Early Reactions To Turning Red Are Eyecatching

Pixar has been on a hot streak as of late, with efforts like "Luca" and "Soul" proving the studio still has what it takes to tell compelling stories that resonate with modern audiences. It looks to carry on that trajectory with its latest effort heading directly to Disney+ — "Turning Red."

The coming-of-age film follows Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang), who's your average teenage girl with a litany of talents and a group of caring friends. However, one day, she realizes that she transforms into a giant red panda whenever she experiences intense emotions. It's not hard to imagine a scenario where countless viewers connect with the allegory for puberty, and it's sure to spark worthwhile discussions across social media. 

In fact, that's already happening even though the movie doesn't come out until March 11. Early reviews are in, and with the social embargo lifted, critics are letting their opinions known, and by the sound of it, Pixar has delivered another career-best.

Pixar movies have become synonymous with stories that hit you right in the feels. It sounds as though "Turning Red" won't be any different, especially seeing how the film centers on the mother-daughter dynamic between Mei and Ming Lee (Sandra Oh). Tessa Smith of Mama's Geeky offered these words of praise for the movie, "I related so hard to Turning Red. As a mom of girls & as a boy band fanatic. I get Mei, but I also get Ming. This [is] a HEARTWARMING coming of age film about mothers & daughters, growing up, & embracing who you are — beautiful in many ways. The end moved me to tears."

Emotional finales are nothing new for Pixar films, but apparently, "Turning Red" adds to that rich tradition. That's not the only thing the film has going for it, as other critics praised the animation and pure sense of fun the story managed to capture about being prepubescent in the early 2000s when boy bands dominated the pop culture landscape.

Jazz Tangcay of Variety shared, "#TurningRed is pure joy and absolute fun. Thoroughly enjoyable. A wonderful story about puberty and parenting from Domee Shi with a catchy soundtrack to boot. Rosalie Chiang is going to be a star." Courtney Howard, also of Variety, praised the performances, too: "Sandra Oh & newcomer Rosalie Chiang are splendid." 

With all this praise, one thing's abundantly clear. If you want a charming coming-of-age film to watch with your kids and/or parents, you need to head over to Disney+ on March 11.