“Turning Red” is a Turning Point
Introduction
"Turning Red" is a Pixar animated film directed by Domee Shi, primarily known for her unique short film "Bao," which rocked the world of film with a combination of deep-rooted culture and everyday life. To be specific, the movie is about a young girl of Chinese descent living in the grand capital of Canada in the early 2000s, making this film one that many can relate to, including me, for many reasons. This creative Chinese thinker and artist, and her all-female leadership team, created a piece of art including seriousness and silliness that's truly making waves in industries and hearts worldwide with its weighty interpretations of the highs and lows of growing up alongside adorable animals and lively music.
My Opinion
I cannot be more grateful that the media industry has been increasingly focused on minority groups with little to no representation in the past. Movies like "Turning Red" and "Encanto" have impacted many and are proven to be accurate showings of these specific nationalities. These programs even influenced school teachers, such as my Spanish teacher of 3 years, Señora Perotti, to make such a movie a part of her curriculum. In addition to this, media like "Turning Red" often focus on social relations with family and friends whilst attempting to stay connected to one's background in an ever-changing world. I found this aspect to be one of my favorites because the main character, Mei, has to face all of these challenges in conjunction with the fact that she turns into a gigantic red panda whenever she feels strong emotion! I loved that these genius writers combined a significant part of Chinese culture with the most critical time in one's adolescence, often making witty jokes and references to show this, thus genuinely reaching out to many young ones struggling to connect with all parts of their personalities.
My Relation
In all honesty, this is one of the most touching movies I have ever viewed since I feel that I have been in a similar situation to Mei all of my life. My father is of primarily English descent, while my mother is of a particular Asian background known as Volga Tatar, meaning that I have grown up in a country where that part of me never got the chance to shine. However, this unfortunate situation was what sparked my initial interest in the field of Anthropology and thus led to the creation of the club founded at my school, the Cultural Diversity Club, and the Mind of Culture nonprofit organization and news and blog sections where I strive to make these subjects more educational, conversational, and all-around fun! With this, my mother also felt much like Mei's mother in the way that she sees much of herself in me and always wants to see me succeed, causing us both to shed a few tears after seeing the touching end result of the program. In the end, although my Asian background fell victim to Russification, I still find much comfort in any representation I am fortunate enough to receive.
Conclusion
Every person of each cultural background must be able to see themselves in the media, especially youth living in very diverse countries like the United States and Canada of whom might have never seen themselves portrayed in their favorite shows or movies. As previously mentioned, I felt very touched to finally see a film I felt truly represented my experience, which brought me to tears as a teenager. Therefore, I cannot imagine how thrilled a child of mixed race or origin must be to grow up with such role models: the diverse creators and characters of "Turning Red."