Pixar's Getting Weirder…And Why That's Great (Turning Red Review) 

Pixar trailer be like: Hey we made this movie about a girl turning into a big red panda cute right! The movie: Generational trauma

I think all women and young girls EVERYWHERE are going to appreciate the "did your red peony bloom?" moment cause TELL ME THAT'S NOT HOW IT GOES IN EVERY HOUSE lol. Dad just dips, mom goes into overdrive, the girl is like "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MEEE?!" lol. I was dying that entire sequence.

The movie is literally everyone's teenager experience cringy, embarassing but relatable and cool LOL

I don't think you actually NEED to be a girl to relate to that, yeah, a big part of it was about girls cycles and emotions, but the relationship with her mom really made relate to her bc I was in the same position of needing to be perfect all the time or she would cringe me to death while saying she was "protective" That and the humour, the animation, OMG what a great movie 🤩

As an east asian teenage girl living in southern Ontario this film REALLY resonated with me. I loved it, it was very predictable at times, but Mei’s resolution with her mother hit me like a truck and this is probably one of my favourite films ever.

I like how Ming asks Mei one last time to come with her and let her panda go. She's still stuck on what happened with hers and doesn't want the same for her daughter. And when Mei finally says no, she doesn't ask again or tries to persuade her. She may not be able to see eye to eye with her daughter, but she now understands that her daughter knows better about her power and exhibits trust towards her, that her panda is not a curse and accepts her daughter like that. It doesn't stand out very much, but that's what I got from the scene

This movie remind me a lot of encanto, both address generational trauma within families differently and yet both do it so well. It hurts my soul that this Gem wont be in theatres.

I LOVED How the group was allowed to be 4 girls w different personalities. When I grew up, all cartoons was always about a group of boys w different characteristics and interests, but max 1 girl, and her main characteristic was that she was indeed female.

i saw my 13 year old self in all four of the characters (my friends and i acted a lot like them over our favorite kpop groups) and i really liked the movie overall and it was so well done!!

Ok so I haven’t seen Turning Red yet BUT I think this new era of Pixar is defined by, as you said, personal stories. These are stories which, while yes , are fantastical, are at there core stories which apply to life. I can say that I can’t relate to walking toys, and monsters collecting scream energy, but I can relate to Luca, and Joe, and Ian. These are stories grounded in life which don’t have the fantasy element as their core, but as something that is extra. Joe’s story is about perseverance and achieving dreams. Luca’s story is one of fitting in and making friends. Ian’s story is about family and brotherhood and all of these stories feel deeply connected to the main character. While old Pixar movies are masterpieces and works of art, these new movies are meant for this new era in culture and society. In conclusion, I’m excited for this new era and hopefully this can be a new golden era for Pixar.

I just watched the film this evening and i Really liked it. I found it shocking and hilarious that the words "sexy" and "stripper" were used lol

I haven’t finished the movie yet but the first couple minutes gave me traumatic flashbacks to middle school. Very accurate to tween/teen girls. Thanks Pixar, I hate it

“That’s kinda gay….k’now, to not like women” Seamus I love you

The fact that this is the FIRST film that I've ever seen a box of pads in... feels like that should have been a thing already??

Pixar has always pushed the bounds of animation, but with their recent movies it feels like their pushing the bounds of story telling. With Luca exploring the relationship boys have and showing their emotions to now tackling periods in women and the fact that women experience sexual attraction. These topics are taboo and make people awkward, which makes some people think the movie is bad. And although the movies don't explore everything they at least introduce the topic, breaking the taboo, so that there can be dialogue.

I actually liked the scene with Tyler a lot, because it pulled Meilin back into reality really well and it was about as harsh as a consequence of not heeding warnings could get for a 13 year old. As someone who was prone to losing my temper as a child and subsequently getting into fights that I grew to really regret, that scene hit close to home for me - I experienced almost exactly the same thing as a child and have been averse to committing violence of any kind ever since. So when I saw Meilin's reaction to what she had done, and the way her mother reacted, it was really familiar to me. I really liked that scene, even if it wasn't especially surprising.

The part that made me cry hardest was actually in the beginning when she's just found out she's changing so dramatically and is running from her mother from school. She just curls up in her room and cries and just feels so alone. Definitely relatable... I enjoyed the film and was glad it wasn't the typical emotional existential intensity that Pixar usually is -- although I still love those ones too ofc.

The thing I was concerned with before watching was that Pixar was gonna fall into the trope of “POC main character is non-human for most of the movie” but luckily it didn’t end up like that

I thought I would hate Turning Red because of the clips they chose to use in ads, but it actually was a really good film with the best (and only) red panda fight I have ever scene!!!

Turning Red surprised me with how great it is! I went into expecting a different story, and happily learned it was different than what I anticipated. Maybe this is cliché of me but, I SO deeply appreciate that the target audience is females and the writing and storytelling feel authentic to a young female's experience. It's a girl's coming of age story, and it treats its themes and subjects very respectfully regardless of the playfully goofy premise. The whole movie just felt so genuine. It doesn't feel to me like a film that's been created by someone who is trying to IMAGINE how it feels to be a 13 year old girl- instead it feels like it KNOWS . To me it's accurate and honest. I related so strongly with the emotions of Mei. I remember how weird it felt to have my first crush, I remember how mortifying it was to discover I was changing in surprising and uncomfortable ways, I remember the real struggle of wanting to please my family while also wanting to branch out independently, I remember how important defining myself was, I remember how intense and hard to control my emotions could become. I also really, really appreciate that the film isn't ashamed to acknowledge that females menstrate, and that Mei's transformation can be read as a metaphor for a girl getting her period. Menstruation is something that is ordinary and healthy, but in general western society it's vilified and treated like it's something that is somehow shameful or embarrassing, something for females to keep hidden at all times. When my period started I felt isolated and like I was gross, because that's how society taught me to feel about it. It was scary. My female friends who were going through it too helped me to feel normal, accept what was happening, and not be alone. It was a personal and hard experience to navigate-but it absolutely was not unique to me, so many females have this literally life-altering thing happen. Yet it's rarely even hinted at in entertainment media. It's so rare to find ANY entertainment-movies, shows, books-that so much as alludes to periods in a way that isn't intended to be a joke, much less makes an attempt to express and explore that experience in a meaningful or sincere way. The way Turning Red approached and addressed it is special. I'm a grown woman, nevertheless I was touched by that. It's hard to articulate but I felt... "seen", I guess. Understood. While growing and changing is universally hard, it means a lot to me that the film's team decided to focus in on this particular hardship that's so, so common and so, so frequently ignored. I wish there was a way I could tell the film's team Thank You. Haha, telling Seamus will have to suffice I suppose! Glad you liked it too friend!

I identify with Mei because I'm a Trans girl and I can identify with having conflict within your family over identity. It just really resonated with me I guess even if I didn't grow up female.

Idk if it’s just me or if that edited album cover is actually legitimately good.

I’m a Chinese born Australian, having immigrated to Aus when I was 3. I’m 18 now having lived with a traditional family (imagine tiger mum) so I loved this movie and saw myself so much in Mei. I cried so much

I’ve seen this movie 2 times in a row, and this is amazing. My mom and where crying a lot. I watched Ratatouille right after and Pixar is honestly just amazing

I think one of my favorite part about the movie was that it kind of subverted by expectations when it came to the whole thing about the other pandas (or the grandma/aunts turning into red pandas) in the idea that Mei never tried to convince them to keep the panda and they immediately decided they didn't want to stay as pandas. I think it sends a great message that sometimes parents and kids won't make the same decisions and that you can't forcibly change someone's mind and parents and kids need to learn to respect the decisions of each other because everyone has a different opinion and a different personality. I like that they didn't frame the mother's or the grandma’s or the aunt’s decision to not stay with the pandas as 'bad' or 'incorrect' just...her decision, and Mei's decision (although glorified a bit) wasn't seen as the 'only good decision' because the others were allowed to banish their pandas without being punished or looked down upon. Everyone made their own choice.

Aside from some of the period things, because i dont have an exact 1:1 comparison to go off of. Im a guy in my mid 20s and i related to this movie and mei damn there too much, that some scenes hurt my chest and gave my ptsd. I had (and still do have) an overprotective helicopter mom who would show up to my school at random and who had a vice grip on my life when i was younger, I come from a (matriarchal led) family with their own bag of generational trauma that isnt addressed, i was a over doer in school but it didnt make me happy, puberty hit me and it was hell having your body be so different, and so much more. The only thing is i am (although a poc) not asain, not canadian, and not female. But anyone who says this move CANT be relatable because of certain tings like culture, sex, and or race, is just flat out wrong. Its a timeless tale of becoming your own person in the world.

I really enjoyed the film. Not only that it talks about periods from a girls perspective but it also talks about the dysfunctional family dynamics between the mother and daughter. Which also reminds me of several other films such as Freaky Friday (starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis), Disney's Mulan (the 1990s animated version), and Disney Pixar's Brave.

I would do *anything* for a lively, animated movie about asexuality.

Where was this movie when I needed it. Both Encanto and Turning Red spoke about something I struggled with for two years. I had to hit rock bottom and build myself up all alone. Wow

Pixar’s quality is just getting better and better, and i’m here for it!

I really loved it, as a teenage a quite intense girl myself all the emotions are displayed beautifully through this film and I was so excited watching these crazy fun characters that aren’t just made to be likeable but are just so nice. Mei was so relatable especially when she hides the emotions all of those bottled up feelings are just wow. The stuff with boys and the talk of “taboo” topics like periods seen in a wide stream movie like periods and finding people sexy it all just encompasses puberty so well. The charm was everything, my only sadness surrounding the film was the fact that I’m pretty sure Mei and Miriam had a hinted reaplationship but any moments were removed bc of the don’t say gay bill which really annoyed me but other wise I can definitely see this becoming one of my Pixar faves.

"it's kind of gay, you know, if you don't like women" seamus i love you

"this isn't a sad moving story" Me: proseeds to ball my eyes out through out the movie

I identify with Mei, even though i'm male, mostly because of the constant need to be perfect for their parents.

I was 14 in 2002 and I felt this movie was made for people my age. Boy bands were the rage and while I was shy, I wss reminded of myself. It was cute, and funny, and great.

I really liked the movie! I it’s a coming of age story and I think people forget we were all cringeworthy middle schoolers once. It has a lot of great laughs and endearing characters. Oh, and the voice cast is top notch!

If it’s a Pixar film, then I always expect it to be “good”, and this did not disappoint 🙂

Just personally, this is my favorite animated movie in a while. I loved the tone and the character chemistry was on point.

I had pretty low expectations for this film. But once I got into it, it quickly became one of my favorites.

I'd be broken seeing this on Disney+. Apparently Pixar fans who can't see Pixar wasted like that are not part of this narrow audience. Obviously loving theatrical Pixar as much as me means Disney doesn't want you to be a Pixar fan anymore. But I'm lucky enough to be seeing it in San Fransisco tomorrow. But I can't depend on this going forward. So, if this truly is the last Pixar film I see, I'm taking this as a chance to say my goodbyes to Pixar on good terms.

I think it was a great story that highlighted the generational pressures on women, particularly Asian women, and the drive for perfection. while it does feel very obvious, I think that's why it works so well. Because it seems so obvious when you have a giant red panda staring at you but it happens slowly and the pressure builds over a much longer time than the opening sequence. It is still a relatable issue, but this generation is working really hard like Mei-Mei to be those cycle breakers - similar to Mirabel. I really like the direction of these films and the cycle-breaking generation and how they can be done healthily rather than the abrupt and harsh no contact method that we seem to see more frequently on the internet. And as an aside - I really love all of the representation that is so amazing for kids everywhere to see!

I feel like with Turning Red it's both very specific (in that it really narrows in on the experience of a Chinese-Canadian tweenage girl in 2002), while also having a very broad appeal (I feel like just about everyone can relate to becoming a teenager and suddenly it feels like everything about you is changing and you're so much more emotional and you feel like your parents don't really understand you anymore), that kind of thing. Like, the story is specifically very personal, but it also carries a broader message that just about anyone can relate to, like in this case being true to yourself and breaking harmful cycles

I just love the fact that the film celebrated the things girls like but are always shamed for.

''this film is animated'' woah i thought it was live action

Im just shocked at how this... really seemed to be more geared towards young teens than kids. Like, when have you ever heard a character say "stripper music" in a disney movie??? I love it.

Mei Ling kind of felt like a Nintendo character where the concept was bizarre but when you get used to it the game/movie it’s really good.

Seamus, you liked this movie, check out Persepolis (it’s a graphic novel and there’s a movie based off of it, too) that’s also great. I love it in so many ways.

The movie handled mother daughter relationships way better than brave

I never see girls who lack facial expressions like Priya and it makes me feel seen. The movie made my inner weird girl happy 😊

Minus the panda, this is exactly what being a young girl with your friends is like. It's almost all cringe and its fantastic.

One thing I wanted to point out in this movie that made me really happy was the type 1 diabetes representation. One of the people working on the movie has type 1 and wanted to include children with insulin pumps. You can see the character Stacy with an infusion site on her arm several times in the movie. As someone with t1d, it made me feel seen! But even without it, this movie was just such a fun, warm, and fuzzy experience. :)

I just finished Turning Red and I loved it! My brother predicted the whole thing lol but it was sooo good. I'm also loving your editing recently 👀

Just finished it and I cried so hard at the end. It hit so close to home.

As a younger teen going through basically all Mae/Mei is going through (well, except turning into a giant red panda) honestly got kind of emotional at the end when she was talking to her younger mum. All the scenes where the characters were genuinely crying, I teared up. Tho I do also have cover rn so maybe I wouldn’t have normally got that emotional with it but you get my point

Can I just say that critics always criticize movies whenever they have main characters that aren’t white men because that is seen to society as the relatable standard. I have seen so many reviews saying that Turning Red is too specific in its audience thus making it not relatable which is so not true. I think the joy of animated movies (especially by Pixar) is that no matter who you are the messages within their films apply to you. Anyway that’s my rant. Love your channel Seamus!

'sometimes I miss how it was but it's okay to change' got me so hard. I WAS that kid with a helicopter mum and we were super close and she felt like my best friend and I was her dutiful, sweet daughter. then PUBERTY. suddenly I had my own opinions and I didn't wanna do what she was doing and I had things I didn't want to talk to her about or didn't want to do with her and it felt like, somehow, I was betraying her. of course, it all worked itself out and, although the growing pains where painful, we're still close in a more mature way where I can take the space I need but YEAH sometimes I totally look back and miss how it used to be. Just me and my mum against the world and that's okay. It felt really powerful to see a message like that conveyed, especially in a kid's film. I don't think I'm alone either. A part of growing up is the maturing of that mother-daughter relationship into something more mutual, equal, and, most importantly, healthily distant and it really is hard. It's wishful thinking but maybe a movie like this that openly discusses it will help them understand the shift if there dynamic

I mean, it’s pretty predictable and has a lot of overused tropes, but I really liked and enjoyed it and that’s all that matters for me

I definitely wasn’t expecting a literal Godzilla Kaiju fight at the end lol

Everyone definitely can relate to turning red, it's almost similar to encanto's theme imo The animation too reminds me of luca, gravity falls and some anime tropes. I don't get why the movie gets hate like????? Yes, it's not perfect but it's still great

This film hit me really hard because I've kinda had a similar experience recently. I've just turned 18 and have kind of turned away from the path my parents had planned for me. I've really been struggling with feeling like a letdown to my parents because I want them to be proud of me. I've been super lucky that my parents (and my mom especially) have been accepting of my choices even if they don't agree with them personally, but this whole movie hit super hard, even to me, an adult. This is what makes Pixar so great. So many people can either relate or see how people close to them can relate.

Being a similar age to the main character made it easy to relate the the struggles and the pressure to be perfect for your parents, I really liked this movie

I absolutely love Turning Red, it just spoke to me in a way other movies haven’t. I love the style almost feeling like a cartoony anime from the 2000s. The 2000 references were amazing (ESPECIALLY THE CHA CHA SLIDE)! I loved 4 Town and Mei Mei friends being so supportive! The character designs were wonderful (my personal favorite was Abby). Mei Mei’s relationship with her mother and father was so amazing to watch! THE HUMOR WAS ON POINT THIS MOVIE IS HILARIOUS. But most importantly is Mei Mei herself, she reminded me a lot of myself being someone who likes drawing and all but even more her personality and struggles! I have an amazing mother shes very easygoing, funny and kind but I’ve always pressured myself into being the perfect little girl (even though she never once told me I had too) and when Mei and her mom were talking at the end I CRIED SO HARD- I cry sometimes at movies but not a lot but this was very different! It felt very personal and I bet it feels like that for so many people especially Dome Shee herself (sorry if I spelled her name wrong)! It made me feel less alone and I honestly needed it. Even though like you said it didn’t have the exact “Pixar moment where they want to make you cry” it worked like a charm and felt natural! Sure the movie isn’t for everyone and may have some cringy dialogue at times (even though I think that was the point) but I had so much fun and this is my new favorite movie! If you don’t like the movie thats totally okay too It’s not for everyone! But for me it was a joy to watch and I’ll definitely be rewatching it a lot :) ❤️

Turning Red spoke to me a lot it really captured my teenage years and what it was like to be a girl especially in that era.

Umm, Carrie and Ginger Snaps.., but this is the only puberty positive movie that I can think of 👍

I feel so bad for that security guard

I had the worst day ever. Thank you for helping me feel better.

The panda battle was pretty epic tho

I thought the film was going to be a cringy but charming film (like Luca, which I thought was meh for Pixar), but it BLEW. ME. AWAY. It is one of the best Pixar romps and one of the best animated films, period. I'm so glad I changed my mind (I'm not saying I was those people who judged it because of the trailer, but it just seemed cringy and charming, and it was, for the better 😁)

I mean I could do without the panda twerking although it still got a chuckle out of me but other than that very unique and heartwarming and whimsical Never thought I’d hear the words crap and sexy in a pixar movie

everything in this movie was too relatable omg,, like down to the girl who needs academic and family validation, lowkey scared of her family, bad parenting passed down, asian household, the friend group, should i continue??? can i emphasize as well the diversity like made me feel very good, the school had a lot of racial diversity and one of the girls was lgbtq so! i think that the relatability blinded me a little from the predictability so; but i am very glad that it was a little more fast paced because other wise i would be crying so much. anyways i dont think this is the like one of pixars most amazing film but it was an amazing warming feel good movie

The message of young girls going through puberty was definitely very on the nose but the deeper meaning was the ending of generational trauma that a lot of south Asian/ south East Asians face. This is especially true for first gen immigrants where there’s a struggle with identity between cultures and how parents impose that “culture” on their kids. The ending scene where Mei accepts her panda as the other woman pass through represents her ending the generational trauma that been built up. Her moms panda being so big also symbolized how she had to suppress a lot more of what she had to do than the others in my opinion. Love your videos and your analysis of movies.

Tbh I like that they're being a little less censored now. I never really liked how censored most of Pixar's movies had to be when it came to sensitive subjects.

I was genuinely shook when the mom said pads and showed them on screen, multiple times. I tried hiding my first period because I didn't know what was happening to me but so happy this movie addressed this.

The Red (Taylor's Version) opening already earned you a like and a subscribe (even though I was already subscribed to begin with). Oh, and I guess your review of Turning Red is good too! 🤣

This movie sent me straight back to my 13 year old self simply because those two moments where her mom does those insanely embarrassing things, imagining those things happening to me at that age is literally the worst thing I can imagine. Horrifying. But awesome movie!

Seamus Gorman, professional album coverer designerer

Thank you . Sometimes it take an animated movie to remind you that you have to go easy on your kid. As a mom thank you for reminding me to love my daughter from who she is.

had a really stressful week and then saw I missed this upload. forgot how much I enjoy these videos :)

I got second-hand embarrassment so hard and the concert scene was a whole ass vibe. Yes, I am too a person that scream crys at concerts.

The moral of this movie is close the window when you sneak out of the house and hide money for tickets you aren't supposed to have at your friends house.

i loved ur enthusiasm in this video, just shows how passionate u are about pixar movies

Gonna be honest I kinda loved that it took place in Toronto (An animated movie in CANADA?? not very common from what I've seen)

Definitely reminded me of being a teenage girl. Yeah, it's fantastical but it is grounded in the emotions of what it's like. But I was also a teenager in 2004 so 😂

I just finished watching this film, honestly my favourite Pixar film ever. It's a really great film!

This movie felt so real. The mother-daughter relationship wasn't one dimensional and actually went into the mother's side of the story, and the girls squealing over cute boy bands brought back so many fun memories. I totally didn't cry at the end...

For me the movie wasn’t for me as I felt that I was never really like any of the characters within this story, and was cringe to me, but I could see how many could see themselves as these characters

My stance on this movie is: Came for the panda, stayed for the nostalgia, came back for the story. (Seriously, watched it twice.)

I had to pause your video at 14:38 because the music notes in the background of the scene had me curious and the moment I hummed the first 4 notes I realized it was our Canadian National Anthem ... or at least the start of it :D I'd already watched the movie twice before and missed this.... Sneaky Pixar!

I really loved this movie. Although I know it's not a trans story, I'm trans myself and I reeeeally related to the whole "changing and finding out who you are doesn't meet with your parent's expectations," aspect. I did cry at the end but I think that was out of jealousy because Mei Mei's mither finally accepted her 😅

thank you so much for being so respectful when talking about this, the movie reviewing community desperately needs more people like you. i’ve been watching your videos for over 5 years and it’s been great to watch your channel grow! i understand if turning red isn’t someone’s thing, but so many guys are trashing on it because they can’t relate to it. as an asian girl, it made me feel represented to an extent that few movies have. i really hope pixar continues this so that more groups can finally feel like something was made for them.

I’m so glad this movie delved even deeper into the whole “Mother-Daughter” thing. It’s like Brave, but taking even more chances! But Brave will still forever be an important, special movie to me...

I'm just amazed to see a movie set so close to home. It seems like the few Canadian films there are are always set in Montreal or... actually no, it's just Montreal...

I'm a guy and is it weird I loved this movie so damn much?

U don’t have to be a girl to relate to it There are other relatable aspects

A video about turning red that starts with a Taylor Swift joke and a reference to how Finneas is slept on… instant like

You're motivating me to go back and rewatch all the old Pixar movies

finneas is really good people definitely sleep on him

2000s nostalgia started in 2021 with the return of the clothes from the early 2000s such as cargo pants/shorts, bucket hats,low rise jeans and much more.😎 And also music styles from the 2000s came back in 2021.💿😎

People complained that Pixar wasn’t being original because of all the sequels they were putting out, then after they do something original people complain that it’s too different and “doesn’t feel like pixar” You can’t please everybody

I watched this movie with my mom and she was like, "Wow, I really relate to Meilin." And I gave her my best death glare and said, "Me too" And she was just like, "Isn't that so great!! Pixar really does make relateable characters!" Like, WOMAN! YOU ARE THE REASON I RELATE TO MEI! AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY!!!