Current Events > "Turning Red" review pulled due to Outrage

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The cast and filmmakers behind Disney/Pixars upcoming animated feature Turning Red have spoken out to tout its universal coming-of-age themes after a review posted by outlet CinemaBlend on Tuesday generated online backlash. The review, written by the sites managing director Sean OConnell, was pulled by the outlet after press on social media took issue with the article for its perceived sexist and racist viewpoints.
The film, directed and co-written by Oscar winner Domee Shi, centers on a 13-year-old girl named Mei Lee, who is torn between family loyalty and the chaos of puberty and the growing pains of middle school. Along the way, she routinely turns into a giant red panda.

Throughout Turning Red, Domee Shi and her co-screenwriter Julia Cho pepper in jokes and references that will speak directly to teenage girls, be it their bonds over sappy pop songs, or their heated lust for older teen dudes, OConnells since-deleted review said. Without question, Turning Red is the horniest movie in Pixar history, which parents no doubt will find surprising. I recognized the humor in the film, but connected with none of it. By rooting Turning Red very specifically in the Asian community of Toronto, the film legitimately feels like it was made for Domee Shis friends and immediate family members. Which is fine but also, a tad limiting in its scope.

In a since-deleted tweet sharing the review, OConnell wrote, Some Pixar films are made for universal audiences. Turning Red is not. The target audience for this one feels very specific and very narrow. If you are in it, this might work very well for you. I am not in it. This was exhausting.
OConnells review appeared to question the films appeal as a story about a young girl of Asian background going through the changes of youth.
In an interview with CBC, Rosalie Chiang, who voices Mai, disagreed with the review, saying, This is a coming-of-age film. Everyone goes through this change. I think different people of different cultures are going to go through it differently, but at the end of the day, the core messiness and change is something everyone can relate to.

Co-star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who voices Meis friend Priya, echoed Chiangs remarks, saying that audiences will be able to relate to Meilins story, regardless of whether you are a young Chinese girl from Canada or not.
Director Shi, also disagreeing with the review, added that the film is a love letter to that time of our lives. Its a love letter to puberty. Its a love letter to Toronto.

In the hours after the review was posted on Tuesday, CinemaBlend pulled the article, with Editor-in-Chief Mack Rawden issuing an apology on Twitter and announcing the outlet would assign the film to another writer. We failed to properly edit this review, and it never should have gone up. We have unpublished it and assigned to someone else. We have also added new levels of editorial oversight. Thank you to everyone who spoke up, Rawden wrote. See below.

OConnell also went on to issue an apology for the review, tweeting, Im genuinely sorry for my Turning Red review. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with criticism, no matter how harsh. It is clear that I didnt engage nearly enough with the movie, nor did I explain my point of view well, at all. I really appreciate your feedback.

https://www.indiewire.com/2022/03/turning-red-cast-speaks-out-cinemablend-review-1234706371/

Personally, I think it's okay to disagree with it but I don't think this review was written with malicious intent to be sexist or racist to get it taken down.

Prestoff posted...

The film, directed and co-written by Oscar winner Domee Shi, centers on a 13-year-old girl named Mei Lee, who is torn between family loyalty and the chaos of puberty and the growing pains of middle school. Along the way, she routinely turns into a giant red panda.

Um what?

Rathinor posted...

Um what?

That's the main conflict and premise of the movie, she turns into a Red Panda if she feels strong emotions.

Rathinor posted...

Um what?

yeah it's really fucking stupid, basically think the incredible hulk, but it's any strong emotion, and a giant red panda

She turns into what again?

RedLuigi posted...

She turns into what again?

Into Pot of Greed, it lets you draw 2 cards.

a giant red panda

not a panda that is red and also giant, but a red panda that is giant

Along the way, she routinely turns into a giant red panda.

Rob Schneider is..... a stapler!

Rated PG-13

Dude should have stuck by his review.

Why are people getting so upset over this particular movie?

It just looks like silly Disney family movie.

It sounds like she wrote the script to a boring indie film and then put red pandas into it

PowerOats posted...

Why are people getting so upset over this particular movie?

It just looks like silly Disney family movie.

People get upset every time Disney makes a movie about non-white people

PowerOats posted...

Why are people getting so upset over this particular movie?

It just looks like silly Disney family movie.

the art sucks, for one. it's like 3D calarts and it offends my sensibilities as a media consumer

I hope someday when I release an indie game, if there's a negative review I disagree with I can just complain on Twitter to have it taken down.

I thought it was about getting your period.

PowerOats posted...

Why are people getting so upset over this particular movie?

It just looks like silly Disney family movie.

Controversy started when an early review of the movie called it "unapologetically horny", which some people to offense to because the feel that it's inappropriate to have in a family film. Basically the main character transforming into a red panda is suppose to be a metaphor puberty, growing up. It really just sounds like a typical coming of age story imo. As long as they don't sexualize the girls or anything, I'm really not seeing the issue with it either.

People who can't relate to anyone who isn't 100% exactly like them are kinda pathetic.

"The main character is a GIRL!? Fuck that."

PowerOats posted...

Why are people getting so upset over this particular movie?

It just looks like silly Disney family movie.

Something about the artstyle of this and Luca I find extremely repulsive for some reason, this one in particular practically looks like one of those Dr Seuss Illumination movies.

HylianFox posted...

People who can't relate to anyone who isn't 100% exactly like them are kinda pathetic.

i have a feeling the middle aged man who reviewed the movie wouldn't relate to the teenage girl who turns into a giant red panda anyway

PowerOats posted...

Why are people getting so upset over this particular movie?

It just looks like silly Disney family movie.

Being mad is trendy. Hell, I didn't even know this movie existed before this topic. But I want to be popular so fuck this movie and fuck pandas.

Kim_Seong-a posted...

But I want to be popular so fuck this movie and fuck pandas.

you mean red pandas

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Hell, I didn't even know this movie existed before this topic.

Also this

to which she routinely turns in

viewmaster_pi posted...

i have a feeling the middle aged man who reviewed the movie wouldn't relate to the teenage girl who turns into a giant red panda anyway

Nobody can turn into a giant red panda, so I guess nobody can relate

HylianFox posted...

Nobody can turn into a giant red panda, so I guess nobody can relate

that's pretty much the size of it

i mean the situation, not the red panda. the red panda's giant

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I still hold the opinion that the review should still stay up, I also agree with this post that saying a movie is not good because you can't "relate to it" is kinda stupid. An example I can think of on the top of my head is Nier Automata, where the characters were so bland to me that I couldn't relate or feel about anything in this game which kind of made me lose interest in the story. The experience and gameplay loop though was the only saving grace for me to get through the different endings and while I couldn't relate at all to the story, I still recognize it as a good product and can fully understand why others absolutely adore it.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Both this and GoldenEel's post is the reason background made that post.