Movie Review: Turning Red

 

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.

Its about damn time that im finally getting to the recent movie in the year 2022, i know its not easy that im still unable to going back to movie theater since 2 years after overgrown virus that it needs to stop and a group of idiots going nearly a riot for *ahem* "Conserwativ Powah!!" or "Vaccins equalz More VIWUZ!!!". Yeah, as far as i know, its gonna be like 2020, isn't it? But i digress, aside of no able to going back to theater for me being overprotective of my life (again, hopefully the madness and the virus has to stop...!), i was able to watching a recent film that came from video-on-demand.

"Turning Red" is a 2022 Pixar animated coming-of-age fantasy comedy film that was written/directed by Domee Shi, produced by Lindsey Collins and co-written by Julia Cho and Sarah Streicher (the latter of them for story).

After Domee brought us her cutest short called "Bao" before Pixar's magnum-opus sequel "The Incredibles 2" (as well as working for animated Pixar's masterpiece "Inside Out") and earning an Oscar for "Best Animated Short Film", it was time to give her a chance to make her passion project as a both film director and a writer, which it got me interested and curious when i briefly heard from her passion project. Though the film was supposed to make Pixar's come back to be released on theaters, but when the variants hit us so hard, Disney decided to released on the film on Disney+ much like when they did to Luca (which i reviewed before) and Soul (though i haven't seen it, yet). And this will be my interesting note that this is my first time i watched a recent film that is releasing on video-on-demand like Disney+, but without premier access?? Come on guys, you could've make money out of it before we able to see it, but that's just my own nitpick when it came out.

So, with all that said, will this movie make us enjoy to remind us from the good'ol days of early millennium, or this film still struggling our mind to be stuck in a big furry creature?

Well, lets find out.

The Story

For a movie about a girl with red panda form, its surprisingly a fascinating story, even if its a little bit rushed at the time.

The movie introduced our main girl named Meilin Lee (or "Mei" or "Mei-Mei") who starts in a fresh new time in her age of 13, having a perfect grades in her school, hanging out with her friends Miriam, Abby, and Priya, and being a fan girl of the boy bands called "4*Town" (even though it later have 5 members then 4, but i digress). However, her mother Ming Lee has scolded her based on secret crush on convenient store worker Devon, despite she didn't do anything wrong (typical mother, always protective at kids from "nobodies"...! For the most part...), which she causing herself to having a nightmare from what happened, along with the temple where she and her mother prayed in their temple from their ancestor "Sun Yee", she ended up having a First Period, and by that, i mean being transformed into a big red panda, causing her into a panic for how and did she turned into like this. As it turns out, Ming told her that from the very past, Sun Yee was the first person for turning into a big red panda, but only way to recover from constant transformation is perform a ritual, but only a specific date when there's the red moon, but Mei, despite understandable about the situation, she just wants to live a new life with friends and even concert plan. Its up to Mei to control her emotion to preventing her red panda form without going completely out of control.

I find the story itself is a pretty good for what it follows, its more about Mei Lee's new life but ended up having a road block from her unexpected life changing from her ancestor's history, leaving her trying her best to control her feeling without transforming in overreaction like excited or even stress, kinda like The Incredible Hulk, only more cute and fuzzy panda than a big mean green from atomic radiation. Of course, the movie have a one helluva ride with fun moments and of course a heart, ranging from Mei tries to calm down from her friends or her mother, to Mei in crazy antics from struggle of her feeling when something isn't right to chuckling from her reaction. And i gotta say, this movie made me having fun for watching, especially that it made me laughing, but of course, the movie does have a nice execution to have a heart, mainly to we like to comforting her when she's stuck in red panda form. However, while i like what they delivered the writing and the execution, even though sometimes, the film is rather rushed to going for, even though this movie is an 1 hour and nearly 50 minutes.

Despite some issue, the story and its writing is a fun experiment to going through for Mei's fresh new life to having an obstacle from emotional transformation.

The Animation

I gotta say, for Pixar movie directed by a woman for the first time, the animation looks fascinating, cute and somewhat colorful, especially with the use of reds, eh?

For starter, the location of the movie is pretty welcoming to having a movie taken place in Canada, specifically in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (in fact, i've been there back in my school trip in 2015, good times...), even though it may look generic pick like a school, a small town with Chinese place and even an arena called "SkyDome" (the precursor of "Roger Center", because hey, this movie takes place in 2002, two years before they changed the name from Roger's purchase with their Baseball team's Toronto Blue Jays from MLB). Accurate or generic, its pretty nice to having a Pixar's animated film taken place in Canada.

As for the effects, the designs and the animation, they're pretty good, colorful and also pretty cute. In fact, they made a numerous references of anime such as Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, Fruits Basket and some others, which its quite nice what they're going for.

The character designs looks nice and cute at the time. But yeah i know, go ahead, make a complaint in the comment by saying "Man, these character designs are horrible, it came from Calart!!", i mean yes, i kinda noticing it, but all i wanna say is, i don't care, it doesn't matter if its Calart style or not, i still think they look not bad, at least its a right place (unlike the so-called "Anime" called "High Guardian Spice", but that's a different story). They have a nice and fitting look based on their personalities and even some funny reactions, especially for Mei Lee, she made me good laugh of her delivery.

As for the effects, they're also good with the lighting from the aforementioned Mei-Mei's reaction and even the stage concert with 4*Town, and of course, when Mei transforms to half to completely in Panda, its pretty cute from a puff transformation style.

And as for the animation, its a well-done work with some smooth moves to some fast-paste level, sure they may have some move to be feel like realistic, but its sorta more focus of cartoony for some humor moments, which il give a credit for their fun work.

And the last thing i like to give a credit, is the music, im not talking about the soundtrack, im talking the musical thanks to the plot element with 4*Town when our girls like to see them in concert, i find 4*Town's songs are good, of course the highlight of this song is "Nobody Like U", while this song is all about get along without being alone in sadness, but this song is quite of catchy, almost like it feels like a millennium music that you love to hear on our radio or even a CD player.

The animation is a pretty good work for the mix of cute, comedy, inspired ideas and very welcoming to having a movie taken place in Canada, despite some small flaws that i pointed, but the animation by Pixar is still a pretty good work.

The Characters

While most of them are either limited appearance or even unnecessary reason, the characters are surprisingly likeable and funny in the whole movie.

Lets start with our main girl Meilin Lee, or Mei Lee or Mei-Mei (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a spunky Chinese-Canadian girl who loves to spicing up her new life for hanging out with her best friends in her school, have a secret crush on which boys that she likes (by that i mean distracted) and being a fan girl of 4*Town, but like i said, once after got a nightmare, she ended having an obstacle of control her emotion without overreact that make he puffing up into a big red pandy based on her ancestor's past. I gotta say, i find her to be probably memorable protagonist, she always like to going out freely with her hobbies once she's 13 and of course, she's somewhat related how we always wanted to, despite being warned by the parents. Of course, even if its not easy for being transformed into red pandy from her high emotion, but its not only funny, but cute when she's in either half or fully in red panda form. For a main role debut, Rosalie did a pretty good work and she's probably have fun for her role.

Next up is Ming Lee (voiced by Sandra Oh), a strict and overprotective mother who always watch her daughter Mei keep her normal, despite Mei always like to going out secretly from her favorite hobbies and friends. I find her ok, she's just a strict and protective mother to keep her daughter safe and peacefully, especially one point of accusing at one person Devon to be falling in love with Mei-Mei, but again, he didn't do anything wrong. I have nothing against, Sandra, she did a pretty good work of her role, in fact, i've already mentioned her from my last year's review of "Raya and the last dragon", but its just that the way Ming was written just comes off as... Cliché... But to be fair, at least she may have heart to Mei.

Speaking of heart, we have Mei's best pals, there's Miriam (voiced by Ava Morse), Abby (voiced by Hyein Park) and Priya (voiced by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), these girls are basically their sidekicks to get along and have a plan to going to the concert for their idol, 4*Town. Though they're fun buds, though they're pretty much a typical tokens, but at least like Mei's mother, the execution is nice to have a heart to Mei, Miriam being a tomboy Canadian, Abby is loud energetic Korean-Canadian and Priya being a deadpan excited Indian-Canadian. Though im pretty sure Abby and Priya are both born in their home countries, but later raised in Canada, but that's just my thought about their lives. Despite their generic token roles, but at least they're fun and Ava, Hyein and Maitreyi did a fun work of their roles.

After that, we have Jin Lee (voiced by Orion Lee), a father whom despite aware about his daughter with connection from ancestor, but at least he has a good heart with her, along with sharing difficulty past for what happened back then. I think he's much nicer and respectful to Mei unlike Ming for being too protective, especially when he comforts her in one moment, which i find it pretty sweet and Orion did a nice work too.

And we have Tyler (voiced by Tristan Allerick Chen), a classmate bully who at first, doesn't trust Mei and her friends much when they're supporting 4*Town. But once Mei has a transformation, he proceeds to manipulating her and her friends to joining his party for his birthday, but only to offer 200$ to joining in based on Mei and her friend's concert plan. Though he's unfortunately another not-so useful villain unlike the previous villain Ercole from Luca. Aw well, il also give a credit for young voice actor Tristan for also doing a good job to playing a sorta antagonist of this film.

As for the rest in this movie, most of them have their purpose for the plot to helping Mei, but of course, some have no purpose.

There's Wu Lee (voiced by Wai Ching Ho) is Mei's grandma to warn the family about red panda form, along with extra aunts Chen, Ping, Helen, and Lily (voiced by Lori Tan Chinn, Lillian Lim, Sherry Cola, and Mia Tagano), the band members of 4*Town, Robaire, Jesse, Aaron Z., Aaron T., and Tae Young (voiced by Jordan Fisher, Finneas O'Connell, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo, and Grayson Villanuev) a group of boy band that they're popular from fan girls, along with their memorable song "Nobody Like U" and Devon (voiced by Addie Chandler), a bored worker of convenient store that we assuming he has a plot purpose for her crush, but SPOILER ALERT, he has no purpose.

Despite some flaws of token personalities, but some execution of these characters work nicely for fun and even a heart, for the most parts.

And now for my final opinion of this film.

Talk a really great start to reviewing a movie that it came out this year, well for me at least. Turning Red is a fun movie to see with another fascinating story, some lovable characters, cute presentation, some well-written, a pretty good songs and some executions are also good with elements heart and "be independent"

Sure while its a nice for the creative direction, but the movie have some flaws with one token characters, some rushed development, some filler and of course like i said before, having a film to be released on Disney+ without Premier Access. I mean yeah, i understand its all because of the virus's variant, but as im writing this, it seems that the virus is somewhat toned down that they released it in bad timing, sure, there are selective countries that don't have Disney+ and got released on theaters, so don't worry, at least they'll make money, minimally...

Despite the flaws, its a film that you should definitely check it out if you're fan of Pixar and a subscriber of Disney+, its a fun movie that you'll laugh and have a heart.

For my rating, im giving it 8/10, it has flaws that i would've give 9, but il put it 8 for good reason.

So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on https://ko-fi.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.