Well, not everyone thinks so. It’s inevitable the film would get backlash, but I never thought I’d see the day when a Pixar feature would be criticized for illogical reasons. This isn’t Coco or Onward, where the controversies were generated by Disney directly, after all! No, this controversy is based on *checks notes* being non-relatable specifically because *checks notes again* it features a minority protagonist? Oh…*Sighs*
Hollywood has an incredibly racist history. This is true of animation specifically. And this is especially true of Disney’s animation, which has done everything from blackface, to whitewashing, to even stereotyping minorities. Even as recently as the 2000’s this was an issue, with criticism of The Princess and the Frog centred around Jim Crow-esque tropes being utilized. It's something Disney can’t ignore, and it’s great that they’ve started moving away from it.
That’s also come with reactionary backlash, though. And nowhere is this more-apparent than with Turning Red. Even in the months leading to release, there were people mentioning how “forced” Mei being Chinese-Canadian was, to the point of hounding Disney on Twitter for featuring fan-art of the character. (I wish that was a joke.)
Hollywood has an incredibly racist history. This is true of animation specifically. And this is especially true of Disney’s animation, which has done everything from blackface, to whitewashing, to even stereotyping minorities. Even as recently as the 2000’s this was an issue, with criticism of The Princess and the Frog centred around Jim Crow-esque tropes being utilized. It's something Disney can’t ignore, and it’s great that they’ve started moving away from it.
That’s also come with reactionary backlash, though. And nowhere is this more-apparent than with Turning Red. Even in the months leading to release, there were people mentioning how “forced” Mei being Chinese-Canadian was, to the point of hounding Disney on Twitter for featuring fan-art of the character. (I wish that was a joke.)
And now, adding insult to injury, there was a controversial review about how the film “wasn’t for everyone”. To be fair, ignoring the backlash, the reviewer apologized, even admitting his error. Additionally, as someone who wrote for an online news website, I know the stresses of having your work scrutinized, fairly or unfairly, over its phrasing. So I get the position the reviewer was put in. I don’t know if I “sympathize”, but I get it.
I don’t get, however, the bigger issue with relatability. Pixar’s filmography doesn’t include many human protagonists. The Toy Story movies centre around toys. The Cars movies centre around automobiles. Even stories with humans in them, like Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo, aren’t really about them. And let’s not forget Onward and Luca, which blur the line. Honestly, Pixar’s truly human-centric films are few and far between. That’s not accidental.
It's especially not accidental because they cut through their premises to speak to the human experience. The Toy Story films are about identity through the value of worth to others. Up is all about learning to move on from loss. Even The Good Dinosaur discusses what it means to be brave. Details like these are hidden underneath their absurdist premises (like a literal rat cooking fine cuisine), and they’re what make them relatable. The ludicrous concept is the icing on the cake.
I don’t get, however, the bigger issue with relatability. Pixar’s filmography doesn’t include many human protagonists. The Toy Story movies centre around toys. The Cars movies centre around automobiles. Even stories with humans in them, like Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo, aren’t really about them. And let’s not forget Onward and Luca, which blur the line. Honestly, Pixar’s truly human-centric films are few and far between. That’s not accidental.
It's especially not accidental because they cut through their premises to speak to the human experience. The Toy Story films are about identity through the value of worth to others. Up is all about learning to move on from loss. Even The Good Dinosaur discusses what it means to be brave. Details like these are hidden underneath their absurdist premises (like a literal rat cooking fine cuisine), and they’re what make them relatable. The ludicrous concept is the icing on the cake.
That’s why saying a “movie doesn’t connect with me” because its protagonist isn’t your ethnicity is baffling. Pixar’s made movies about toys, bugs, monsters, fish, robots and more. If people can relate to and consider them classics, then why can’t they relate to this too? What makes Mei any different? Is it because of racism? It probably is.
And that’s where the issue lies. Remember, minority cultures have a history of being underrepresented on screen. It’s only recently that they’ve started getting their dues, which is embarrassing. But it speaks to the global audience of filmgoers and their desires, and that’s always a plus. Also, the film is set in Toronto, a city that doesn’t get a lot of acknowledgement on film.
Also, why would Turning Red not appeal to people? Is it because it’s about menstruation and puberty? How many people already relate to that? Is it because the protagonist has a crush on a boy band? How many people already relate to that too? Or is it because Mei’s Asian? Because I’ve got news for you if that’s it…
And that’s where the issue lies. Remember, minority cultures have a history of being underrepresented on screen. It’s only recently that they’ve started getting their dues, which is embarrassing. But it speaks to the global audience of filmgoers and their desires, and that’s always a plus. Also, the film is set in Toronto, a city that doesn’t get a lot of acknowledgement on film.
Also, why would Turning Red not appeal to people? Is it because it’s about menstruation and puberty? How many people already relate to that? Is it because the protagonist has a crush on a boy band? How many people already relate to that too? Or is it because Mei’s Asian? Because I’ve got news for you if that’s it…
People need to ask themselves about what they want in entertainment, as well as what that says about them. It’s true that Turning Red is about a culture many people are unfamiliar with, but so what? Plenty of great movies are! Spirited Away, my favourite movie ever, is about a Japanese girl who becomes a prostitute in a bathhouse for spirits in order to save her parents from being eaten. It’s weird and trippy, and far-detached from anything I’d ever relate to. That doesn’t make it any less-excellent.
There are valid reasons to be frustrated with Disney as a company. There are also valid reasons to be frustrated with Pixar as a company. But Turning Red being culture-specific isn’t one of them. Because that’s shallow, limiting and says more about you than either Disney or Pixar. Yet that’s what this is about, and we need do much better.
But at least we now have one of the cutest pandas to grace the big screen. That has to account for something, right?
There are valid reasons to be frustrated with Disney as a company. There are also valid reasons to be frustrated with Pixar as a company. But Turning Red being culture-specific isn’t one of them. Because that’s shallow, limiting and says more about you than either Disney or Pixar. Yet that’s what this is about, and we need do much better.
But at least we now have one of the cutest pandas to grace the big screen. That has to account for something, right?
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