This movie does not glorify disobeying parents. It shows how overbearing parents often cause the same problems they had as a child because their parents were overbearing. A cycle, if you will. Of course this movie will make you cringe, feel awkward, and maybe experience second hand embarrassment! It's about teenagers understanding who they are! I often remember growing up, reading fan fiction, awkwardly expressing my interests, and hiding some things from my parents.

Disobeying parents is part of growing up. Yes, the child may get punished, but typically both the parent and child learn something from a "hairy" situation.

When you boil it down, the concept is very similar to Mulan going against her father's will to do something she thought was right. This is exactly what Mei does! She keeps the panda. It's a part of her she enjoys, even if it is against the matriarch of her family's ideals.

This movie is very sweet, and was very relatable. I loved the diversity of Toronto being displayed. However, I think Disney and Pixar have a very big problem always turning BIPOC into animals instead of letting them simply be BIPOC characters. Examples: Brother Bear, Princess & the Frog, Emperor's New Groove, and Soul. Give us BIPOC characters that stay human!

There's a reason this movie is a PG and not a U! Everyone having a little turn because a 13 year old girl is given some maxi pads and has crushes on boys - it's not woke, it's reality.

And if you have a problem with characters wearing turbans/hijabs, then I really think you need to look deep inside yourself!

This movie doesn't feel like a Disney/Pixar because it's cringey and has anime elements - but it's still fun, and my 10 and 8 year old boys had no problem at all with seeing sanitary protection because guess what, they see it in our bathroom every day!

'Turning Red' (2022)

Opening thoughts: Pixar is one of the finest animation studios to exist and one of the few studios today for anything to continually deliver. Sure they did become less consistent post-'Toy Story 3', but in the 90s and 2000s their work was of higher quality than Disney's generally and hit more than it missed. Pre-'Toy Story 3', the one slight disappointment was 'Cars', the others are very good to brilliant and even their lesser work is still watchable.

'Turning Red' appealed to me immediately when looking for things to watch when on a three week cruise last year where there was a lot of film and television watching in the evenings and on the at sea days. Really liked the concept, unique for Pixar, and the message. 'Turning Red' is not one of Pixar's best films and can understand why people had issues regarding its target audience (admittedly not as accessible as other films from the studio), but it is still very good with relatable themes handled with fun and emotion and one of the better films seen on the cruise.

Bad things: Some of the awkwardness is a little too overkill in the humour, especially between the four friends early on.

Also felt that the darker tone seen at the concert, where the mother in red panda form was reminiscent of something like 'Jurassic Park' or Godzilla, clashed a bit too much with the rest of the film.

Good things: However, there is so much to praise. The animation, as per usual, is stunning. Absolutely loved the vivid colours and the very rich attention to detail in the character animation. The character animation on the panda and the background art and visual effects at the end standing out. The music really enhances the story's wild energy, and "Nobody Like You" sticks in the memory for a long time.

Did also really enjoy the writing on the whole. The humour is sharp, hip and witty, of course there are awkward spots but that was hardly uncommon in adolescence (a lot of it actually at my school) and how adolescent children acted and still do. The cool geekiness of the four main characters took me back, being somewhat a geek myself and it stood out in both a good and bad way, and adolescence and the mature themes are depicted entertainingly and with heart. The atmosphere didn't feel out of date and was affectionately handled, some may have issues with some of the characters' negative actions, but the film isn't encouraging anybody to do them, just showing that they do happen, and in a realistic way.

Loved the story's wild energy and often infectious wackiness. Also how inventively the culture of the family was shown, in a way that was intriguing and expansive. Having never seen a family backstory like this before, so it felt fresh and original. The mother and daughter relationship was beautifully realised and realistic, both points of view understandable and not hard to relate to.

A great job is done with the emotional side of the film, especially in the truly heart-wrenchingly powerful climax. And with the message, one that was brave to tackle and also one that is universal and relatable. Luckily delivered in those ways here and not heavy handedly. The friendships and outcome warm the heart. The characters are strongly written and the voice acting is top notch, particularly Sandra Oh.

Closing thoughts: Overall, not one of Pixar's best and not for all but very good and hardly a waste of the studio's most unique concept.

8/10.