Domee Shi attends the U.K. Gala screening of Turning Red at Everyman Borough Yards on February 21, 2022 in London, England. Photo: Mike Marsland/WireImage
There?s a scene from Pixar?s newest movie, Turning Red, that I can?t get out of my head. In the scene, protagonist Meilin Lee is frantically doodling what can only be described as anime mermen who just happen to look like her crush. It?s a hilarious scene, setting up a movie that tackles puberty in a refreshingly candid way.
Turning Red, streaming on Disney+ starting March 11, tells the story of Mei, a Chinese Canadian tween living in Toronto. One day, Mei transforms into a giant red panda?and learns that all the women in her family go through this startling change during puberty, poofing into a red panda whenever they feel any strong emotions (which, for an excitable tween girl, is often). I?ve never seen anything quite like it. Like Mei, I?m also a Chinese Canadian girl who grew up in Toronto. But aside from being relatable to me personally, the conversations around puberty, menstruation and friendships feel truly universal. Everyone has, at some point in their awkward tween years, been so mortified that (maybe) transforming into a giant red panda would be easier than dealing with the embarrassment.
Directed by Domee Shi, who also directed Pixar?s 2018 Academy Award-winning short Bao, Turning Red is the first Pixar movie directed by an Asian woman. It?s also the first Pixar movie solely directed by a woman (before Shi, ...