In the cheerful horror animation film Turning Red, adolescent troubles are artfully glossed over ★★★★☆

Meilin discovers something strange as soon as she reaches puberty: when her emotions run high, the Chinese-Canadian girl from Toronto suddenly changes into a hefty red panda. She hides the wondrous discomfort from her parents and classmates, for as long as that lasts.

You think it could be worse, Kafka’s transformation classic from human to insect The Metamorphosis mindful. But the – happy – horror in the new Pixar/Disney animation film Turning Red it’s in the guesswork of the given. How Meilin’s mother stands in the schoolyard waving a pack of sanitary pads, in front of the whole class, assuming her daughter is ‘just’ struggling with her condition. Much to Meilin’s horror, the panda ears pop out quickly.

Adolescent problems have already been touched upon in films by Pixar or Disney, but never as artfully glossed over (and undisguised) as in the feature film debut of Domee Shi. Turning Red is only the first Pixar film to be directed by a woman alone. 34-year-old Shi, himself of Chinese descent, worked as a ‘storyboard artist’ on Inside Out and Toy Story 4 and previously directed the Oscar-winning short film bao† In front of Turning Red she drew on her own childhood as an only child of Chinese migrants. In doing so, she sharply emphasizes the stereotypes: the overprotective and always controlled tiger mother (and tiger grandmother), plus the exemplary daughter who excels in everything at school. And how Meilin, once her inner panda has awakened, gradually learns that she may not even have to hide all those new and age-appropriate feelings of urgency.

The red panda sheep turns out to be a specific family ailment in Turning Red, passed down through the women in Meilin’s family. They know how to suppress the animal: through an age-old ritual. Shi, who is also a (co)screenwriter in addition to being a director, allows the mystical oriental rite of passage to collide with another planned coming-of-age ritual: Meilin and her friends are determined to see the boy band concert 4 Town to attend, even if the parents do not agree. (The wonderfully slick 4 Town songs were written by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell).

The cheerful and tone-wise original Turning Red picks up visually here and there; especially the food and dream scenes are beautiful. In terms of pure animation art, the film still lags slightly behind the best of Pixar. Interesting: how the studio now also allows directors from the stable to make more personal films. Turning Red is, na soul and Luca the third Pixar title not to be released in theaters by Disney, but only on its own Disney+ channel. A little worrying. Pixar was – and still is – the studio that continues to explore the greatness of animation. Such an art form also deserves a release in the cinema, with the best equipped screens.