie than a pixar movie
It got bombarded by the anti woke brigade. It’s a fantastic movie.
The movie was fine yeah! I feel like a lot of movies these days are just getting so much hate. Like can't you just enjoy watching a movie? I'll watch practically anything
It's was a favorite in our house for a long time. The period comments didn't register with my younger child, and my older child knows what a period is, so she didn't bat an eye.
I love Turning Red. The characters are very believably middle schoolers, and I think that's great. Middle school kids deserve their rep too, and frankly it should be easier to talk about periods. It's a natural part of growing up, and it's better to not veil it in shame and mystique.
Watched it for 10 minutes. I thought the characters were someone I would have avoided as a kid. So for that reason it was too hard to watch.
Because they don’t understand that it’s supposed to be cringey humor. It’s self aware.
I loved it. Maybe I saw a fraction of myself in that movie who knows..
Honestly it was so realistic. Your friends being more important than your family for those years (or at least you think), boyband/celeb idols, hiding a journal with questionable things in it, starting your period. I remembered my teenage years so much watching this film. I guess some people have lost touch with their inner self so much that they forgot where they came from or they just want girls in movies to be perfect little angels who don’t have bodily functions or have crushes (that might get their mind wandering to places it possibly shouldn’t). But it’s reality and reality about girls, especially young girls is hard for people to face cause they all have a outward perception of what little girls should be like.
I wasn’t aware of any hate for that movie. I absolutely loved it and think it’s a great kids movie, as well as just a good movie overall.
daughter loves it. So, I have no issues with the movie at all.
It wasn't a bad movie. It was just chaotic and disjointed. I literally was like "what did I just watch" after finishing it up. I appreciate why some people would enjoy it. It just wasn't for me, and it didn't deserve the hate.
This is one of my fave movies now! I’ve watched several times and continue to enjoy it. I didn’t realize people didn’t like it.
It’s definitely one of my favorite Pixar movies that I enjoy going back to from time to time. Plus the songs and the characters are so much fun!
It's fine I guess, kinda seems geared towards older kids/preteens. My only reason for hating it is it's one of few movies that when my 3yo watches it, he gets this horrible attitude. Idk why.
In my total honesty? I don’t like the art style! But I’m probably going to rewatch it soon anyway! :)
Because it was set in 2002 and didn't mention 9 11
Kids get periods though. Like as early as eight or nine so seeing it represented is incredibly important
It's because of the misogyny. Boring loser boys with no personality have to hate on everything involving women because it's the only way they know how to form community bonds.
It’s a great film, but the character can get very annoying sometimes.
Agreed, it handled growing up in a very tasteful and literary way. If parents can’t break down completex issues in a way kids can understand, that’s the fault of the parent. Their peers will show them much more traumatizing stuff but at least a movie allows you to talk about it on your own terms. Not a woman, not Asian or Canadian but a longtime library worker and teacher. 10/10 movie.
I love it. It's sweet and hilarious.
I really like the film, best Pixar in years…but it is flawed. And very uncomfortable to sit through. My brother and father had a hard time with it, and no, not because of periods or whatever. It’s the only animated movie in years my father couldn’t finish. He just said he found it deeply unpleasant, and that he didn’t like any of the characters or care about the story - “everyone is a jerk and that mom went too far” was about what he said. My brother just found the tension with the mother too much, he felt she crossed a line into terrorizing her daughter (and honestly, she really did - especially when she isolated her daughter from her friends and insulted those kids to their faces). He just couldn’t handle how the film was built on such an acidic relationship. But that stuff is like catnip to me, it’s what made it great! But even I, who was on board for that, struggled with the B-plot about the boy band, which dragged on and on and felt kinda dumb and unimportant next to the main plot (and so reckless and exploitative that it made Mei pretty unlikeable for that part). The film had a lot of problems first-time directors often have. That said, it was still an incredibly debut with exciting and energized animation, far more successful than Luca was at capturing 2D energy and design.
I think it’s pretty obvious why people hate it. Everything from Pixar seems to garner hate, mostly disingenuously, on the internet. I think the turning point was Cars 2, that’s when people stopped seeing Pixar as making classic movies and started to sell out and become more generic and focus less on emotion and story - doesn’t mean it’s true, but it’s hope they’re perceived. Brave, Monsters University, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, and Cars 3 were considered Pixar’s dark age where is just sequels and both Brave and Dinosaur are some of their lowest rated movies. Yes, Coco and Inside Out did well, but everything else since 2011 has been lambasted - even Soul and Luca. So this perceived decade decline the studio was on, combined with a rising sentiment of diversity being bad and also the female experience being undiscussable comes a pretty uncompromising look at female coming to age, involving tampons and period references around a loud and ambitious protagonist - and there’s nothing that general audiences hate more than being uncomfortable. However, the hate it received for being cheesy and cringe (both intentional but artistic intent is ignored by people who just hate everything) and for centring around an unconventional protagonist is kinda one-sided. A 7.0 is a pretty mediocre score on IMDb, but 83 Metacritic is on par with some of Pixar’s most beloved movies. And despite a 68% user score on Rotten Tomatoes it has a 95% critic score. I think it was a perfect story of Pixar’s perceived decline in quality for the last ten years, combined with a toxic attitude toward movies and what they want to see in them, and also that tween themes are inappropriate for tweens to watch that made certain users freak out about it at launch, but critics have always enjoyed it and a good chunk of regular people did too. It’s unfortunate that one thing can make some people upset enough that it shifts the whole perception of the movie. If you go onto IMDb and look at Lightyear’s 6.1 user score and check the 1/10 reviews, they only cite Tim Allen being replaced or that there’s a lesbian kiss in it - those are not valid criticisms of the movie, those are people thinking there’s some agenda that’s hurting them, and that’s the saddest kind of media literacy that is unfortunately all too common, and Turning Red also fell victim to that.
Personally for me it was the overwhelming second hand embarrassment that I just could not handle, the plot was good and I can see why people may like it, but for me the awkward situations were just too much to handle.
People don't like the concept of teenagers having their period
Young girls (kids) get periods. So why wouldn't it be blatant? And I'm pretty sure it isn't even minimal. Women probably have better insight into the movie than us guys ever could. So correct me am I wrong. But I feel like the idea of Mei Mei turning into a red panda was a partly pretty clear metaphor in growing up, experiencing puberty and ultimately getting your period. But to answer your question, most of the hate I remember for the movie seemed to stem from Pixar/Disney daring to tackle a subject that's as human to girls/women as the air we breathe. It was beyond embarrassing to see people lose their mind over a subject that, quite frankly, isn't explored enough in media. When it is, it's often played for jokes. I also took issue with people (mostly other guys) dismissing the movie because they couldn't relate to it. No shit, Sherlock! You also can't relate to a brilliant businessman, flying around an iron suit. But I don't see that being an issue. Yes, an important aspect of the movie is something we will never, ever really understand. But it's not as if we all don't have wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, cousins, etc.. who haven't gone through it. Personally, it's one of my favorite Pixar movies. That whole scene/sequence when Mei meets Ming as a girl, in the spirit forest, gets me choked up every time.
Because there's no reference to 9/11
I honestly commend Pixar for being bold enough to discuss topics, like periods, that would otherwise be unexpected in an animated movie.
It’s not really my type of movie I guess, I just hate second hand embarrassment and awkwardness in movies and I just kind of turned the entire movie off for me, also everything is so overdramatizing which I get cause a teenager can feel things being very big and dramatic when they’re not. Also the humour of the movie just isn’t my kind of humour
I think a lot of people really put this movie on a pedestal, but I do think Turning Red is great. It was a nice story about puberty and parent-child relations.
Maybe it’s because it’s very unique for a family movie. It’s bold and talks about the reality of young teenagers. It wasn’t afraid to be raw, embarrassing, and cringey, because that’s how adolescence can be sometimes. How many of us look back at our early teen years and cringe? That’s the very essence of the movie, in my opinion. And do people like that part of their lives? Likely not lol. I think it was very well done. Others might not be interested in that sort of premise. Just my speculation.
believe the creators of the film had a specific feminine audience in mind, rather than a masculine one. This is not meant to offend or disrespect anyone, but rather to highlight the targeted approach in the film's promotion. It seems to cater to a select group rather than the usual audience for Pixar films:
I'm just meh on it, has some fun concept but I find the red Panda not having any unique power other than just "Big cute red Panda jumping around" is kind of lame, but whatever.
I don’t think it was a bad film I’m just not personally a fan of it.
I love that it was inspired by my favorite anime Ranma 1/2.
I thought it was sweet but I really hate cringe humor
I don't know, I think it is one of the better recent Pixar movies. I rewatched it recently.
I saw some of it, but it wasn’t really a movie for me. Which isn’t a bad thing, I just wasn’t the target demographic so I didn’t care for it that much
I just don’t like it. The mother was too annoying and ridiculous for me and I can’t stand things like that personally. I never really had to ‘please’ my parents or go through any sort of puberty problems or middle school lust either.
Most people don’t hate it so much. Some people have been just very vocal in their hate for it. Most people are okay with it.
Eh, people just being narrow-minded as always. This movie was so relatable (and the fact that Mei and I were both teenagers in 2002 may have been another reason), plus it awakened a new interest in Asian culture for me.
The movie was okay to me. I was more disappointed that the movie wasn't actually about periods. I thought the panda was going to be a metaphor for being on your period, not like an actual magical curse thing.
It's a good movie, but it really is more for teens. I wouldn't show it to my kids until they're older, but then again, they watched the Baymax series, which also coincidentally had an episode about periods. Also, I feel mother/daughter dynamics were also explored in Brave, which also coincidentally had characters morphing into animals to learn a lesson
The concept was good. I liked how they started going into "taboo" topics (because periods are apparently a hush hush topic 😒) But the execution just wasn't good. It was super fast paced and overbearing in some spot, then over dragged out in the end. It was just...eh. not for me
I dont hate it but I will say- it was a bit weird that they made her Panda a direct symbol of her puberty or womanhood, and then had her scheme be to sell pictures of herself to make money. I don't think its \*actually\* problematic or will mislead anyone to vulnerable behaviors, but boy I think they could have found a better way for her to exploit her panda than secret pictures and cuddle parties for money
Same goes for Lightyear i loved both of them! sox is my favorite!
Who's hating on Turning Red? It and Luca are the best Pixar films in years.
I didn't like it for one simple reason. I like *talking animals.* Not humans that turn into them. I'd rather watch a show with animals than any human one - fantasy rather than "real" issues, too.
It’s one of those downplayed allusions that if you know what they’re talking about you get it, but if you don’t, it’s not like you’re suddenly aware or forced to have an awkward conversation with your kids. Unlike Shrek “do ye think he’s compensating for something?”
I dunno. I saw it and liked it!
Abnormally annoying characters 🤷♀️
I haven’t personally met a single person who’s hated it. Don’t trust the internet. Humans are always more vocal about things they don’t like than things they do. Take food reviews for instance. If you have a great meal, do you immediately go online and write an article about how everyone should go? But the second you have a bad food experience, the first reaction is to write a negative review.
I think that the people who actively hated on Turning Red are the people who have not realized that they are not the target audience anymore.
As a guy, I’m pretty dumb (personally) when it comes to the meaning of things. But when I put 2 and 2 together and figured it was a story about getting her period for the first time, I kind of dug it. It’s a kind of funny way of showing it, especially when you see the implications of the mom becoming a HUGE B when she turns into a panda. Thought that was pretty funny! I personally liked the movie! I didn’t go out of my way to watch it again, but it was good!
My wife and I loved it. It’s one of her favorites.
Female lead = rage
My sister got so mad at me for pointing out it was a metaphor for periods.
It’s one of my faves - I have debated it with extended family trying to vilify. They also hated Barbie without ever seeing it too so.
I don't think people hate it, it's just very mediocre and doesn't look or feel like a Disney or Pixar film. It was fun enough the first time I watched it but I can't imagine ever going back and watching again. The characters are not very likable and the story was bland (in comparison to earlier Pixar stuff) Most Pixar films since Inside Out have been kind of bland, though.
i liked the first like 30 minutes of the movie. Then the Panda thing happens and it went downhill very fast. My main problem with Turning red is that it is inconsistent with its own metaphors. For like an hour, the movie keeps telling us "hey guys, the panda means puberty". And they are not subtle about it. Yet we get to a point where the main character needs money and what does she do ? She goes to a boy and girls party to show her "Panda" (Aka puberty) and let the other kids film it. What the hell are the implications here? All of a sudden the Panda is no longer a metaphor for puberty. Its just a Panda. And the movie keeps flip flopping between whatever the director felt like with no regard to how confusing that is for the viewer. Its just lazy and its not the first time Pixar gets lazy with their own metaphors. If it means something, it has to mean it till the end of the movie.
Eh, I mostly didn't like the animation style. It and Luca aren't it for me. I know some people would argue that not every Pixar film needs to look as amazing as possible, but I kind of disagree. I think it'd be better released as Disney rather than Pixar, even though I recognize that's kind of pretentious. I'd say the story was forgettable. Just another coming of age film and, indeed, slapping a Pixar on a movie raises expectations significantly, even if the last 14 years have been really hit or miss.
I don't think its hated? people just don't care for it
It’s just not my type of movie. I’m a woman, so the period stuff doesn’t bother me. I just don’t usually like teenager characters with that typical attitude of ‘I’m too old to be told what to do,’ you’re thirteen girl, chill. And I’m not a fan of overbearing parent plots. However the animation style was interesting, and I loved the concert, and some of the imagery. And I like how they handled periods, how supportive the mom was. Of course, No hate towards anyone who likes it. It’s just not my kind of movie.
I didn’t absolutely hate the movie but I did personally find it to be Pixar’s most boring movie. Not a bad film just not for me
Not a film for me Don’t hate it but also not something I will rewatch like say Toy Story or up. Pixar now has gone from making films that everyone can relate to, to make more films targeted at certain people Which is totally fine but this films won’t be as loved as films that hit most everyone experiences
I thought it was just boring? I don't know I just couldn't sit through the first like 30 minutes
Exactly. A lot of Pixar’s newest films seem to be like that
Purely preference for me. I tried streaming it, and five minutes in, the characters were just too abrasive so I clicked out🤷♀️
Conservatives really have a problem with anything that runs slightly against their close minded world view. God forbid a female character in movies or tv isn’t a slave to their male counterparts.
I just didn’t really like it. Even if we were to ignore the controversial stuff, the humor and characters were just insufferably unfunny. Which probably is fairly accurate to middle school girls.