red panda movie review christian

Turning Red (Christian Movie Review)

Final Verdict: A complicated coming-of-age story that embraces the messiness of life.

About The Film

Having probed the human subconsciousness and explored the metaphysical reality of the soul and afterlife, Pixar Studios now turns its ambition toward the next uncharted frontier—puberty. Buckle up, parents. Turning Red is the 25 th entry for the studio. As is now expected, the animation is excellent, featuring a fun anime inspiration that gives the aesthetic a unique charm. Also present are the usual hilarious characters, touching emotional beats, and weighty themes. Turning Red is unquestionably a Pixar film. It may also be one of its most controversial and difficult stories to navigate.

The movie’s simple premise is that Mei Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian, transforms into a massive, fluffy, red panda any time she experiences extreme emotions (a serious problem for a 13-year-old). In the pantheon of Pixar films, Turning Red is most similar to 2021’s Luca . Both are coming-of-age stories about young characters who try to keep their “monstrous” identity hidden from the world, and both are deeply personal and reflective narratives.

Turning Red is the sort of film that a child will enjoy watching but might not ask to watch again. It is well crafted and engaging, but lacks some of the magic of earlier Pixar films and is perhaps a bit too raw and personal to lend itself as easily to endless rewatchability. The decision to forgo movie theaters and release the film directly to the Disney+ streaming platform is perhaps for the best, not for a lack of quality, but simply because the more intimate and complicated story seems well-suited for parents and children to watch together and discuss in the living room, rather than in a dark, crowded theater.   

Okay, now it’s time to address the giant red panda in the room. This is a movie about puberty. The red panda is an intentionally overt metaphor for a woman’s period (specially), and puberty/growing up (more generally). Although the specifics of the story are somewhat narrow and culturally specific, the overarching theme remains broadly applicable. Perhaps the best summation of the movie is the advice given to Mei by her father: “People have all sides to them. Some are messy. The point isn’t to push the bad stuff away. It’s to make room for it. To live with it.” Relationships are messy. Growing up is messy. Parenting is messy. School is messy. Hormones are messy. Life is messy, and perhaps never more so than during puberty.  

The film ends with Mei’s voiceover declaring, “We’ve all got a messy, loud, weird part of ourselves hidden away. And a lot of us never let it out. But I did. How about you?” The central message is that that the natural changes we experience growing up are not something to fear or be ashamed of. They’re something to be embraced and celebrated—even if they are messy and uncomfortable. There is also a profound generational focus in the narrative, highlighted by a beautiful scene near the end where Mei is allowed to encounter her mother as a teenager and finds her distraught with the same emotions and conflicts that she is struggling with herself. The moment is a tender reminder to adults that we too once navigated the treacherous jungle of childhood and puberty. 

There is a lot to appreciate about Turning Red . Beyond the gorgeous animation, humor, and charm, there are many moments of mature reflection and insight. At the same time, there are also several areas that may be concerning to parents and to Christians, such as an emphasis on non-biblical spirituality and religion (see below). Also, while the topic of puberty is important and appropriate for a film to explore, parents must ultimately decide when and how to guide their children through these sensitive topics.

Like its quirky heroine, Turning Red fully embraces the messiness of life. Although it may not always provide simple answers—or, at least, the answers some parents might want—the movie goes reminds us that despite our many differences, there are human experiences and rites of passage that transcend our differences and unite us together.  

For Consideration

Profanity: There is no swearing, but the teenager characters frequently use “naughty” words such as crap, dork, stupid, perv, sexy, sicko, jerk-wad, butt-head, etc. There are also multiple swear-substitution words, such as “what the heck,” “O.M.G.”, and “Oh fudgesicles.”

Sexuality: None on the surface, although as a film about puberty, sexuality is a central theme.

  Violence: None.

Engage the Film

The messiness of puberty and growing up.

The topics and themes in Turning Red are arguably bolder than most Pixar films (which is saying something for a studio that made a film about death). Parents should be prepared to answer questions such as, “Mommy, what are pads?” Consistent with the theme of “messiness,” the manner that the movie explores this topic is also fittingly messy. On the one hand, the fact that the topic will likely be uncomfortable for many viewers validates the point. Despite being a universal rite of passage, puberty remains oddly taboo and cloaked in shame and guilt.

On the other hand, are my 7-year-old twin boys ready for this discussion? This is the dilemma of a “children’s’” movie dealing pointedly with teenage experiences. Will the film help prepare young kids to deal with the future experience by de-stigmatizing puberty? Or does it introduce them to emotions, desires, and insecurities that remain years away? It is natural for pubescent teenagers to gush over the opposite sex, but it is also natural for younger children to view them as mere playmates, rather than as sexual objects.   

Turning Red acknowledges this tension.  Mei’s mother is in denial, waiting far too long to prepare her daughter, and is caught off guard when the moment finally arrives. At the same time, the film is honest about the fact that there is something melancholy and almost tragic about leaving behind the blissful innocence of pre-puberty years. There is a danger in trying to delay or ignore the changes when the natural time comes, but also a danger in leaving childhood behind too soon. The changes are natural and beautiful in their time.

Different Cultural Perspectives and Spirituality

A lot of the buzz surrounding this movie is the cultural specificity of its story. In one sense, that observation is overblown given the universally relatable experiences already discussed. At the same time, I am not Chinese woman, so many of Mei’s experiences differ from my own (although, as a Canadian, it was a delight to see the film set in Toronto!). For most of these cultural differences, I welcomed them as an opportunity to view the world through a perspective other than my own. The one possible exception to this is the film’s portrayal of religion.  

Traditional ancestral worship plays a key part in the story. Mei’s family runs a temple and are depicted praying and lighting incense. Speaking to a tour group, the mother says, “Instead of honoring a God, we honor our ancestors.” The ritual that Mei must go through to banish the soul of the red panda is depicted as a mystical and slightly disturbing exorcism, complete with chanting, drums, magic circles, and as a shaman.

This will undoubtably and understandably be a deal-breaker for many Christians. Unlike many Christians, I am typically unconcerned with fantastical magic in films such as Frozen or Harry Potter. The spirituality in Turning Red , however, falls into a slightly different category, hitting closer to reality and less like a fairytale. Due to the personal nature of the story, the spirituality is presented as the sharing a certain cultural experience rather than as proselytizing a non-biblical religion. In other words, it is more “this is what some people believe and how they worship,” rather than trying to encourage kids to go to their rooms, light some incense, and start praying to their own ancestors.

I won’t venture to tell parents how they should navigate this topic with their own children. Parent can either approach the spiritual elements as opportunities to learn and discuss with their children, or they can simply choose another film to watch if they feel their children aren’t able to process it. Either way, parents should be prepared and aware so that they can respond accordingly.

Daniel holds a PhD in "Christianity and the Arts" from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author/co-author of multiple books and he speaks in churches and schools across the country on the topics of Christian worldview, apologetics, creative writing, and the Arts.

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by Joy Moss Miller

Daniel, under the heading Different Cultural Perspectives and Spirituality, I wonder about a word in the sentence “The one possible expectation to this is the film’s portrayal of religion.” Did you intend to say “expectation,” or did you mean “exception?”

by The Collision

Thank for pointing that out! That was a typo. It should be “exception.” Thank you!

I hate Turning Red. One of the problems was the character’s religion. Usually I am fine with movies exploring fantastical magic (Harry Potter, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away) or other religions (Mulan, Coco, Pocahontas). The problem with Turning Red was that it was not only closer to reality but also explicit and made me and my mom so uncomfortable that we had to fast forward those scenes! Other problems with the movie are: 1) Promoting its terrible message that it’s okay to rebel your parents. Yes, parents should give their children some freedoms but children’t shouldn’t rebel against their parents, either. Previous Disney/pixar films had showed kids rebelling against their parents too but at least it was portrayed in a negative light. Also, there is usually another character that is there to help the child and parent understand each other better (e.g. Marry Poppins helped Jane and Michael understand Mr. Banks better). How come there was no fairy godmother, talking crab, zany genie, or quirky long-lost relative there to help Mei Mei and Ming understand each other better? There was a missed opportunity to give Mei Mei a cool aunt. I thought either the grandmother or the father would fit that role but they didn’t. Being yourself doesn’t mean show off your messy side and everybody has to suck it up instead of getting scared or punish you. Being yourself means (and should mean) be the best version of yourself. Mei Mei didn’t become the best version of herself. She became the worst version of herself.

2) The director said that the red panda is a metaphor for puberty. I felt that she said that so that people won’t have to wonder why Mei Mei and/or her Mom weren’t arrested by the Canadian police for terrorizing Toronto.

3) Both the mother and the daughter were difficult to sympathize with. They are one-dimensional and lacked depth compared to the early Pixar and Disney movies. Regardless what others say, I think twerking is a sexual dance. I don’t enjoy seeing it in real life, what makes you think I would find it funny in a cartoon? Seeing Mei Mei twerk was so bad that my mother said, “I hope she dies!”

4) There was no real resolution. Instead of reconciliation and/or compromise, all I saw was a shift of power struggle. Instead of seeing characters celebrate at a festival or relaxing on the meadow, all I got was the daughter leaving her mom to hang out with her friends and telling off her mother, “My Panda, my Choice!”

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Review of Disney’s Turning Red

Why are some seeing red.

Spoiler Alert : Those who would rather not know much about the movie before viewing it are advised to skip to the conclusion.

On the surface, Turning Red is a bright, colorful coming-of-age Disney+ movie about a teenage girl figuring out who she wants to be during the highs and lows of adolescence. In this animated feature, thirteen-year-old Meilin “Mei” Lee wakes up one day to discover she turns into a giant red panda when she gets emotional. As Pixar’s first female-led movie, Turning Red does have some positive elements, with a diverse cast of characters and an emphasis on valuable female friendships.

Controversial?

As we sat down to watch this movie, apart from some quotes of teenage bravado and irreverence, we were a bit surprised to find little objectionable content at first. Though the characters are cheeky and over-the-top, this is part of the diversity of the characters in the movie. In fact, some have praised the film for representing a broad range of cultures, body types, and even characters with medical conditions such as diabetes. Overachieving protagonist Mei has a group of friends just as quirky as she—the tomboy skater girl Miriam, the deadpan goth Priya, and the always-excitable Abby. The four girls bond over their love of the boy band 4*Town before Mei rushes home to her Chinese temple duties and her overbearing yet doting mother.

Cultural Aspects

Mei’s Chinese-Canadian family practices ancestor worship, and Mei spends much of her time helping her family keep their temple tidy. The Lee family temple is dedicated to Mei’s ancestor, Sun Yee, and the temple itself is portrayed as both a place of prayer and a tourist destination. This may confuse younger viewers, so when watching with children, be sure to explain the difference between Christianity and other religions.

Mei’s mother tells her that according to legend, Sun Yee prayed to become a powerful red panda to protect her village. That night, Mei has a nightmare involving spirits and the temple (which may be disturbing to young viewers), and when she wakes, she finds herself transformed into a giant red panda. She then discovers “her panda” is directly linked with her emotions, and she can turn back into a human by calming herself down.

Comfort Aspects

The panda itself is a clear metaphor for puberty, perhaps among other aspects of growing up. Mei describes her panda form as hairy and smelly, and she calls herself a “gross, red monster.” Furthermore, she’s very emotional—at one point she accidentally snaps at her mother, much to the surprise of both. Mei’s mother even mentions feminine hygiene products. With such topics typically being avoided in children’s films, some would welcome such a humorous and candid handling of something that does need to be discussed at some point with girls, but others might find the openness on such a topic unnerving.

Concerning Aspects

For all these arguably positive elements, the cutesy characters and upbeat score hide more insidious messages

For all these arguably positive elements, the cutesy characters and upbeat score hide more insidious messages. Mei’s mother, Ming, is cartoonishly overbearing, though the movie later fleshes out her character with an explanation of why she is that way. In making the mom the “bad guy,” the movie clearly influences viewers to root for Mei in all her endeavors, even when she repeatedly deceives and disobeys her mother. Though teenage rebellion is a common scenario in real life, this movie encourages disobedience and deception, and caricatures family roles and dynamics to achieve it.

The movie continues to derail as Mei’s pace toward “adulthood,” independence, and sexuality steadily increases past where it should. There is one scene where Mei hides under her bed and draws pictures of shirtless boys, which she later describes as “sexy”—a startling comment to hear from a thirteen-year-old character, especially in a Disney/Pixar movie. Later, one of Mei’s friends calls her a “perv,” and another character says her parents call 4*Town’s music “stripper music.” Mei’s friends go to a party where suggestive music plays on the speakers. Mei falls on top of boys and lingers—twice. In the final confrontation between Mei and her mother, Mei speaks about how she likes gyrating, and in panda-form, makes inappropriate moves toward her mother for an extended period of time. Though there is no direct sexual activity in the film, the vector of Mei’s actions and interests are disturbing for her age, and are yet another barometer of our sex-affirming culture which indoctrinates children at increasingly younger ages. Most notably, Mei spins the phrase, “My panda, my choice.” What a sad decline for Disney/Pixar to have a 13-year-old character dangle a “funny quip” to viewers that mimics a tragic mantra which encourages the senseless murder of preborn children as a viable choice (pun and oxymoron not intended).

While some would simply argue the movie is a metaphor for the normal awkwardness of growing up—and it is—there is much more meaning tied to it. As part of Disney’s stated agenda , the movie slips in subtle messages of anti-religion 1 and rebellion, suggesting to adolescents that removing oneself from family and tradition should be applauded, and that parents who “love” their children will be proud no matter what. AiG has made a point of sharing the truth that love doesn’t mean affirming someone in their lost and rebellious state; rather, true love is pointing others to the help and hope they need in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 2

Mei’s final quote of the movie sums it up with a clear call to action to unleash your “inner beast”:

“We’ve all got an inner beast. We’ve all got a messy, loud, weird part of ourselves hidden away, and a lot of us never let it out. But I did. How about you?”

This theme is becoming grotesquely common and is clearly subversive.

Even though Mei’s “beast” can be destructive and impulsive, she ends up embracing it—and this is seen as a positive thing, as that’s who she “really is”—and her family’s beliefs are presented as holding her back. This theme is becoming grotesquely common and is clearly subversive. Early in the movie, Ming tells Mei that there’s a darkness to the panda, and Mei even ends up hurting someone in her raging panda form. And, as the movie progresses, Mei’s path is leading her toward sexual interest and activity at too young an age. Period.

This movie, as well as our culture, has it wrong. Our real “inner beast” is sin . As God ’s Word tells us in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

And Jesus ’ sacrifice gives us freedom from sin and a new heart. We should reject our inner beast and instead embrace Christ.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin . . . So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34, 36)

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Turning Red

A 13-year-old girl named Meilin turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited.

Dove Review

We’ve seen Turning Red before. It’s the teenaged and tamer version of The Incredible Hulk — namely, that when the mild-mannered human comes under stress or something that makes him (or, in this case, her ) angry, they suddenly morph into a creature that ostensibly can do something about it.

Or maybe a more accurate description of Turning Red would be Teen Wolf meets The Joy Luck Club .

In a movie that unquestionably aims at a slightly more mature audience than some of Pixar’s other offerings, the focal character is Mei Lee, a 13-year-old girl living with her parents in Toronto’s Chinatown in 2002. She helps take care of the family’s temple and tries to stay on her stern mother Ming’s good side, by playing the good little girl who hides desires and curiosities that every teen must eventually confront. These are things that can only be repressed for so long, and when they leak out — and particularly when Ming makes a big, embarrassing deal about it — Mei turns red-faced. And furry. And all panda-ey.

From the Christian perspective, you’ll probably take issue with the Buddhist leanings of this film, born out of the main character’s culture. We know that there’s one God; this movie refers to “the gods.” Or the ancestor worship. Those are more the settings than the emphasis, which is overwhelmingly a coming-of-age tale about how a teenage girl relates to the three P’s — parents, peer pressure and puberty. (OK, that’s four. Sue me.)

Some Mings out there will no doubt find in this tale some sort of subtle endorsement about sneaking out of the house and lying to parents, as Mei does — as if kids haven’t stumbled across (and practiced and perfected) this concept all on their own for, what, centuries? Ferris Bueller did it and then some. Cost him a Ferrari that wasn’t even his.

What complicates these teen-coming-of-age inclinations is that Mei, it turns out, is but the latest in a long line of panda-morphing women in her family. They came to this blessing/curse many moons ago in China, after praying to “the gods” for a way to protect their village from marauders. “The gods” gave them the power to become pandas. But they didn’t make it easy to contain the power — that can only happen in a sealing ceremony on the night of the Red Moon.

Mei learns how to calm herself down to tame her inner panda, but she also exploits it. This, of course, is part of the “my panda, my choice” declaration that will no doubt harken not so subtly to the ongoing abortion issue in this country. When Ming denies her permission to attend a concert at SkyDome by 4*Town, her favorite boy band, she makes the panda emerge to show off at a party, in an attempt to raise money for 4*Town tickets. When she goes to the concert anyway, Ming’s own inner panda erupts and there’s panda-monium in a confrontation at SkyDome.

One of the strong points about this movie is that there is a wealth of conversation points for parents and kids, and admittedly not all of them may be comfortable. One, for instance, could deal with how parents and teens should relate in light of Ephesians 6:1-4 (“Honor your father and mother … don’t exasperate your children.”)

But better that you have these conversations and deal honestly with them. Repression very well mean you’ll find yourselves dealing with pandas of your own, and some of them won’t be nearly as cute and cuddly as Mei. This movie merits a Dove-approved seal for Ages 12+ for its

The Dove Take

We’ve all got protective inner beasts that we must acknowledge and tame, rather than repress and shame, and too few do, to the detriment of a great many.

Dove Rating Details

Refreshingly, the movie deals with uncomfortable realities in coming of age, in mother-daughter relationships, in the value of family, and in the dangers of lying and hiding the real you.

Mei twerks as the red panda and sticks her head in-between her legs and twerks some more. It’s way more comedy than sexy; Mei draws herself and man cuddling, and hides the pictures that eventually concern her mother.

Some humor is derived from talk about girls’ periods and related products; “butthead,” “crap,” “freak,” “hobo,” “jerkwad,” “perv,” “stripper”

A mother fights her daughter as a monster

A shirtless boy;

More Information

Film information, dove content.

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Canadian Bible Guy

“turning red” movie review for parents.

I recently sat down to watch the latest Disney-Pixar movie “Turning Red”. I had literally no idea what the movie was about since I had never heard of it or seen the trailer. All I knew is someone said it was a movie about “self-regulation”. It sounded potentially interesting, since Pixar had previously made an exceptional movie about inner emotions (Inside Out). Boy was I in for a surprise!

This movie is not what I expected at all. In fact, it is nothing like any Pixar movie I have ever seen. The movie is about a 13-year-old girl named Mei, whose family runs a traditional-style Chinese temple near downtown Toronto. And although Mei certainly could use some emotional self-regulation, the movie is actually about her journey into womanhood by experiencing puberty—beginning with her first period. 

A Visual Metaphor (Spoilers Ahead)

Mei’s experience with puberty is symbolized in the movie by her unintentionally (at first) turning into a giant red panda whenever she is experiencing “big emotions”. The Mei we are introduced to at the beginning of the movie is completely unlike her alter ego. Mei is shown to be a straight-A student, good friend, and committed to her family. However, when the panda comes out, she is reckless, spontaneous, dishonest, disobedient, disrespectful, and disturbingly sexual. 

It is one thing for a film to explore the challenges that puberty will present. In all fairness to Pixar, they definitely chose a difficult subject to address. I would expect any movie addressing the challenges of puberty to present some hard realities, and Turning Red does so without reservation. My issue with the movie, however, is that the message of the film unapologetically endorses the actions of the panda character, rather than demonstrating them to be foolish, dangerous, and immoral. The film’s core message is that brash independence and sexual liberation should be embraced by 13-year-old girls. 

Lest You Think I’m Exaggerating

Let me give you some specific events and lines from the film to prove my point.

• Mei’s friends call her “brainwashed” for helping in family chores around their temple. Throughout the movie she becomes increasingly more rude and disobedient to her parents. 
• All of the women in the family (mom, grandma, aunt’s etc.) are critical and controlling. Mei’s father, on the other hand, is portrayed as quite pathetic and incompetent. There are no admirable adult characters in the movie.
• As Mei becomes aware of her attraction to boys, she fawns over one who works nearby (a boy of 17) and secretly draws pictures of him shirtless and embracing her for a kiss. She draws other pictures that we don’t see but cause quite a reaction when her mother finds them. 
• Mei and her friends also drool over the famous boy band coming to Toronto to play a concert.
• To raise money for concert tickets, Mei sells pictures of herself in panda form to her classmates at school, taking selfies while her friends keep watch lest a teacher catch them in the act. What exactly is this supposed to illustrate? The sexual nature of these acts is further suggested when a boy blackmails her into attending his birthday party, threatening to expose the pictures to her mother. He says “I wonder if your mom knows you’ve been flaunting your panda all over school.”
• Mei reluctantly attends the party (which has no adult supervision), partly for fear of exposing her behaviour to her mother, and partly because the boy pays for her to be there. The catch is that she must attend in panda form. Mei doesn’t really want to but determines “it will all be worth it in the end”. Again, what is this supposed to illustrate? Mei’s panda represents the womanly side of herself, a side she sells pictures of behind her parent’s back and is willing to flaunt for money. 
• When Mei leaves the house in a condition her parents don’t approve of, she scoffs at them and says “my panda, my choice!”
• Mei and her friends lie, a lot.
• Towards the end of the movie, as Mei is embracing her panda side, she confronts her mother (in panda form) and shouts “I like boys! I like loud music! I like gyrating!” At this she slaps her behind and shakes it in front of her horrified mother. Disturbingly, she keeps doing it for a solid 10 seconds. 
• At one point Mei declares “Be careful, honouring your parents sounds great, but if you take it too far, you might forget to honour yourself.”
• The movie concludes with this line: “We’ve all got an inner beast. We’ve all got a messy, loud, weird part of ourselves hidden away. And a lot of us never let it out. But I did. How about you?”

Once again I’ll reiterate that a movie about teen puberty is a bold choice, but perhaps there is a way to pull it off with tact and wisdom. Turning Red has none of that. Rather, it is an in-your-face endorsement of every worldly value imaginable. Pixar is known for making high-quality movies with generally wholesome values that entire families can enjoy. This movie (rated PG) is a clear break from that path. 

I would not recommend watching this movie. It is not worth your time. But if you do decide to watch it, or watch it with your children, do so ready to have some important conversations afterward. You will need to contrast the sinful folly that is promoted with godly wisdom. This is a big task, considering the multiple themes that need addressing:

• Managing sexual desires
• Peer pressure
• Obeying parents
• Celebrity influence
• Self-control
• Digital safety
• Teen independence

Romans 12:1-2 tells us, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” This movie is a stark reminder that the world is eager to address tender subjects and disciple young people. Parents need to demonstrate a better path for their children than the one that the world offers, one that comes from a transformed mind that is able to discern what is good and honouring to God. 

Essentially, everything that Mei does, you should do the opposite. I would encourage parents to assess for themselves if the movie is a worthwhile learning moment or not. But I would remind all parents that it is non-negotiable that we need to be addressing these issues with our children, because the world certainly isn’t shy about doing it, and it won’t be promoting the kind of values that will help our children develop into godly and mature adults. 

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Evangelical Critics Are Turning Red

Outrage over a recent children's film illustrates the narrowness of evangelicalism and the experiences it has failed to understand.

By Michael Baysa | April 22, 2022

Turning Red, an animated Pixar movie released on Disney Plus earlier this year, invited a surprising amount of religious controversy. The plot centers around a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl named Mei Lee, who has to navigate the increasing tension between her parents’ immigrant familial expectations at home and her friendships, interests, and hobbies at school. Whenever she feels emotionally stressed, she transforms into an eight-foot-tall red panda. Viewers praised it for its depiction of intergenerational trauma (inspired by director Domee Shi’s own immigrant experience), they also could not help but compare it to films like Encanto (2021) which carried a similar message. However, Turning Red ’s harshest critics write and publish evangelical movie reviews. Whether through the Gospel Coalition or Christianity Today , evangelical movie reviews comment on the appropriateness of certain films for American evangelical moviegoers. They do so, often through a particular formula: summarize the movie, draw out the secular “principle” behind the film, and then preach on the ways a “biblical worldview” addresses its shortcomings. In turn, readers would consume these commentaries, whether to validate their own viewing experiences or learn about ways the movie could be used as tools for evangelism. One would think that across different publications there should be different views about an animated movie about a red panda – however, it was universally panned by evangelical publications. They concluded that Turning Red was at best “unhelpful” and at worst “criminal” or even “ demonic ,” and most of their critiques fixated on what Mei’s red panda transformation could signify. The trope of the protagonist transforming into non-human entities is a familiar one within Disney and Pixar animated films, from Emperor’s New Groove (2000) to Princess and the Frog (2009) to most recently Luca (2021). Turning Red , however, uses the red panda transformation as a lens for viewers to see Mei’s shifting perspectives on her own immigrant experiences and her attempts to reconcile norms she inherited from her parents with the social expectations of her peers. At first, Mei understands the “red panda” as inconvenient because it compromised her attempts to balance her academic aspirations and responsibilities at home. Throughout the film, however, the red panda becomes an opportunity for Mei to relate with her parents and raise her social capital among her friends. In the end, she rejects her mother’s perception of the red panda as inconvenient or as a beast – she accepts that it is a blessing, the way her ancestor understood it, and that it helps her navigate the challenges of being a Chinese Canadian high schooler. On this front, the film underscores the importance of embracing numerous identities for the benefit and enrichment of the others. Evangelicals’ scathing criticisms of Mei’s red panda, however, revolve around the ways it promotes a “beastly” inner identity. The Gospel Coalition review compared Mei’s transformation to that of “Jekyll/Hyde” or “Bruce Banner and the Hulk,” casting the red panda as “the beastly sides of our fallen natures” in contrast to Mei’s more human side which represents “our rational desires (will) to be virtuous and ordered.” Critics complained that the film promotes a worldview that challenges “parental authority” and undergirds “the transgender agenda.” They also worried that the message of “my Panda, my choice,” reads too closely as “a nod to the favorite slogan of pro-abortion activists: my-body my choice.” Some reviewers were even horrified that the film would discuss topics such as puberty and menstruation, making the film “not appropriate for children.” Evangelicals’ unwieldy critiques suggest an interpretation whereby Mei’s red panda stood for anything and everything that worried American evangelicals. Evangelical interpretations of the film raise an important question: to whom or for whom is the red panda “a beast”? In the film, Mei adopts the language of “beast” to describe her red panda because that’s how she may have internalized it from her parents, but by the end of the film she appropriates the term to, in a way, redeem it – it was a beast only insofar as others saw it that way. For evangelical critics, however, Mei’s transformation was and continues to be a beast because it signifies their most deep-seated culture-war anxieties – a reading wholly detached from the immediate social and cultural context the film proffers. This interpretation forecloses the myriad ways the red panda could speak to various struggles with identity, even within evangelicalism itself, that deals with questions like which identities could be deemed “authentic” and which actions could be understood as being “truly expressive.” Furthermore, to cast a film that is ultimately about non-white experiences within the Jekyll/Hyde frame performs the colonialism of white evangelical conversion rhetoric: rejection of the old (non-western) life and embrace of the new (western) one. These dynamics are not lost on evangelical readers. One commenter wrote on the Gospel Coalition’s Facebook post promoting the review, “Surprise surprise, all the critics of this are… White. Can we stop and listen to what Asians are saying before we judge everything not White for being pagan and anti-Christian?” These dynamics have a much longer history. In a recently published article with Religion News Service , scholar Kathryn Gin Lum describes how the trope of the “heathen” both allowed white Christians to cast as “other” the experiences of non-white Christians while also proving themselves as “saviors so long as they were not the ones in need of saving.” Nineteenth-century Christian Europeans championed ideas whereby “The Christian man was supposed to domesticate the land and its beasts and make the wilderness blossom as the rose. The Christian woman was to domesticate the home, raising her children and feeding her family with the land’s abundance. All were to live in peace and harmony.” Such fabrications led them to conclude that heathens “were supposed to be unable to govern themselves or care for their lands and their bodies.” [1] The rhetorical resonance between contemporary evangelical movie critiques and nineteenth-century Christian observations about other cultures should make white Christians wary about the kinds of critiques they lodge and the religiously inflected colonial biases they reflect. The robust conversations on the Facebook comments page suggests that this genre increasingly generates unease among readers of these publications. One reader described the Gospel Coalition review of Turning Red as “half-baked.” Others shared their experiences that despite evangelical critiques of the film, they nevertheless found occasion to watch the film with their families and appreciated that it inspired “positive conversation.” Readers’ dissatisfaction with these publications suggests a weariness with the evangelical formula for reviewing these movies. The most popular comment, which garnered 236 likes, wrote: “Embracing who you are is not an inherently evil idea… Expecting an explicitly Christian message from a non-Christian movie and then complaining that there’s no Christian message is, to be honest, kind of silly.” At its core, Turning Red uses the story of a Chinese immigrant as a lens for understanding how seemingly competing identities could complement each other. Mei’s red panda opens room for viewers to see themselves in her struggle with and eventual acceptance of whichever identity it could be made to signify. In contrast, evangelical critics’ readings of the red panda as signifying culture war anxieties reads quite strangely alongside these various other contexts. It illustrates a narrowness of the “biblical worldview” through which evangelical critics assess media and only showcases the vast array of experiences that it has failed, and continues to fail, to speak to, include, understand, and ultimately “save.”

[1] https://religionnews.com/2022/03/22/whats-alien-about-war-in-europe-the-heathen-world-offers-clues/

Michael Baysa

Michael Baysa (@MichaelBaysa) is a scholar of religion working on the intersection of religion, history, and print culture. His current research explores how ministers,  printers, booksellers and other print intermediaries constrained religious printing in colonial and early America. He is currently a PhD Candidate in the Department of Religion at Princeton University.

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The Generational Healing of “Turning Red”: An AAPI Christian Perspective

My wife and I have been fans of Domee Shi’s work ever since we first saw her short film, Bao , before the premiere of Incredibles 2 . To this day, my wife has no recollection of the first half of Incredibles 2 because of the impact Bao had on her that evening. When we heard Shi was directing her first feature film, Turning Red , we knew we were in for a treat. Little did we know just how profound of an impact her story would have on our own stories, the depth to which we would reflect on our own coming of age experiences, and the generational trauma that we would revisit as fellow East Asian immigrants.

On my part, I discovered upon watching Turning Red how similar my childhood was with Shi’s. We were both born in East Asia during the late-1980’s, had parents born in post-war (and post-Confucian) societies, immigrated to North America as young children, and grew up in diverse neighborhoods–Shi in Toronto and myself in Los Angeles. In retrospect, it’s not surprising how relatable Meilin (the protagonist of Turning Red ) was to me, a Korean American Christian man, and equally not surprising how some White Christian reviewers may have missed the complex cultural layers undergirding some of the more disagreeable parts of the movie. 

The Red Panda and the Strength of Immigrant Women

Shi’s red panda is a metaphor for all the messiness, awkwardness, emotions, and excitement surrounding puberty. More specifically, Shi wanted to help “ girls and women feel seen ” and help girls not feel so alone through it all. The juxtaposing shame culture that Meilin inherits from her family and the individualistic culture she navigates at school intensifies the silence, the loneliness, and the emotions. 

We’re told by Ming, Meilin’s mother, that the red panda was a gift to the women of their family until their “family chose to come to a new world and what was a blessing became an inconvenience.” This is the familial baggage, or the generational trauma, that the red panda must be seen through. We can’t understand the red panda apart from the generational trauma that Meilin, Ming, and the other immigrant women in their family all bear in order to not be seen as perpetual foreigners in the West. It’s not surprising then that Ming, as a first-generation immigrant child, had the largest red panda of them all.

The Red Panda and Diagonalization

The red panda’s redeemable qualities really shine when considering the family’s historical context. As their matriarchal ancestor, Sun Yee, first demonstrated, the red panda can become a source of great power to save their loved ones from ruin. For Sun Yee, to embrace the red panda meant harnessing her raw emotional strength to shatter patriarchal assumptions about the helplessness of women. A proper appreciation of the red panda resulted in life and salvation for her family, not death and chaos. 

And this is where Meilin reflects more of Sun Yee than her mother, Ming, who banished her own red panda for the sake of social conformity. Meilin finds herself in a tension between her mother’s encouragement to conform and her friends’ encouragement to rebel. Much of the story is her wrestling with these Eastern and Western voices but neither produce lasting happiness.

From the Eastern perspective, the damaging impact of conformity becomes more apparent for Ming, Meilin’s own mother. In a heartbreaking scene near the end of the movie, we see a teenage Ming bearing alone the immense pressure to conform and the underlying generational trauma that accompanies it. From the Western perspective, we see how listening to her friends and following her selfish desires almost destroys Meilin and her family. 

But the truth lies not in the middle but in a “ diagonalized ” reality that bridges the simplistic binaries of individualism and collectivism.  Diagonalizing allows Meilin to break free from the false binaries forced on her by the competing ideologies of the East and the West, resulting in her rejecting errors and embracing truths from both sides.

The Red Panda and Generational Healing

Embracing the red panda (her individuality) and accepting her mother’s brokenness (her family history) results in a healthier balance of honoring one’s parents and individual freedom. The movie concludes with Meilin not having to choose between her family or her friends but reaping the benefits of having both. We’re given the impression that perhaps her family’s generational trauma has finally turned a corner and that, through Meilin’s diagonalizing, healing has finally begun in her family.

In many ways, Meilin’s story is my story. I grew up as an immigrant child with immense pressure from my dad’s side of the family to become a doctor like my paternal grandfather and with immense pressure from my mom’s side of the family to become a lawyer like my maternal grandfather. But when I was 14-years-old, I came back from a youth retreat with a desire to explore pastoral ministry as a calling. After telling my parents, however, I was brushed off for being “emotional,” which drove a wedge in our relationship. 

Yet, throughout high school and college, this conviction only grew stronger. It wasn’t until my former senior pastor intervened during my senior year of college that my parents let go of their desires for me to conform to their will so I could instead honor them by honoring the Lord first. If I hadn’t embraced my “red panda” in order to properly honor my parents, Rosebrook Presbyterian Church wouldn’t exist.

In short, Turning Red isn’t encouraging the pursuit of our hedonistic desires; it’s about rightly framing our individuality while appropriately bringing honor to our parents, our traditions, and perhaps even our faith.

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Movie Review: Turning Red

Growing up is hard to do—especially if adolescence means turning into a giant red panda. But the movie takes some ticklish turns of its own. Read the Plugged In review: https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/turning-red-2022/ If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: https://focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey/

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