shades fills you in

Turning Red follows a 13-year-old girl growing up in early 2000s Toronto. After hitting puberty, she turns into a giant red panda whenever she’s overcome by emotions. Watch the trailer here

Wired liked it: The movie broke Pixar’s mold of telling “universal” stories, and it was a success

This NYT Op liked it too: The film depicts Asian “stereotypes” in a real and honest way

In fact, critics generally liked it. But some parents did not. ScreenRant reports that Turning Red has the biggest split in critic/audience reviews of any Pixar movie

The movie has now become a new frontline in the culture wars. Why? Because it discusses puberty, periods, and the main character disobeys her parents -- Vox

Read some reviews from parents here

The Atlantic thinks the controversy misses the point. This is about painting an accurate picture of an adolescent girl -- not about any agenda

USA Today had a similar reaction: The movie isn’t the problem -- the problem is that women’s health is so stigmatized!

WaPo thinks there’s no harm done -- tweens rebelling against their parents is normal

But this reviewer wasn’t a fan -- he felt that Turning Red encourages kids to rebel, and demonizes Mei’s mom for no reason

Thatparkplace.com is upset with the line “My panda, my choice”. They think Turning Red is propaganda for the pro-choice movement

Vanity Fair writes that maybe “Turning Red” wasn’t for kids, after all -- it’s a story for the parents

Looking at it from another angle, one CNN Op writes that Turning Red was some much-needed representation for Asian-Americans