As a parent of a young girl, I was excited to see Turning Red. When I first saw the teaser trailer I had an idea that this movie was going to be about a lot more than a young girl that turns into a red panda. I felt that this was going to be a coming-of-age movie that uses the panda as a metaphor and will hopefully grow the relationship between my daughter and myself. I hate to say that I was correct but the movie did just that.
If you have not seen anything about Turning Red, here is a quick summary. The main character, Mei, is a confident and strong young woman who one day turns into a red panda. While trying to figure out why this change is happening to her, Mei finds that this new form can bring her some happiness but also causes conflict in her being who she wants to be. This change also unearths a rift between Mei and her mother and uncovers a family secret.
Turning Red is very relatable no matter who you are. If you have ever gone through changes in your life or used something you had to be popular or rebelled against your parents or even loved a music group so much that you would do anything to see them. Yes, if you fall under any of those categories you can relate to Mei. Just because Mei is a young girl does not mean that you have to remove yourself from the narrative. Mei’s journey is one that many young girls go through and many young boys can also relate to.
One of the great things about home releases is the bonus features. Unlike a recent blockbuster that did not share any deleted scenes with us, Turning Red gives us 6 deleted scenes and a bonus one that is on the Blu-ray copy of the movie. (Note: I still prefer physical copies of movies because you never know when the cloud will go down).
All the bonus features are fantastic. The Life of a Shot is a great way to see how a scene is created from the script all the way to the finished product. This is one that I would highly recommend for anyone that has children that is interested in how an animated movie is made.
Read more about the movie and continue to see our final thoughts.
Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red is now on all major digital platforms and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD today, just in time for Mother’s Day. Pixar fans can transport back to the early aughts and experience all the warm and fuzzy red panda Mei-hem with never-before-seen bonus material including seven deleted scenes, three featurettes and audio commentary with Director Domee Shi. Turning Red is also streaming on Disney+.
Film Synopsis
In Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red, confident, dorky 13-year-old Mei must balance being a dutiful daughter with the chaos of adolescence. Her slightly overbearing mom is never far from her daughter. And, as if changes to Mei’s interests, relationships and body aren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited, she “poofs” into a giant red panda!
- Bonus Features*
- Audio Commentary – View the film with audio commentary by director Domee Shi, producer Lindsey Collins, and director of photography Mahyar Abousaeedi.
- Featurettes
- Life of a Shot – Domee Shi and members of the crew describe the many-layered process and artistry involved in creating the hilarious Red Peony scene – from observing red pandas in a zoo to creating a storyboard to finalizing the animation and background lighting.
- Build Your Own Boy Band – Step backstage to learn how 4TOWN came to animated life. From creating each band member’s persona to writing and producing the songs to fine-tuning the details of their stadium performance, the filmmakers reveal how they designed the ultimate boy band.
- Ani-Mei-Tion – Because Mei’s heightened emotionality is central to the story, it was important that her look and movement reflect that energy. Learn how Domee Shi led the animation team to incorporate hints of expressive anime to create Mei’s lovable, dynamic character.
- Deleted Scenes
- Deleted Scenes Introduction – Director Domee Shi introduces scenes not included in the final version of Turning Red.
- Intro Meilin – In this alternate opening, Ming and young Mei have their portrait taken in a studio…but Ming has her own specific vision for the photo.
- Taming The Panda – Under her mother’s guidance, Mei learns techniques to control her ability to magically turn into a red panda…to varying degrees of success.
- The Debate – Mei runs for class president against frenemy Tyler, and the speeches get a little out of hand.
- Fei And Christina Hang – Mei (formerly Fei) shares a banana split while having a heart-to-heart with Aunt Christina.
- 4TOWN Dilemma – Mei scores tickets to her dream concert, but her strict mother won’t let her out of the house. What will she do?
- Roping In Leo – Pleading with Leo for help with getting out of trouble, Mei learns a couple of his closely guarded secrets.
- Easter Egg – Robutton Deleted Scene – An alternate ending in which Mei, finding herself sitting next to her 4*TOWN dream-idol Robaire on a flight to California, has some feelings.
Final Thoughts: Turning Red is a fantastic movie about the change one goes through and how one handles that change. It is not only a great movie for young girls but also for all children who are going through a change in their lives and are unsure how to handle them.
Kid-Friendly: Turning Red is perfect for all children and while the topic is a bit mature for younger viewers it is a story that they all have to see.
Violence: There is nothing out of the ordinary in this animated movie that has not been seen before. The final fight between mother and daughter might be a bit scary for younger viewers but it is nothing that will make them unable to sleep at night.
We loved this movie. For the kids, most of the content went over their heads but they enjoyed watching the Panda show up on the screen. It was fun and entertaining.
It was a fun movie! I’m glad you all enjoyed it!