And Ming strikes an impressive balance between dictatorial and doting, dismissing Mei’s friends and interests but also stalking her at school to ply her with steamed buns. The tomboy skater girl Miriam, the deadpan Priya and the hilariously fiery Abby form a funky trifecta of gal pals who are Mei’s emotional safety net. Mei has the relatable swagger of the middle school cool nerd - she’s creative and confident, and also has a perfect report card. The character writing and design are where “Turning Red,” directed by Domee Shi, most succeeds. This becomes a lot more difficult when she goes through her changes - not of the period variety, but the panda kind. There she helps her loving but overbearing mother, Ming (Sandra Oh), and tries to be the perfect daughter - even when that means burying her own thoughts and desires in the process. She’s also Chinese Canadian, living in Toronto in 2002, where her family maintains a temple. Meilin Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) is a typical 13-year-old girl: She dances, has crushes on boys and has a cohort of weird but loyal besties who share her obsession with the glossy-lipped members of the boy band 4*Town. Because that’s the idea behind this sometimes heartwarming but wayward coming-of-age movie, which toes the line between truthfully representing a Chinese family, flaws and all, and indulging stereotypes.
Which makes the task of reviewing the new Disney/Pixar film “Turning Red” (on Disney+ March 11) especially tricky.
A quirky Asian teenager transforms into a giant red panda whenever she gets excited … even the premise gives me pause.
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