Meilin (Rosalie Chiang) has just turned thirteen and is happy juggling her perfect school grades, her best pals and her commitment to her parents shrine in Toronto’s Chinatown. That is until she discovers the curse that the women in her family suffer when they become women. When they experience strong emotions they turn into giant red pandas. 

Throw in the fact that Meilin’s favourite boyband 4Town will be performing in Toronto on the same night that her family need to perform a ritual to banish her panda and you have a clash of priorities across family generations. 

Turning Red has two main themes wrapped up in a less than subtle metaphor. The first is about the importance of family in Chinese families especially the treatment of parents by their children. The second is the changes that women go through during puberty. Meilin struggles with the expectations from her mother when she finds her self going through such strong emotions, discovering boys and generally discovering her own individualism. 

Of course this being a Pixar Disney film those more serious elements are mixed in with slapstick humour and a cute giant red panda. Allowing younger children to enjoy themselves whilst slightly older children may come out of the film with some questions that can only be healthy, if slightly awkward. 

Whilst entertaining this would probably be the least interesting Pixar film I think I may have seen. In part that will be because I am not the target audience in any shape or form even if I found myself relating to Meilin’s mother on more than one occasion. Heck I found the teenagers slightly annoying and I even asked a question out loud that her mother literally asked seconds later! But I also felt that both from an animation and story perspective it did not feel as innovative as I have come to expect from the studio. 

A definite watch for youngsters and could even help you begin some conversations if you have young girls.