Geeks logo

Turning Red Critique of the Critiques

A look into a different type of Pixar movie.

By Chad RhoadsPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
Top Story - March 2022
20

A few days ago I hopped onto my Disney+ account and watched "Turning Red". I wanted something that was a bit light hearted and cartoonish. I had heard from a critic who I tend to respect, Chris Stuckmann, that if you're into anime, you'd enjoy this movie. And he's right. I found the movie adorable, and it was heavily influenced by anime.

It's not my favorite Pixar movie, but it's a great movie about puberty and growing up from a more traditional Chinese family point of view. I decided to look at the critiques from the general audience as there appears to be a pretty big difference in the ratings.

Now of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. I can see why people may not be a fan of this. It is about a girl who is going through puberty and is dealing with trying to figure out who she is while trying to maintain a balance to please her mother. But I think people are missing this fact.

I will be going into some spoilers here, so if you haven't seen it, I do suggest watching it.

I'm not entirely sure where they were seeing socialist and communist values. The family is a traditional Chinese family. They run a temple. However, this movie very much pushes western and capitalist values. First off, the temple is the family's business. Owning your own business is a capitalist value. Also, Meilin starts her own gig to raise money for a concert. Again, that's a communist value. Many Asian cultures value fitting in, not make waves. The movie pushes the idea that you need to be yourself. You need to be an individual.

I think what this person is thinking of is Confucius ideals which are imbedded in Chinese culture and society, but it has nothing to do with socialism and communism.

And to address the last part, no, it's not teaching kids to disregard their parents and their values. From my understanding, this movie is based off the director's own life. The lesson here isn't to disregard your parents, it's to find your own balance, and it's a lesson to the parents that your kids are individuals with individual personalities and dreams and may not follow what you want.

The intended audience is for those who are either going through puberty or approaching it. Yes, it's mature, but a child isn't going to catch the messages. They're going to see a girl who can transform into a cute red panda, who is obsessed with a boy band, and adores her friends. Just like if you went back and watched Animaniacs or Looney Tunes and found all of the more adult themes. I didn't notice that stuff as a kid. I saw funny cartoon characters acting wacky.

They aren't suggesting kids keep the bad parts of their personality. Meilin didn't really have a bad part to her personality except she started to lie and disobey her mother. This was more of a lesson to parents about being helicopter moms and dads, putting too much pressure on their kids to be who they want their kids to be. It's about learning how to understand your kids.

For the kids, it's about balance and communication. Your parents aren't going to know how you feel if you don't communicate, and for the parents, your kid isn't going to communicate if you don't provide that environment.

The movie is also not talking about choosing friends over family. Friends are a vital part of a child's life. If the child doesn't feel like they can talk to their parents, they will tend to choose their friends over family. I know, I did that. My mom was shut down and my step dad was the type that would say "it's my way and you have no choice" and if you pushed back even a little, he'd tell you to grow up. It's much the same as Meilin's mom. To her, her mom refused to listen to her, and she only saw her dad as an extension of her mom. Her friends were her only escape. Which is an important lesson for kids as well. Treat your friends well, because the good friends are there for you even when family isn't. Your friends are your chosen family, and that can be very special.

And last but not least, the mother. The point of this is that the mother is a helicopter mother who hated what her own mother did but is in turn doing it to her own daughter. These parents exist. As I stated earlier, this movie is based off the director's own life. Not everything is, but from my understanding, the director had a "tiger mom". This isn't the only time you've seen these kinds of parents in media. In the movie "Crazy Rich Asians", Michelle Yeoh plays a tiger mom. Over protective and very demanding.

The problem is that those of us who grew up with Western families, we don't see this as often. Of course they do exist in all cultures. Helicopter parents, or entitled parents exist. There's an entire reddit for these stories. I'm not Asian, nor am I going to pretend to be an expert on Asian cultures, but from my understanding, the tiger mom isn't that uncommon. It's a theme I see often in Asian stories and I think those of us not of those cultures understand that.

This comment missed the plot entirely. It doesn't glamorize and encourage disobedience or disrespect. It shows a girl who has no other avenue to express herself. The pressure from her own mother is making her into an outcast. She's a 13 year old girl and is rebelling. It's a movie for young girls and parents. Kids aren't going to be watching this movie alone. The parents are going to watch this movie as well and it has plenty of lessons for both. As I've already touched on those, I'm not going to repeat them, but this is another comment that missed the entire point of the movie.

In the end, this movie isn't for everyone. This is aimed at young girls who are nearing or are going through puberty. It's aimed at parents of those kids. A tween boy will probably not like this movie. A single adult male, may not enjoy this movie. However, if your critique misses the plot entirely, then you weren't paying attention.

movie
20

About the Creator

Chad Rhoads

My primary genres are fantasy and sci-fi. I love coming up with new worlds and new things within that make it interesting. My stories tend to be more character driven as I find how the brain works fascinating.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.