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Turning Red Review

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Turning Red

Review Ratings

Art/Style: 
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Production Value: 
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
Content: 
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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Personal Enjoyment: 
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final_score: 8.8
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Overall Popularity: 
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8
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final_score: 8.8

Final Review Score

8.8 / 10

Amazing

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Domee Shi (Bao) and co-written with Julia Cho, Turning Red (2022) delivered a fresh, energetic, and distinctively personal vision to Pixar Animation Studios. Set in early 2000s Toronto, the film marked Pixar’s first feature directed solely by a woman and brought a vibrant blend of Y2K nostalgia, anime visual flair, and honest coming-of-age storytelling. In this detailed Turning Red movie review, we examine how Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s original 4*TOWN tracks, and a hilarious red panda metaphor created a modern Pixar classic.

Mei Lee’s Transformation, Ming’s High Expectations, and 4*TOWN Craze

The story follows Meilin “Mei” Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a confident, quirky 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl balancing her duty as a dutiful daughter helping manage her family’s historic temple with the chaotic realities of adolescence. Surrounded by her fierce, loyal friend squad—Miriam, Priya, and Abby—Mei’s world is upended when an embarrassing confrontation involving her overprotective mother, Ming (voiced by Sandra Oh), triggers an ancient ancestral blessing. Mei discovers that whenever her emotions spike, she poofs into a giant, fluffy red panda. With a ritual scheduled during an upcoming red moon to seal the panda spirit away, Mei and her friends secretly turn her panda persona into a fundraising campaign to attend a concert by their favorite boy band, 4*TOWN.

Dynamic Vocal Chemistry, Anime Styling, and Generational Trauma

Breakout voice talent Rosalie Chiang gives Mei endless infectious enthusiasm, vocal range, and relatable vulnerability, while Sandra Oh delivers a powerhouse performance as Ming, balancing intense perfectionism with deep maternal affection. Visually, director Domee Shi infused the film with a unique “Asian-influenced 2D/3D hybrid” aesthetic, drawing heavy inspiration from 1990s shōjo anime, complete with exaggerated facial expressions, sparkle eyes, and snappy motion line timing. The core narrative approaches mother-daughter dynamics, puberty, and intergenerational family pressure with rare authenticity and emotional intelligence.

Y2K Aesthetic, 4*TOWN Music, and Ludwig Göransson’s Score

Pixar’s technical team rendered Toronto’s early-2000s Chinatown with rich pastel palettes and vibrant urban detail. The film’s soundtrack is an incredible highlight, featuring original boy band hits written by pop icons Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, alongside a genre-blending orchestral score from Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson that fused Traditional Chinese instruments with early 2000s pop-R&B rhythms.

The Final Verdict

Ultimately, this Turning Red review celebrates a remarkably brave, stylish, and deeply heartfelt addition to Pixar’s lineup. Driven by Domee Shi’s distinct directorial voice, fantastic performances from Rosalie Chiang and Sandra Oh, infectious music, and a universal message about accepting all sides of oneself, it stands as a standout achievement in modern animation.

Information

  • Title: Turning Red
  • Release Date: March 11, 2022
  • Director: Domee Shi
  • Key Cast: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho
  • Genre: Animation, Coming-of-Age, Comedy, Fantasy, Family

This post is part of Pixar Movies Ranked