FILM REVIEW: “Turning Red”
[This review may contain spoilers; if you have not seen this picture, you are advised not to read this review until you do.]
“Turning Red”, the latest picture to emerge from the Pixar studio, is a real triumph of American animation, a superb coming-of-age film that ranks alongside such classics of the coming-of-age genre as Barry Levinson’s “Diner” and Peter Yates’ “Breaking Away” and updates them for the modern environment.
This extraordinary picture, set during the spring of 2002, is concerned with the life of a 13-year-old Torontonian of Chinese heritage named Mei Lee, who is, in every way, a typical 13-year-old: one who is going through puberty and whose friends, much like herself, have crushes on members of a boy band named 4*Town. As one can imagine, this gives Mei strong emotional experiences which cause her to transform into a gigantic red panda.
The quintet is due to hold a concert at the Skydome on May 25 — the same evening that a ritual sealing the spirit of the red panda is due to take place during the Night of the Red Moon. She, in a desperate attempt to go, ends up raising the $800 needed for her and her friends to go, and ultimately decides to skip the ritual to attend the concert, causing Ming to become a red panda herself . . . a King Kong-sized one that ends up destroying the Skydome. Ultimately, Ming and Mei reconcile, they help pay the CAN$40 million needed to repair the Skydome, and Mei starts to balance time between her time at the temple and her time with friends.
This film has a lot of memories of being young to bring back for many people, and not just as far as the anxiety of growing old and learning about romance.
The addiction these kids have toward their favorite boy band makes me want to tell their elders to admit that they were similarly addicted to the likes of the Partridge Family, Bobby Sherman, the Jacksons and the Osmonds when they were just as young, 30 years prior.
Some of the baby boomers who see the parts where Ming objects to the mannerisms of 4*Town will undoubtedly be reminded of the days when similar public objections to such early rock and roll teen idols as Dion, Fabian Forte, Elvis Presley, and Frankie Valli were being made by the adults in their presence.
Oh, yes, and every girl ran into guys like Tyler Nguyen-Baker, who mocked them over their addiction to those aforementioned folks in the days when they were hits of the teenager crowd.
There are other things this picture may make you want to admit. for instance, when you were as young as Mei and her friends are in this film, you acted exactly like Mei and her friends acted in this film. And you probably had parents who were just as tough-minded as Mei’s are in this picture. And the adults of your day probably threw birthday parties as dorky as the one depicted in this picture as well.
The film collects these memories, updates them to the era when boy bands ruled the hit parade, and, surprisingly enough, they don’t become dated in the process. They add to quite possibly the freshest and most exciting picture about growing up to be made in a long, long time. Bravo to Domee Shi, the woman to be credited for taking her own transition into adulthood and turning it into one of the best films ever made on the subject of coming-of-age.
IN CONCLUSION
A 21st-century ‘Diner’
★★★★
“TURNING RED”
Directed by Domee Shi, produced by Lindsey Collins, screenplay by Julia Cho and Ms. Shi from a story by Ms. Cho, Ms. Shi and Sarah Streicher; musical score by Ludwig Goransson; songs composed by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell; film edited by Nicholas C. Smith and Steve Bloom; a Pixar release through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, which can be screened for free with a subscription to the Disney+ streaming service. This picture has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association.
THE VOICES:
Mei . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rosalie Chiang
Ming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sandra Oh
Jin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Orion Lee
Miriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ava Morse
Priya . . . . . . . . .Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Abby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hyein Park
Wu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wai Ching Ho
Tyler . . . . . . . . . . . Tristan Allerick Chen
Mr. Gao . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James Hong
Devon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Addie Chandler
Mr. Kieslowski . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sasha Roi
Stacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lily Sanfelippo
4*TOWN
Robaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jordan Fisher
Jesse . . . . . . . . . . . . . Finneas O’Connell
Aaron Z. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Josh Levi
Aaron T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Topher Ngo
Tae Young . . . . . . . . Grayson Villanueva
