Turning Red

So, guys, we've reached the newest of the Pixar movies, Turning Red. This was honestly a movie I initially wasn't very excited for. The premise didn't interest me all that much and the trailers didn't impress me much either. But, the reception I was hearing was making me more hopeful. And, in the end, while I don't think I can say I loved it, I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would. That's not to say it doesn't have any problems and I don't think it's one of Pixar's best, but my thoughts are definitely more positive than I was expecting. Also, like always this will have no spoilers for the first part then I'll get into all the spoilers after a warning. So, what's the story? It follows a girl named Meilin who's now becoming a teenager and is trying to become her own person but is constantly doing everything her mother wants her to do and she struggles to get her real thoughts out to her. But, one day, when her favourite band is coming to town, she suddenly realises she has an ability to turn into a red panda whenever her emotions get riled up. And, after she gets embarrassed in front of her school bully, she finds it difficult to suppress the power. So, now, she tries to find a way to get rid of this power while also trying to be able to go to the concert. So, yeah, as a plot, it seems fairly simple and there are times when the story does follow a similar formula, but I personally think a big part of what makes this movie so enjoyable is, one, the pacing for the most part is really good and I think they do a good job making sure every character has a good motivation in this. And the second thing that I think helps make this movie stand out is the animation style. I know I always praise Pixar for its animation, and rightfully so, but the animation style in this one is very unique, even by Pixar standards. Sure, the way they do character animation is amazing, but they do very different and unique things in this one that I don't has ever been done before in a Pixar movie and I really enjoyed it. I like seeing Disney and Pixar trying different things in their movies and this one I think does that really well. I also did enjoy the characters in this. I thought some of them, for instance, Meilin herself, were gonna be kinda annoying or cringe-worthy, but they were all really good and likeable. I especially thought the relationship between Meilin and her friends was gonna be kinda weird and cringey, but I thought it was really charming and the friends themselves were pretty funny too. Speaking of, the movie is pretty funny and I was surprised by how many adult jokes are in this. It gets pretty adult and there are some things in this that I can't believe were actually allowed in this. But that's something I love about Pixar movies, when they can sneak in these adult references and still get away with it and make it funny. I also appreciated that the story for this was fairly small scaled compared to a lot of Disney and Pixar movies. Sure, there are some things that are bigger than you might expect, but unlike something like Raya And The Last Dragon, which was all about stopping an evil from wiping out everyone on Earth, this one is just about a girl wanting to go to a concert while trying get rid of this power. Sure, the whole panda aspect makes it more than that, but still. As far as the characters themselves, I don't think any of them are some of Pixar's best, but I did still like them. I thought Meilin's arc was also pretty well realised with this being a coming of age story and I think it was well done. And, like I said, I feel like they did a good job making sure everyone had a motivation in this. It even kinda quickly helps smaller characters because there are some in here that I was kinda worried about for not having a lot of screen time originally, but then they fix that by giving them a good amount of screen time later. I also liked how this didn't have a villain in it. I can appreciate that it didn't need that. Sure, there's the bully at Meilin's school, but he's not in this for very long, and I feel like that part made more sense than in something like Luca because he's just a kid, so it makes more sense. Really I just feel like this movie did a great job at diverting my original expectations. I just like how it was able to do that. But, with all that said, is it perfect? No, there are a couple of things I didn't necessarily like. The biggest one I can think of is that the plotting, while it did surprise me with how different it does a few things, it does still follow a familiar formula. For the most part, you can pretty much tell what's gonna happen, but I do still like how there are some changes in there. I think a good example of a Pixar movie following a familiar formula but still feeling very fresh is Coco. But the way this movie does it, again, is mostly really good. And there are some things in this that don't really make sense. That part isn't anything huge or anything, but there some things, mainly the way some characters act, that is kinda unnatural. But, with all that said, I'm really happy with this movie. Again, I don't see it as anything amazing by Pixar standards, but I was still completely satisfied with this experience and I would highly recommend checking it out if you have Disney+. And so, everyone, those are my thoughts on Turning Red. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think. Okay, now we're gonna head into the spoilers. If you don't want anything spoiled, go watch it then read the rest of this.

Spoilers:

Okay, so there isn't that much to talk about in the spoiler section, just a few points. I guess the first would be the whole aspect about Meilin and her friends using her transformation powers to raise money for that concert while also trying to keep everything regarding that a secret from her mother. Again, while stuff like that is stuff I've seen before, I think this version of it is done well enough to keep it entertaining and fun to watch. Though, the whole thing of the other students accepting the fact that Meilin could do all this is what I was talking about before with some character's actions being a bit unnatural, but I guess this isn't the kinda movie that wants to delve into that aspect that much. I also liked the idea that Meilin couldn't exactly control herself while she was a panda the whole time and that led to some pretty surprising moments like when she attacks Tyler. And towards the end during the whole ritual, I wasn't entirely sure what was gonna happen there because at that point, I kinda assumed anything could happen. But I like how even at the end, Meilin still didn't go through with it and it does do a good job as it makes sense for her character arc. And, at the end, I was pretty surprised her mother became that gigantic red panda. And it was a fun climax in that concert when they tried to stop her. And it was a fun way to end it and I liked how the grandmother and aunts had to become red pandas to help too. A lot of that part reminded me a lot of anime transformations, but it was really cool. And, that's really about it. Again, there wasn't really much to talk about with the spoilers, but I still really enjoyed this. And so, everyone, that's my review of Turnng Red. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.