“Turning Red” gets mixed reviews; People question message behind movie

      On March 11, 2022, Pixar released Turning Red. Since then, it has gotten a lot of attention, both positive and negative, on social media.   Critics warn that this PG movie has some controversial topics about womanhood.  

       The movie features a 13-year-old girl, Mei Lee, starting her journey through adolescence.  Critics of the film say the movie features scenes where she lies to her parents, sneaks out, and a host of other behaviors that are less than ideal. 

      Many parents are concerned that the film promotes negative behaviors when kids don’t get what they want from their parents. There have been tweets, posts, and articles popping up all over social media that suggest this is not a film appropriate for its target audience.

     After parents viewed the movie, the reviews came out and the average was recommended for kids over 10 years old. The film is based around a girl getting her period and maturing through it. The reason for this age group is so kids can appreciate and understand the movie.

     POC Culture, an organization dedicated to celebrating different backgrounds,  has been responding to those tweets supporting Turning Red and the choices in how the movie was executed.  

    The go-to-source for today’s information and updates on new movies,  Cinemablend’s managing director Sean O’Connell posted a review giving this movie two and a half stars. He explained his rating in a tweet where he said, “I recognized the humor in the film, but connected with none of it.” 

      The critic mentioned how parents might be surprised and uncomfortable with their child watching it. He explained “There’s an audience out there for Turning Red… In my opinion, however, that audience is relatively small, and I’m not part of it.” 

      There has been a lot of controversy about this Pixar film, but the students at North Harford think differently. Sophomore Sara Ford said she “liked how it had a cultural background and allowed young girls to be able to express their emotions and relate to it.” 

      Ford mentions she thinks it’s “good for girls to learn about growing up and experiencing the world.” Sophomore Kate Deily felt this movie was “a nice representation of going into womanhood and also the mother and daughter relationship, especially in Asian households.”  

      Another sophomore Cara Dyke said, “the movie was good, but kind of weird. Some of the actions the kids were doing threw me off.” She explains “it could offend people who want to be different.”