Turning Red

A 13 year-old girl suddenly develops the ability to turn into a giant red panda when she gets excited.

Another Pixar movie that innovates and brings news ideas to the table. It’s set in a Chinese-Canadian neighbourhood of Toronto, and its hyper-focus on a specific culture and area allows for a warm and incredibly rich level of detail. There’s something almost tangible about the way it looks and feels; it builds a world that really feels lived in. The animation is velvety smooth and every texture has been lovingly rendered.

This all builds around a solid coming of age story that at first gets centred on teenage girls, but soon opens up to something anyone can relate to. Growing up is weird, and awkward. Turning Red finds a way to celebrate this while acknowledging that it isn’t easy, and exploring other themes along the way.

Another hit in a long long line of hits from a studio that seems to refuse to play it safe even after 30 years of making films.