Movies

These are the ‘inappropriate’ scenes from Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’ parents can’t stand

March 15, 2022

Pixar’s “Turning Red” is a coming-of-age film centered on Meilin Lee, a Chinese-Canadian 13-year-old who “poofs” into a giant red panda any time her emotions run high, a metaphor for puberty. The secretly boy-crazy eighth grader tries to be the perfect daughter to her mother but holding her emotions in becomes increasingly difficult as she grows more and more into her own person.

The film tackles the transition from childhood to womanhood, challenges of mother-daughter relationships and generational trauma all in under two hours. While many praised the project for its normalization of these topics, some parents who watched the film felt that its themes were “too mature” for their children. The movie is rated PG for its “thematic material, suggestive content and language.”

Turning Red currently has a 66% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Dived into the reviews and had a real “don’t know what I expected” moment pic.twitter.com/xGgYXik4Ch

—Jonathan (@jonathanmb32) March 12, 2022

Following its March 11 release on Disney+, parents have left negative reviews online criticizing the film for its “inappropriate” scenes. More than 2,500 reviews have been left on Rotten Tomatoes where the film currently holds a 73 percent audience score and 94 percent critic score. Here is a look at some of the scenes that some parents were concerned about.

“Did the red peony bloom?”

Mei Lee hides in the bathroom after she discovers she has turned into a giant red panda.

Disney/Pixar

Among the most discussed scenes of the film is when Mei first discovers her new furry appearance. She hides out in the bathroom so her mother Ming assumes her daughter just began her period.

“Did the red peony bloom?” Ming reluctantly asks through the door. Ming then storms in with ibuprofen, vitamins, a hot water bottle and an assortment of pads. She explains to Mei that the changes are nothing to be embarrassed about because “[She is a] woman now and [her] body is starting to change.”

“You are now a beautiful, strong flower who must protect her delicate petals and clean them regularly,” Ming says. Despite its numerous euphemisms for periods (none of the characters actually use the word “period” in the film) some parents were too squeamish to handle it. one-parent tweeted “That ‘Turning Red’ Disney movie is NOT appropriate for children. Yuck.”

In an interview with Chatelaine, director Domee Shi said she hopes the movie “starts those conversations and that we can eventually just normalize talking about puberty and menstruation and not feel so weird about it.”

“Drawing Fan Fiction”

Ming is horrified to find her daughter Mei's notebook where she has scribbled drawings of herself embracing a local 17-year-old convenience store clerk. — Ming is horrified to find her daughter Mei’s notebook where she has scribbled drawings of herself embracing a local 17-year-old convenience store clerk.

Disney/Pixar

Another frequently questioned scene involves Mei drawing images of herself embracing a 17-year-old local convenience store clerk named Tevin. At first, Mei can’t understand why her friends are all crushing on Tevin, even saying at one point saying that he “looks like a hobo.” However, one night while doing homework, she starts scribbling drawings of him in her notebook, eventually understanding why he’s so crush-worthy.

Ming discovers the notebook and is horrified when she peers inside. We never see the rest of the images, besides another of Tevin caressing Mei’s cheek and another of him as shirtless merman. Some viewers were disturbed by the scene of a “13-year-old drawing fan fiction.”

boy crazy teens

Mei and her group of friends are obsessed with fictional boy band 4-Town.

Disney/Pixar

Throughout the film, Mei’s conversations with her friends center around boys, especially their obsession with boy band “4*Town.” In one scene, Mei becomes speechless after seeing a fellow male classmate with new eyes following her first panda transformation. Later in the film, the group of friends ogle at boys playing basketball during recess, yelling catcalls at them from the stands. “Are you a triangle? ‘Cause you acute!” Mei shouts as her friends giggle.

Some parents called the scenes “inappropriate,” one writing “[Thirteen] and obsessed with boys may be common, but it’s not an ideal I want for my girls.” Others found it to be a normal and relatable representation of hormonal teenage girls.

“My panda, my choice!”

"Turning Red" centers around 13-year-old Mei Lee who transforms into a giant red panda anytime her emotions run high. — “Turning Red” centers around 13-year-old Mei Lee who transforms into a giant red panda anytime her emotions run high.

Disney/Pixar

At the end of the film, Mei has learned to finally embrace her red panda side, seeing it as a gift rather than a curse. Before Mei goes on an outing with friends, Ming tries to stop her from turning into a panda, to which her daughter crosses her arms and replies “My panda, my choice, mom.”

The joke is likely a nod to the slogan “my body, my choice” which is often used in reference to abortion choices. However, the phrase reflects new boundaries set by Mei, showing that she is growing up and her mother can’t stop her from everything that entails. Still, some parents accused the scene of being politically charged.

disobeying parents

Some reviewers accused the movie of encouraging rebellion, citing a scene where Mei sneaks out of the house to go to a party with her friends and attends a concert without her parent’s permission. “Not appropriate for kids,” said one review. “It teaches kids that it is OK to disobey parents if it is important to the child.”

Everyone who’s upset about Pixar Turning Red’s Meilin disobeying her parents and “sneaking out of the house,” let me remind you of a few Disney films where the girl disobeyed and no one was in an uproar about it:

— Raising Whasians (@raisingwhasians) March 13, 2022

On Twitter, user @raisingwhasians called out the double standard in such criticisms in a thread that went viral, saying that Mei’s actions were no different than many other teen Disney characters. “Mulan disobeyed her parents, stole her father’s armor and fought in a war as a man. Talk about extreme…,” the user tweeted in one of her examples.