Director Domee Shi (Bao), writing with Julia Cho (Fringe) and Sarah Streicher (The Wilds), presents a coming-of-age film with a twist in Turning Red. The film has some good ideas and an overall fun script. Still, audiences must first get past an establishing chapter that drags and lacks the entertainment value of most animated films directed at kids.
Meilin (Rosalie Chiang) is an average teenager. She's devoted to herself, loves boy bands, and is just finding out she might like boys in general, and totally dedicated to her circle of friends - Miriam (Ava Morse), Abby (Hyein Park), and Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). Like other teens, she soon discovers that her body is going through changes. Hers are a bit different, though, because when she is stressed or excited, Meilin turns into a red panda - her traditional Chinese family's spirit animal. Now, she is caught more than ever between her desires as a teen and her obligations to her family. Meilin must learn to control the beast within until the sacred ritual that will trap the beast forever can be performed at the next red moon. Complicating matters, her favorite boy band is coming to town, and she must decide whether to honor her mother or herself - both today and forever.
The story starts slow and uninteresting, and audiences might find it challenging to push through to the meat of the story. But once the script finds its legs, the tale and the theme are both addressed very nicely. The end result is a different take on family obligation, reaching adulthood, meeting the challenges of generational differences, and becoming one's own person. Despite the odd faces, the actors do a great job of conveying their characters - whether it be youthful exuberance, righteous anger, or resolved obligation. Sandra Oh's performance as the overprotective mother Ming is spot-on.
The facial animations are a bit weird at times; what worked for Claymation in Wallace & Gromit translates rather grotesquely to computer animation. If the intent is to have these expressions represent the sometimes-awkward appearances during puberty, it doesn't translate. Other than this, though, the computer-generated characters and scenery flow well. The music throughout keeps the story flowing, matching the characters' moods well.
Turning Red has some good ideas but takes a little time to get to them. Viewers would be well rewarded to give the film a chance to shine, even if the story's beginning is sometimes almost unbearable.