As Andrew Tejada wrote in a wonderful article about Tor Last year, there was a problematic trend in recent animated films focusing on color characters with stories where the protagonist spends much of his time transforming into an animal or fictional entity. Pixar’s next animated film, “Turning Red,” likewise revolves around a central character, 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian Meilin “Mei” Lee, who turns into a giant red whenever she’s stressed. Fortunately, there is reason to believe that “Turning Red” will reverse this frustrating trend by using its arrogance much more sparingly and allowing Mei to be her literal self more often.
Why do we believe this? Because “Turning Red” was co-written and co-directed by Domee Shi, the Pixar veteran behind “Bao,” the 2018 Oscar-winning studio film about a lone Chinese-Canadian mother making a steamed bun ( baozi) that comes magically. in life. Xi not only managed to tell a funny, moving story about the experiences of Asian immigrants and their children with “Bao”, but she did it all in minutes. And so far, the trailers for “Turning Red” suggest that he will touch on issues in a way that is quirky, moving and, with his fingers crossed, gives May, who does not have all the spotlight.
“Turning Red” will premiere in theaters on March 11, 2022.
