Turning Red

Thirteen-year-old Mei is an average teenager who tries to get straight A's in school and not be naughty for the sake of her family and especially her mother. Or at least not to misbehave when her mom sees her. One day she wakes up as a giant red panda and finds that she is the victim of an old family curse. If she doesn't want to look like a giant animal, she has to keep her emotions in check, and for a 13-year-old girl, nothing is harder. Pixar's new film may not surprise in terms of story – it's another clash of parents, children and their views on the future – but it's still very funny, touching and entertaining. Pixar simply knows how to do these things, and even though they skimped on originality this time, it's still first rate among animated films. Don't be afraid to go to the cinema, but don't expect anything revolutionary from Turning Red. (03/10/2022)

An uninspiring and socially stupid narrative that offers no story development. The value, or perhaps the significance, of the actions of the main characters, whose primary goal is a dull infatuation with nowadays respected and superficial wannabe celebrity idols, is not worth mentioning. (04/10/2022)

A girl’s emotional explosion about her transformation into a red panda, combined with her desire to go see a boyband concert really isn’t my cup of tea. It will certainly achieve greater success with younger viewers than it did with me. But the Godzilla-style finale is a just so bizarre that I was gobsmacked with what that Mouse was trying to do. Certainly original, but I don’t feel the need to watch it again. (09/05/2022)

Bao, the director's previous short, was one of the most bizarre things from Pixar. Turning Red also deals with family and intergenerational relationships, but is more restrained, although it is also a bizarre piece if you thinks about the story. This panda adventure may lack the depth of In Inside Out or the plot twists of Coco, but it’s still a visually beautiful animated film with a straightforward but sincere message that entertains and even moves slightly. Puberty and adolescence can indeed be beasts and for a lot of people, that period can be a walk in a bamboo forest – and the scars from it can stick with you for decades. Turning Red is about camaraderie, cultural traditions, and most of all the importance of family and the relationships within it, but these should never escalate into a toxic form. A weaker four stars! (03/10/2022)