2 thumbs down for new “Turning Red” movie

[starry_solo]

I watched it this weekend, I liked it. I might watch it again, but not right away.

 

[starlite_]

Finally was able to watch it, I loved it. All my friends loved it too. I fail to see what all the fuss is about it having a bad message for kids. Unless of course the critiques are coming from controlling parents.

Joking aside, if the message someone gets out of this movie is "disobeying my parents is cool" and not "parents are humans that can make mistakes but ultimately love me and families can work thru these mistakes and come out stronger" then I don't know what to tell you.

That’s a reasonable take from the adult’s perspective. What is the lesson the kids are learning though? Are they being taught what you took away from it or are they being taught “if I disobey my parents and sneak around behind their backs, I will wind up right in the end. I will get my way and everything will end up ok.” ?

You're supposed to parent your kids, not let media do it. And parents aren't 100% right all the time.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

That’s a reasonable take from the adult’s perspective. What is the lesson the kids are learning though? Are they being taught what you took away from it or are they being taught “if I disobey my parents and sneak around behind their backs, I will wind up right in the end. I will get my way and everything will end up ok.” ?

I would say that meis lashing out had more to do with the fact that whenever she attempted to be herself she ended up dejected, or embarrassed by her mother, so she had to hide things from her because she knew it would never be acceptable, it was really a lose lose for her. A be yourself, or be your mothers perfect daughter scenario (seen it 100 times haha), she clearly wanted to be both things at once, but by the movies closing she realized she could only be herself.

There seems to be lessons for adults (accept your kids for who they are), and children (don’t be afraid of who you are) in the movie.

I just think it’s dangerous to label kids good or bad, kids can do bad things, but have good intentions, there isn’t always a clear line, and I think most kids could/ would understand that message in this movie

 

[dd316]

Unfortunately this movie was a disappointment.

Great review.

I didn't think it was great, but it was better than Pixar's past few films (I have not seen Luca yet). It was pretty funny, and as a father I really appreciated the dad in the film. Even my daughter agreed that he was the best part! I smiled almost throughout the whole film, and I thought the ending was awesome.

I generally rate movies on whether I'd watch it again, and I would definitely watch Turning Red again.

 

[rangerxenos]

Finally watched Turning Red this weekend, and I've gotta say I was underwhelmed. It had a few moments, but it fell flat for me.

I thought the last two Pixar films (Luca and Soul) were both better.

 

[Orion Nebula]

It was just "OK", I am not sure if it was in the theaters or not but it for sure felt like a direct to TV movie. There simply isn't really much memorable that came out of it. It felt like it was just made to throw something new out onto the market. It for sure was missing the emotions of many other Pixar films also and has zero chance at becoming a classic. I

 

[brent02139]

It was good movie, my DD7 and DS3 and DW all liked it a lot, rewatched 3 times so far.

 

[HopperFan]

I watched it last night with adult DS who is big into movies (often is invited for previews in advance so he critiques everything) and is a big Disney fan.

It was was fun, I didn't fall asleep, but I was not drawn in. I think the best part for me was it was beautifully animated, so many things were so realistic (water moving in glass) and colorful. Not sure I'd watch again other than to pick up on more nuances that folks keep talking about.

Bottom line it was a "coming of age" story that had too many paths and so things felt unfinished or untouched. It might have actually made a nice series on Disney+ that could have touch on growing up stuff each episode. As a film I don't think it had a real beginning, middle or end to it.

We began to make the period a focus but if we are going to talk about the physical and emotional changes that come with coming of age, it doesn't stop literally one day to the next so honestly it was a completely unnecessary part of this movie. We talked about kids struggling with parents expectations and treating them like babies and all that comes with pre/teen angst and maybe that had something of a completion but again skimmed the subject. We had a group of diverse friends, none of which was given any depth, huge miss. We briefly talked about bullying and left that up to audience to figure out why. It really was a big part of the movie but totally blown off.

To me this was a story about a family "curse" of becoming giant red pandas when they reach "womanhood". Why wasn't the movie just focused on that? Why didn't we get more in depth about Godzilla-Mama or all those aunts that surely have their own great story. All that would have helped Mei understand body change and having the power to handle it. I think it could have been a great movie if it stayed focused on the whole Red Panda Curse, and maybe how her friends react to it.

All the stuff that people seem so upset about, were unimportant to the main story, were shortchanged on really having substance and do nothing to add. I have boys and girl, my DS said he really couldn't relate to the whole period/moody thing. Our house was fairly calm during that time. DS called a friend after (who always asks him what to watch) and said "don't bother, your sons won't get it and it missed the mark on it's story telling."

I kinda hate that people are trying to make this deeper than I think it is, are trying to assign meaning to things that may not be there and therefore may do more damage than good on people watching it. I think it's a good movie for 4th grade up because all those things begin happening to girls much younger than the movie's 8th graders. Young children likely won't get any of it and maybe just be afraid of turning into a panda. Most stuff is very subliminal.

Bottom line aside from Panda, these things DO happen whether a parent is aware of it or not. Kids do get angry with their parents, whether they show it or not (like the movie). And Disney makes LOTS of these movies; just about every movie involves child/parent relationships and defiance.

A colorful, well animated movie with lots of potential unused, and a miss on not staying focused on what could have been the more magical story. I wanted to see and learn more about the Red Panda ... sad that was not fulfilled.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

what was wrong with it? it was cute.

Mei wasn't "grown" but 13 year olds think they are. They're on the way. It's also a time when relationships with parents shift and the kiddos start spending more time and more influence with friends usually.

Mei's mom was way uptight. that's why her panda was the biggest and meanest. She's still learning to let go a bit.

 

[ChipnDale79]

my kids liked it, to me, thats all that matters.

No need to look too deep into a meaning of a kids movie, i think people are just looking to complain about something.

 

[Goldelpack]

I liked it. Thought it was enjoyable. Aside from feeling especially close to characters like Wall-E or Baymax, Dumbo or Bambi and how relatable THEY are to us people, I thought these humanesque characters were pretty good. Parental strife and growing up is the new hero guy saves poor princess.

 

[Pyotr]

I finally got around to watching it and thought it was bad. It’s the third worst Pixar film behind The Good Dinosaur and Luka.

 

[Princesca]

I don't get how anyone could say this movie is AWFUL. I can only surmise that said persons have never seen a truly awful movie. Ever seen the D&D movie? Middling, sure. Okay, but not your cup of tea, sure. Awful?? Maybe it's because I'm a child of the 80s, which somehow produced both some of the best and most abysmal cinema in history.

We saw it and really liked it. I loved Mei's spirit and I thought the animation was cool. The boy band bits were hilarious as well, and I actually thought their song was pretty catchy.

 

[Pyotr]

I don't get how anyone could say this movie is AWFUL. I can only surmise that said persons have never seen a truly awful movie. Ever seen the D&D movie? Middling, sure. Okay, but not your cup of tea, sure. Awful?? Maybe it's because I'm a child of the 80s, which somehow produced both some of the best and most abysmal cinema in history.

We saw it and really liked it. I loved Mei's spirit and I thought the animation was cool. The boy band bits were hilarious as well, and I actually thought their song was pretty catchy.

I have seen the D&D movie. And yes, it is awful. But liking a movie is completely subjective. The English Patient won an academy award and I think it’s horrible. They Live, on the other hand, is a classic in my humble opinion.

 

[PortMickey]

Wow, this movie is very disappointing for a Pixar film. I see why they released it straight to the streaming service. It's ok for a streaming service movie. I would put it in the bottom 3 movies for Pixar too. Those that liked it, are you putting it in the same league as Toy Story, Monsters, Cars, Bugs Life, Incredibles, Nemo? I think fans have forgotten how good Pixar movies can be.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Wow, this movie is very disappointing for a Pixar film. I see why they released it straight to the streaming service. It's ok for a streaming service movie. I would put it in the bottom 3 movies for Pixar too. Those that liked it, are you putting it in the same league as Toy Story, Monsters, Cars, Bugs Life, Incredibles, Nemo? I think fans have forgotten how good Pixar movies can be.

I can only speak for myself, but I don't typically compare one film to another. I agree with you that it is not in the same league as other movies, but still found it enjoyable on its own merits.
I have also been taking into account that a lot of the recent films, Luca, Turning Red, ect have been made in a whirlwind, where studios are coping with working from home collaboratively which seems to have caused a lot of logistical and artistical challenges (which is why Encanto is so impressive to me). Taking that all into account, it was decently successful, the animation was good, storyline was poignant, not as saturated as other movies, but still understandable/relatable. I agree with others that it did seem a little rushed, but not enough for me to dislike it.
I don't think every film is a home run, and this one seems like a nice double, to me it fits in nicely with the likes of Brave, and Onward, but that's just me haha

 

[BrianL]

I can only speak for myself, but I don't typically compare one film to another. I agree with you that it is not in the same league as other movies, but still found it enjoyable on its own merits.
I have also been taking into account that a lot of the recent films, Luca, Turning Red, ect have been made in a whirlwind, where studios are coping with working from home collaboratively which seems to have caused a lot of logistical and artistical challenges (which is why to me Encanto is so impressive to me). Taking that all into account, it was decently successful, the animation was good, storyline was poignant, not as saturated as other movies, but still understandable/relatable. I agree with others that it did seem a little rushed, but not enough for me to dislike it.
I don't think every film is a home run, and this one seems like a nice double, to me it fits in nicely with the likes of Brave, and Onward, but that's just me haha

I agree. It's not "top tier" Pixar to me, but it was still definitely solid. I do think it may be their funniest movie to date, in the laugh-out-loud sense. My Top Tier Pixar films are Ratatouille, Monsters, Inc., Coco, Up, and possible Luca (need to rewatch it). Everything else is lower that that, and that includes Toy Story. My least favorites are The Good Dinorsaur and Finding Nemo, and I've never actually wathced Finding Dory.

 

[cheryllarsen]

Super dumb. My kids disliked it.

 

[cheryllarsen]

They loved Encanto!

 

[RamblinWreck]

That’s a reasonable take from the adult’s perspective. What is the lesson the kids are learning though? Are they being taught what you took away from it or are they being taught “if I disobey my parents and sneak around behind their backs, I will wind up right in the end. I will get my way and everything will end up ok.” ?

This is why I refuse to allow my kids to watch *checks notes* almost every Disney movie ever made.