Random: New Disney Pixar Movie 'Turning Red' Makes For The Perfect Super Mario Mashup

I also think Meilin and friends could be stand-ins for Scott Pilgrim, Ramona Flowers, Kim Pine, and Stephen Stills. Scott Pilgrim and Turning Red both take place in Toronto, after all.
I'd play a Turning Red beat 'em up.

Hmmm, I've seen Turning Red and pretty much have the opposite opinion. I think it's not very good at all. I guess that's what opinions are for, right?

Still need to see this movie, but that Super Mario 3 inspired fan art is amazing. One of the movies I want to see the most, but don't have Disney Plus yet. Hopes it does what Luca did and releases to DVD/Blu-Ray too.

Do want to say, seeing Mei bring a Tamagotchi to school in the trailer... that girl lives dangeriously, lol.

Ah yes, early 2000s Toronto, I remember it well. Those were the days I sported a studded leather jacket and a pink mohawk, and went out to punk shows at the Big Bop at the corner of Queen and Bathurst, which is sadly now an upscale furniture store:( Anyway, always nice to see my city get some representation.

@StarPoint
I'm in a similar boat; I didn't think the movie was bad, but it wasn't a masterpiece either. I can appreciate that it came from a very special place in the director's heart, but Pixar has put out much better work in the past.

Never seen, but heard mixed things. What are the pros and cons?

‘Utter masterpiece’…….keep your expectations in check people, it’s certainly not that.

To anyone who thinks the movie is objectively "bad," maybe stop to consider that perhaps you aren't the target audience. And that's okay! Doesn't make a movie "bad," just means it's not for you.
Plenty of people have seen it and enjoyed it, and that's okay too.

If you haven't seen it and want to decide for yourself, Disney+ does offer a 7-day free trial for people.

@NerdyBoutKirby

Pros: Ummm... it talks about things that have been stigmatized? That's good, I suppose.

Cons: Falls short in almost every other aspect comparing it to other Pixar works.

Obviously, this is my opinion, but I think it's one of the worst Pixar movies ever, down there with Cars and the like.

@CharlieGirl I totally see where you're coming from, but the thing about Pixar movies is that they can be enjoyed by anybody. Kids will love them because they think they're fun, and adults will love them thanks to the great animation and humor.

Turning Red is for a much smaller target audience. That doesn't make it necessarily bad, but for someone like me who is definitely not the target audience, it's just a painful film to sit through.

@StarPoint Maybe Turning Red is for a specific target audience. So?

Absolutely loved this movie. Didn’t expect it to pull off the levels of cringe but it totally worked. Finally a Pixar movie that doesn’t have the exact same bloody structure.

Wait, this movie takes place in 2003 IIRC? Super Mario Advance 4 came out in 2003, and it's a port of Super Mario Bros. 3. I'd be very ok if Mei's favorite GBA game is Super Mario Advance 4 after seeing this.

@CharlieGirl I love animated movies, so I do want to see this. Though, I have Hulu for TrollsTopia, and just learned they now allow you to add Disney+ by itself for a low price, so I think I'll look into adding it.

Still will probably buy a DVD/Blu-Ray copy, I like having animated movies in my library.

@CharlieGirl i think everyone who had called it bad so far had explicitly been saying it wasn't objectively bad, just their opinion?

@CharlieGirl No, I'm agreeing with you. It is for a specific audience. But that's just pretty inconsistent with everything else that Pixar has done. They've (mostly) always appealed to everyone, and that's why their movies are so universally loved.

Turning Red is not a movie for everyone, and definitely not a movie for me. That's not inherently a bad thing, but I've grown up loving Pixar because everyone could enjoy their movies. So for them to come out with a movie that doesn't try to appeal to everyone is pretty weird for them to do.

When i saw the headline my first thought was "That's the most stupid take ever. Makes absolutely zero sense" then i saw the pictures....I get it now...and its amazing.

I can't be the only one who finds it absolutely hilarious that Disney's latest movie is named "Turning Red". I just can't believe they're so blatant about it. I'll see what my nephew thinks about this movie.

It's weird to think that if this movie had been made a decade ago it would have by default an action platforming game adaptation on PS3/360/Wii/DS/PSP.

I'm not sure why people are being so insistent on it's a film only for a "specific audience", puberty happens to everyone. Breaking away from your parents, angry mood swings, reconciling with your parents when you're adult about your difficult teen years etc aren't just girl or Canadian things.

Turning Red felt a little out of place for a Pixar movie, but in all the right ways. Then again, I was 13 in 2002 so I could easily relate 😂

I just wanted to say that a critique of a movie’s quality can be completely objective, regardless of the target audience.
For example, if I really enjoyed the original Super Mario Bros. movie because I was a fictional Brooklyn plumber, that’s great! It’s good I could enjoy it for what it was and relate to it. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the movie was terrible on every metric perspective. I haven’t seen this particular movie, and the fan posters look quite nice, but a movie’s quality is almost completely independent of its target audience.

i guess this days you can call masterpiece to anything. words keep losing their meaning every day more and more. this movie is definitely not a masterpiece by any means.

Just the fact it's set in Toronto makes it instantly relatable for me.

"period piece" I see what you did there.

But, uh, yea, people are turned off by this movie because of the subject matter it covers and how a lot of parents were expecting it to be for a younger audience that likely isn't ready for that topic.

And you wouldn't see a film called "Turning Hard" about a young boy's experiences with puberty, so ... shouldn't be surprised some people have issue with this film.

@AlienX : It’s weird that such games are now a rarity. Back in the day, handheld consoles would typically get a completely unique experience on a platform by platform basis while the console/PC instalment was more or less the same, meaning that up to four separate games would be developed with only the IP/title in common.

One would think that it would be far easier now to make multiplatform video game adaptations as they would only need to make one game and optimise it for each platform.

I've seen Turning Red four times now (yay for having kids), I would have been fine seeing it once and never watching it again.

Great movie, but I can definitely understand people's criticism.

Either way, this movie is objectively better than Cars 2 and The Good Dinosaur and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong.

These negative comments are jarring af

@CharlieGirl As a 38 year old man without any kids, I found the movie both entertaining and heartwarming. I was surprised it was as good as it was. I was expecting another Good Dinosaur.

@StarPoint Being objective about the movie, a lot of people can agree the 3D animation used in the movie is top notch.

Story wise, yeah, not everyone's favorite, and that's alright.

I thought the movie was actually pretty good, but this is Pixar and they've set a high bar, on that spectrum it's middle of the road for Pixar imo but far from their worst output when Cars and many unnecessary Pixar sequels exist. It's no WALL-E or Ratatouille either though.

@Chocobo_Shepherd People who get upset by the hidden themes in this movie are the same people that turn everything they see into a forced adult perspective because they want to outrage about everything. It's the same people that will scream if they see anyone eating a banana in public.

The movie is about a family that had an old god gift for the women in their family line to protect themselves by turning into big red pandas, but it's not convenient in the modern world anymore. So, "Turning Red" talks about turning into the big RED panda.

That's it. A little 5 year old that watches the movie catches this. Anyone saying it's not for kids under 10 because of the themes is crazy.

And well. If Turning Hard is about a family curse that turns males in a family line into statues, sure, why not? What would be wrong about it?

@OldManHermit @KateGray For the record, I must note that "Toronto Tanooki" is not a warm, pleasant reference, especially not today, with this site being coated in Kirby pink.

I haven't lived there in a while, but back then, we civilized residents were at the brink of open warfare with those raccoon villains. Aside from their concerted attempts to commandeer the transit system, there were the nightly binside battles in alleyways, and they terrorized the (admittedly weak-minded) mayor.

I once caught one of them calmly exiting the subway at Dupont Station - a likely haunt of theirs, with the nearby bandit-infested ravines and such. When I accused the misfurred evil-doer of fare evasion, it calmly dealt me a side-eye sneer and walked past like a supercilious teenager. Nope, those things are the enemy of man and furball alike. And, worst of all, they have deluded allies...

... Trudeau's probably going to grant them citizenship when they show up in Ottawa with their own little convoy.

@Olmectron
Wait, who screams about eating a banana in public?? Is there something I'm missing here?

@HotGoomba Is The Good Dinosaur generally disliked? While not mind-blowing, it was a pleasant enough story in some really pretty settings. Seems solidly mid-tier to me.

I sported a studded leather jacket and a pink mohawk, and went out to punk shows at the Big Bop at the corner of Queen and Bathurst

@OldManHermit I always thought your profile pic looked familiar! I was never brave enough to get off the Queen car at that stop. Maybe I'll see you at the soup kitchen on the northwest corner, when I work up the courage?

@Browny I know personally a lot of people that feel attacked because of someone eating a banana the usual way (peel off and start eating without a spoon) because that's somehow (they think) a thing to do in private.

But I don't live in the USA or in an European country, so maybe there's not a lot of people like this around there.

@HotGoomba the good dinosaur is not a high bar to clear lets be real here

@deliesh i think that's kind of the issue, agressive mediocrity is often worse than outright awfulness

@Olmectron
Today I learned something truly new. I have never known another way to eat a banana other than to peel and eat it by hand. The only exception being if the banana is added to a dish, like with ice cream.

What a world.

@Deliesh
I've genuinely heard a lot of dislike or at best dismissal of The Good Dinosaur. Admittedly, I only saw it once myself, and thought it wasn't great, but not Cars 2 levels of bad. From what I can recall, it was about a child coming to terms with the death of the parent they were most attached to, but somehow it didn't hit as hard as other Pixar films. It's one I'd like to give another go, and see if maybe there's something more to it I missed the first time.

@CharlieGirl
Toy story is for a younger audience. Madagascar is for a younger one. Still doesn’t stop them from being great movies for all ages.

You should include this one in the article as well!

@Olmectron No problem, dude. That's your perspective and that's fine. I'm just trying to help people understand the other side of the story because I think the natural tendency (as you can see in the comments) is to have absolutely no empathy for differing views.

Also, if you really think a story about boys' experiences with puberty would be received the same/differently, that's fine too. My experience has shown me otherwise. Like ... a lot.

Watched it with my daughter....... she wasnt keen, but i guess it just appeals to a very specific demographic (people who were teenagers in NA in the early 2000s). To me it didnt feel like a Pixar film (not many jokes for the adults like you would normally get).

@CANOEberry I've been in Canada for FIVE YEARS and I've only ever seen one raccoon, in downtown Halifax! I love the little round beasties

As a Canadian, I loved this film, but of course, it’s great putting its setting aside. And all the artwork I’ve seen inspired by the film has been great.

Deeefinitely not a movie for me.

Honestly, outside the ads on Disney+, this article is quite literally the only promotion I have seen of the movie, and it's about how people tie one power up from one Mario game to the movie.

Turning red was, not really good? For me anyway, I'm just not the target for this type of movie, and I just can't really Enjoy it all that much, but I get it, my opinion and all, its actually a pretty good movie for a smaller
audience.
The movie was cringe at times but I kinda felt that was probably the point? Anyway great mash up!

I miss the Pixar from the 2000 - 2010. I remember when the discussion for a new Pixar movie was, can they pull of another weird idea. Not only have their movies dipped in quality, they have a Buzzlighter movie coming, and it’s turned into a “woke and woe is me” feast, over a kiss. Toy Story 4 and Inside Out, we’re the last movies I’ve enjoyed, from Pixar. They felt the closest to the era I love.

I was heartbroken by Soul. It’s by my favorite Pixar director. I saw Up, ten times, in the theater alone. The soundtrack. I played it hundreds of times (according to iTunes). Soul lacked that certain something, that I’d come to expect from a Pete Docter film. When the main character went from the human world, to the other world, I knew it wasn’t going to be a good one. It didn’t have the grandeur or whimsy, when those moments happened in his other films. I was falling asleep, by the time the body switching happened.

I’ve noticed that some of Disney/Pixar’s talents are moving over to John Lasseters new home. It’ll be interesting to see what comes out of that studio.

I miss being excited for a new Pixar movie. Going to the theater, opening day. If they really hit it out of the park, for me, the movie was in my head, for the rest of the day.

@CharlieGirl Saw a reviewer who said he couldn't get into the movie because it felt like it was targeting a very niche audience, and everybody on Twitter was quick to call him racist/sexist and devoid of empathy for others. That seems to be the general consensus by most of the people over there--if you didn't like it, it's because you're automatically a bigot. So while I agree with the sentiment that it's fine if not every movie appeals to everyone, it goes both ways. For all the toxic negativity, there can be just as much toxic positivity. I think if someone loved the movie because it made them feel represented, that's awesome. But if someone hated the movie because it just wasn't for them, that's cool too.

The movie was abominable. Each release by Pixar gets worse and worse.

Disney really needs to shake up their tired formula.

@StarPoint Yeah I dunno man, I HATED this movie! I really dislike the animation and I just really didn't like it. I was like, "this is Pixar?"

The racoon looks like the bear in Charmin toilet paper commercials.

Just my opinion though I guess.

FURRY ALERT
FURRY ALERT
WOOWOO WOOWOO

@icomma

I think it's important to acknowledge the validity of everyone's subjective experiences. As a white guy, maybe I have blinders on to certain things. But from my perspective, I see no shortage of non-white media and feel like that makes up the majority of the content I consume. I'm not deliberately going out of my way to watch shows with minority leads, they just so happen to be the ones with the most compelling narratives oftentimes, so I watch them.

If this were a racial issue, I feel like we would have seen more backlash about other Asian-inspired Disney films like Raya and the Last Dragon which just released last year, or the live-action Mulan adaptation. I saw nothing negative about the former, and the latter's controversy only really stemmed from the lead actress' comments about Hong Kong--well, that and the fact people were tired of Disney's lazy rehashes.

Then you have stuff like Encanto, Moana, Coco, and Soul that have all gotten almost universal praise. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" has become a phenomenon that might even rival "Let It Go." I could go on about the massive resurgence in popularity of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is my favorite show and one that (while admittedly created by white guys) puts loving care into the accurate cultural depictions of Asian architecture, clothing, martial artistry, and naming conventions.

Again, maybe my perspective is skewed as a white guy, but when people say whites are by and large the most represented group in movies and television, I can't help but look around and question whether we're living in the same reality. I haven't yet watched Turning Red myself yet to know how relatable it is or not, but I definitely think it can vary based on the work.

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, for example, is probably my favorite family sitcom. It stars a black lead, and many of the episodes revolve around the experience of being African-American, but I never felt like the show was unrelatable. More recently, I watched a couple episodes of The Proud Family, which I was eager to watch for the first time. It didn't really grab me, though whenever I next renew my Disney+ subscription, I want to give it another go. With a name like "The Proud Family," the message is clear: this is a show that is unapologetically black, which is fine and I can appreciate it. But from the first couple episodes, I got the impression that I wouldn't be able to appreciate it as much without having lived the African-American experience firsthand. The show wasn't written to necessarily win people like me over, and that's completely fine. Not everything has to cater specifically to me. And while I can understand and appreciate its importance to those communities, it just might not resonate with me in the same way.

Perhaps the critic's intent was to say that Turning Red catered toward not just an Asian demographic in general, but was narrowly focused on Asians who also happened to live in Canada, meaning that perhaps not even most Asians would be able to identify with it. That's one way you could read it. Lastly, I saw accusations of bigotry before the film even released toward people who did not like the artistic direction of the film because of the whole "Cal-Arts style" thing. I just think people can be far too reactionary sometimes, and while racism is certainly an issue, I think many perceived microaggressions may really just be misunderstandings.

That's just me though, and I'm willing to keep an open mind to whatever you have to say in response.

@Mikmoomamimocki If you want to see something that looks like the bear in the Charmin commercials, look up Mark DeCarlo, the voice of Jimmy Neutron's dad, who recently started a v-tuber channel called "Boffo the Bear." I love his voiceover work, and he's incredibly in touch with the Jimmy Neutron fans on Twitter and Discord, which is awesome to see...but man, I hate Boffo, lol.

@Not_Soos
Dude, you hit the nail on the head.

I completely agree with your analysis of how media is received in this day and age. It feels like certain groups wish to heap praise and acclaim on media that is representative of lesser recognized cultures or topics simply because they exist, rather than based on merit.

The claim that Turning Red was perhaps too narrow in its focus isn't entirely incorrect, and that focus can alienate some viewers. But to voice anything than praise for some media, simply because of who made it or what it is sharing, is taken as aggression nowadays because of toxic mentalities cultured by insular social media circles.

One should always be happy and willing to hear opinions that differ from one's own, for its through that exchange that we can all grow and better understand one another.

Quality of the film aside, I think it's pretty cool how many people on nintendolife live in the GTA.

@Not_Soos I agree. I don't think it's really a racial issue. I'm Asian. I don't like this movie. Just because a piece of media caters towards a specific demographic, and you dislike that piece of media, doesn't mean that you are hating on that demographic.

Also, I really disliked the Mulan remake. They took everything special about the original and threw it in the trash. What used to be a fun song is now a creepy conversation. Instead of hard work and brains, Mulan now has magical powers. I hated that movie.

@Mikmoomamimocki My two young children hated the movie. Everyone in my family of four did not like it.

Encanto was almost as bad. The movie about the Italian fish boys was formulaic and as boring as it gets. Remember the pandemic movie about the teenage trolls on a quest? Jesus in heaven that was bad. Pixar is now really bad.

The last memorable disney movie imo was Moana. Which was fantastic.

@CANOEberry Haha, There was no need for such trepidation! I was, and remain a kindly hermit, in spite of my bemohawked appearance at the time.

In regards to the raccoons, they are quite prodigious in the city, yes. But, I've always felt a certain camaraderie with their ilk. In my old neighbourhood there was an entire block of abandoned homes, which we affectionately referred to as Raccoon City. I would often lurk their.

Flying is for pandas.

(The mods are totally gonna delete my comments for being irrelevant again, aren't they? I'm sorry, it's just so hard. 😭)

I'm looking forward to seeing it. I don't know who it's for, if it's "for me" or not. I've seen a lot of things that might not be "for me" and enjoyed them so I don't see how that's a criticism.

@Browny

You and I seem to share very similar life philosophies. I agree with everything you said. I used to just keep all my opinions to myself, as I was too afraid of being rejected and inadvertently offending people. But I think there is a lot of good that can come from an honest conversation. I've had countless Twitter discussions with people far less Conservative than I that ended with a peaceful resolution with mutual respect. In many cases, I think we were both able to learn from each other. Sometimes they get hostile to my opinions at first, but if they start name-calling and accusing me of things, I just try to remain respectful and still listen to what they say. Eventually, it wears them down, and they start lending me the same courtesy. I've had a handful of interactions that ended on a negative note, but for the most part, it's lead to some really good conversation.

I also agree with you about movies being judged based on the ethnicity of their leading characters rather than the quality of the films themselves. I know it was widely praised, but I personally hated Soul--for a myriad of reasons. None of which had to do with the skin color of the main characters. I was actually really excited to see it after hearing all the praise, but it just didn't live up for me. I may not be black, but mental health is something I can deeply relate to, which is a theme I think the movie was trying to tap into with its message about life being worth living. I sort of read it as a commentary on suicide, and while I understand it's technically a kid's movie, I felt like it was a very shallow representation if that's what they were going for.

There's several other reasons I didn't like the film, like the girl character looking like a Vanillope knockoff from Wreck-It Ralph, for example. But, it puts you in a tough spot because you don't want your valid criticism to be interpreted as racism. If a work of art means a lot to someone because they see themselves in it, that's awesome. But, everyone has their opinions, and even when it comes to non race-related things as trivial as Thousand-Year Door vs. Origami King, just because someone has a differing opinion doesn't mean it's a personal attack. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and mine isn't meant to take away from anyone else's enjoyment they derived from something.

@Not_Soos
I've found, like you perhaps, that the trick is to be honest to who you are, and in the process be respectful to others; doing this will allow us to not only be happier, but to try and fight against the echo chamber effect.

Ironically, I found Soul to be a top tier Pixar film, but because I really resonated with what I felt to be the message of the film: is your lifelong dream the same as your purpose, and what happens if they aren't? But it's neither here nor there.

For the record, I also disliked the visual design of the main character in Turning Red. And while the overall visual style of the film wasn't to my liking, I did appreciate the sheer effort of the visuals.

@PtM
I don't. Doesn't change my dedication to being true to myself and my goal of treating everyone as equally as possible when it comes to discourse.

Things I got from this movie: first impressions, ugh conservative/sheltered upbringing lifestyle, probly not gonna like it, main character doesn't seem great. After watching some of it, def covers the Asian stereotype wether true or not, has some 2000 refs which I liked, and I actually digged the friend characters over the main. Tho the red panda form was 👌 and fun haha, could call it the exception. Overall the movie was good and exceeded my expectations once I gave it a chance. Def better than emcanto 🙄😆. Encanto felt short, too Pixar cheezy musically, and I liked the red panda differention much better. Hope they continue this rounte in the future. I wouldn't pay to see encanto. Red panda is worth a few bucks. To be fair tho, I watched both for free. I feel red panda had more plot/story. Encanto practically none. 🤷‍♀️

The movie was mehh for me. Some friends totally loved it,, which is totally fine. I just miss the days where the story for a movie was a great/clever plot and not some kind of social commentary/allegory.

I didn’t like the movie, and don’t know much about the red panda stuff outside of what the movie told us about it. It did seem similar to tanuki kind of, so I’m not suprised by the comparison.

I’ll use this as an excuse to complain how obnoxious the friends and the MC was. The voice acting gave me a headache by the end of the movie. So grating.

Animation was good though.

@MostHandsieBoy I don’t think they’re horrible…just less exciting? I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like the climax isn’t fulfilling enough or something.

They’re an easy laid back watch. Something I’d associate with those basic kid shows that air on weekday mornings.

I think it’s because the stakes are a little more personal, and the characters are somewhat undercooked/unrelatabke making it hard to be invested in their story.

Onward really disappointed me for some reason. It felt like it could’ve been more fantastical. The dad pants thing was interesting as a concept, but I honestly stopped caring midway through the movie. I’ve seen the trope of reconnecting with a dead parent before and it’s so cheap. It’s cheap. It was cheap in Ghostbusters Afterlife, it was cheap in the Adam Project. All of us can sympathize with missing a dead relative, it’s just hard to relate to a character who’s character arc is resolved by reconciling directly with that relative.

I liked Soul though, still…def doesn’t reach the same height as the older movies.

Zootopia is the last (Disney) animated movie I really liked though, so it’s been a while.

@LUIGITORNADO I take it kind of personally with Disney. I was a stockholder for a long time so I was rooting for them financially (I'm divested now so who cares) and only a few years ago my little girls and I watched it all. From Snow White to present day. I own maybe 15 to 20 of the things.

After introducing my children to Miyazaki they are bored of Disney. Even when I try to bring in the absolute perfection classics like Dumbo and Alice - they clamor to watch Totoro for the 10th time.

I want to like Disney I am nostalgic for that top notch drawing and story they can tell. They seem to be stuck in a 1970/80s rut - or it's right before the rut. The part where kids bore of their IPs but they keep making the same thing over and over again because they don't want to make the leap either.

2cents. I care because I know how talented the company is and I expect much more.

I'm Italian and I thought Luca was terrible. The whole movie is just one stereotype after another. I think there are a ton of stereotypes in Turning Red as well. It's hilarious how when stereotypes are exploited it's a crime, but if stereotypes are exploited under the banner of representation, they're celebrated O_o

@NintendoJunkie When was that?

@Purgatorium I know what I'm about to say is pretty subjective but, anecdotally, I was watching Pete's Dragon (not the remake) the other night with my family and it was just fun. It was a clever story. It didn't feel like a deep interpersonal conflict or specific social commentary. Movies or stories like Aladdin or Big Hero Six, where there are many themes, but for the most part are open to interpretation, don't seem to be coming from Disney as much any more. Disney/Pixar films as of late seem a lot more focused. I think that is fine for some folks. Personally I miss the older, story for story sake. I'm not saying what I like is missing from movies now, it just seems Disney specifically has stepped away from that a little.