Controversial review of movie 'Turning Red' ignites outcries of racism and sexism

Mei Lee in Pixar's newest film 'Turning Red.'

OPINION

A review that pooh-poohed the Pixar animated film Turning Red as being directed at too narrow an audience has generated a lot of reaction and raises the broader question of "Who is American?"  

At first, I thought I'd just add an addendum to my original article about Turning Red, but the heated outcry that followed the CinemaBlend review was on point on so many levels that I thought it deserved a deeper discussion.

Although the movie takes place in Toronto, Canada, and its creator is from Canada, in this article I use the term "American" to refer to residents of the U.S. and Canada, who share a similar edited Euro-centric history, or point of view.

CinemaBlend's managing director Sean O'Connell who authored the questionable review wrote that he  relate to the movie., which focuses on Mei Lee, a 13-year old Chinese Canadian girl experiencing her first menstrual period, discovering boys and enjoying her diverse clique of girlfriends. She also cursed with turning into a giant red panda whenever she gets too emotional.

The white, male reviewer called the film, "limiting." although he admitted that tween-age Asian American girls will no doubt celebrate the movie.

He wrote: "By rooting 'Turning Red' very specifically in the Asian community of Toronto, the film legitimately feels like it was made for Domee Shi's friends and immediate family members. Which is fine — but also, a tad limiting in its scope."

As the review began to generate criticism of its own, O'Connell tweeted back: “Some Pixar films are made for a universal audience. Turning Red is not. The target audience for this one feels very specific, very narrow. If you are in it, this might work for you. I am not in it. This was exhausting.”

“God, this is terrible criticism,” Backstage Senior Editor Vinnie Mancuso tweeted. “Writing about art requires empathy. ‘This wasn’t made for me’ is a starting point, not THE point.”

"This is what happens when white males are presented as the default," tweets POC Culture. "Audiences have empathized w/ white make protagonists forever but you get one Asian girl in animation & these people question their existence.

The outcry of protest apparently had its effect. CinemaBlend deleted the review from its website. CinemaBlend Editor-In-Chief Mack Rawden issued the following statement: “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.”

O'Connell also released his own apology: “I’m 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 didn’t engage nearly enough with the movie, nor did I explain my point of view well, at all. I really appreciate your feedback.”

O'Connell has every right to his opinion. But writers and their editors need to be careful when writing about people of color or, in this case, writing about a film that presents a worldview outside of the white male perspective.

O'Connell fell into the same trap that other white male journalists encountered when reporting on the Ukraine war when some reporters called the conflict was about a country more "civilized" than other war-torn regions; or the tragedy that has befallen on the war's refugees was more shocking and garnered more sympathy because they were "blonde, blue-eyed" Europeans.

Even though he is writing about cartoon characters and not the bloody violence of war, O'Connell still viewed Turning Red as a foreign story, about strange "others" even though it took place in Toronto and even though Pixar and its artists are based in Berkeley, California. 

The white male narrative is too often seen as the "norm" and all other perspectives as lesser than or foreign. That viewpoint has guided and misguided U.S. and Canadian histories and culture for too long to the point of erasing the stories of Native Americans (Canada uses First Nations when referring to indigenous peoples) immigrants, Blacks, Latinos and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

It has become evident that this long-held perspective that placed the white male on a pedestal to the exclusion of a more diverse lens has harmed our countries and is responsible for much of the race problems we are still struggling with. This narrow view dehumanizes everybody who is not white and is the basis of the white supremacist movement, radical rightwing Christians and followers of Donald Trump.

It still irks me when immigrants call white people "the Americans" because they have been brainwashed into that colonial mindset.

Turning Red could be a turning point in journalism and art criticism as critics and editors start to question their own biases. For some people, it easier to accept a giant red panda than to talk or write about real people.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and tips from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd..

'Turning Red' tackles a familiar balancing act for AANHPI adolescents

Pixar's and Disney's 'Turning Red," features a diverse cast.

 

OPINON

For most people middle school was a traumatic time with our bodies experiencing hormonic changes, that transitional period between adulthood and childhood, and the time when we want to break away from our parents care as we seek to become our own person.

For lack of a role model, I identified with "Beaver" Cleaver, (OK, so I'm dating myself) whose fictional TV sitcom (Leave It to Beaver) family, friends, neighborhood and school looked nothing like my own reality, which explains a lot about my own personal hangups. (But, that's another story)

Oh, how I wish Turning Red, which premiered today (March 11) on Disney+, was around when I was in sixth and seventh grade.

Pixar's newest animated feature centers on Asian Canadian Mei Lee, a 13-year-old girl who is torn between being her mother's obedient daughter and the chaos of her youth. As if that were not enough, when she gets too excited, she turns into a big red panda, a product of a family curse.

(Metaphorically speaking, recall those awkward times in your life when you believe the whole world is staring at you because of your appearance or something you did.)

Like many children of immigrants, Mei navigates the tumultuous teen years while balancing herself between two cultures. She is unabashedly Asian and unapologetic American. Mei is a dork but she is also super confident, loves her racial heritage and an ardent fan of a boy band.

Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Grey's Anatomy) and newcomer Rosalie Chiang, who give voice to the mother and Mei, respectively, believe Turning Red has the potential to be transformative.

“Hopefully this film ... gives the experience to [people] just like Mei that you are the hero, a 13-year-old Chinese girl is a hero,” Oh, 50, told the Daily News.

“For someone like myself, and my generation, we did not see ourselves in the center of the story, or the hero, and the fact that we have a lot more stories that are diverse, it just includes more people and it also makes storytelling just much more interesting,” says Oh, who grew up in Canada.

Speaking to one critic's review of the film that he couldn't relate to film because it is targeted at a small, specific audience -- Asian Americans, Oh speaks to the universality of the tween experience and the difficulty of "fitting in."

"You go through changes in your life — puberty, needing to individuate from your parents," Oh continues. "That's ultimately what the film is about and it's just another extra layer that we were able to add it from a specific cultural perspective."

Rosalie Chiang, left, and Sandra Oh, stars of 'Turning Red.'

"This is a coming of age film, everyone goes through this change," says Chiang, a teenager herself growing up with immigrant parents in Fremont, Calif. "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,” she tells CBC.

"Since I was between 12 and 16 when I was recording for Mei, I could bring a lot of my own experiences into the character," says Chiang.

"I'm sort of growing with the movie, so I think I could bring another layer of authenticity to a 13-year-old girl,"she adds.

“It was important for me from the beginning that this wasn't your typical story of a militant parent who's very strict and forbidding, and a kid who feels oppressed and wants to break free,” explains director and co-writer Domee Shi, who also helmed the Oscar-winning Pixar short Bao. 

“For Mei, and I think for myself and a lot of Asian immigrant kids, we really want to honor our parents, like we love them and the sacrifices that they've made for us. But she also is being pulled in this other direction [towards] her friends and boybands and whatever that represents for anyone else who watches it.”

Despite using Leave It to Beaver as a standard, I survived, somehow. Thank goodness  AANHPI kids growing up today, have shows like Turning Red, Never Have I Ever and Fresh Off the Boat that, at times, reflect their realities to help navigate through those difficult years.

Turning Red can be streamed on Disney+.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, reviews and tips from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

TGIF Feature: Watch Oscar nominee 'Kitbull'

'

While we're still basking in the four Oscars won by the South Korean film Parasite, we want to bring your attention to another film by an AAPI filmmaker.
Kitbull, directed by Malaysian American Rosana Sullivan and produced by Kathryn Hendrickson, reveals an unlikely connection that sparks between a fiercely independent stray kitten and an abused pit bull. Together, they experience friendship for the first time.

Beginning her journey with Pixar eight years ago, as a storyboard artist on The Good Dinosaur, Sullivan made her directorial debut this year with Kitbull, which was among the nominees for the Motion Picture Academy’s Best Animated Short Film.

Kitbull emerged from Sullivan’s desire to capture animals in animation, the way that they actually are. “I love cat videos, as we all do, and I just wanted to draw a kitten being a kitten, because I never saw that done in animation, at least not often. Usually, they’re anthropomorphized, and I just wanted to capture the spirit of a real kitten,” the director tells Deadline.

“It then evolved into something about connection and friendship between two outcast characters, because that was something that I had struggled with as a kid. Just that feeling when you don’t feel connected to the larger world.”

The eventual winner in the Animated Short Film category was Hair Love, about an African American father learning to do his daughter's hair for the first time.

Pixar's Rosana Sullivan's film was nominated for an Oscar.

Pixar’s 'Wind' is a Korean grandmother’s legacy

PIXAR

A scene from 'Wind.'

ASAM NEWS

The story of Wind, the latest short film from Pixar’s Sparkshort program, is the inspiration of director Edwin Chang.
Meaww reports Chang created an underground world where a grandmother and grandson are trapped. They can’t get out and are forced to live on rocks. No rock is their permanent home as the wind keeps the rocks floating and forces them to move from boulder to boulder. They are determined to get out.

“It’s a metaphor for Korea, a metaphor for immigration, but personally it was inspired by my grandmother,” Chang explains to ABC7. “She was a single mother after the Korean War, and it’s inspired by everything she did to take care of her kids and my dad, feed them, educate them and eventually sending them all the way to the U.S. for a new life.”

Fiction yes, but definitely based on reality

“This makes it feel real. This really has consequences. It’s a real place,” he said.

Unfortunately Chang’s grandmother never got to see her grandson’s finished product. She died before the film could be completed, but she remains vivid through Wind and in Chang’s mind.

Meaww reports the film will leave you teary-eyed. Wind can be seen on the Disney Plus streaming service.

Wind and Float, another short Pixar animated film featuring Asian American characters, are part of an initiative called SparkShorts. 

“The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows," said Pixar president Jim Morris. "These films are unlike anything we’ve ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than our normal fare.”

Wind and Float can be viewed on the Disney+ streaming network.

Float creator’s next project is is an arnis-wielding Filipino superhero

Bobby Rubio's latest creation: Dan Reyes, eskrima superhero.

Could we be seeing a Filipino superhero coming out of Pixar?

Bobby Rubio, who created Float featuring the first Filipno animated characters, has been working on a comic book project called "Neighborhood Legend," that fans hope can be turned into an animated feature.

Rubio has been working on "Neighborhood Legend" off-and-on for several years. It's central character is a Filipino American superhero named Dan Reyes, who wields an enchanted Arnis.

Bobby says he wanted to highlight the use of the national sport and indigenous martial arts of the Philippines’ Eskrima also known as Kali or Arnis.

"I did it because I love Nightwing and I love Black Widow and they both use escrima, but I thought it would be nice to have a Filipino superhero actually do the artform for once," said Rubio. "I also want to incorporate Filipino folklore in Neighborhood Legend as well."

There are many interesting characters in the comic book, one of the most striking character is “Liwayway” a blind grandma Eskrima Master and Spiritual Leader (Babaylan) to Dan Reyes. Rubio shared on his Instagram that the classic “Darna”, the adventures of the Filipina superhero, inspired him to create his own Filipino-based character.

Float is streaming on the Disney+ network.

TGIF Feature: Filipino American characters to debut in Pixar's 'Float'

PIXAR

A first: The two lead characters in 'Float' are Filipino Americans.

ASAM NEWS &
VIEWS FROM THE EDGE

Animation takes a new twist, courtesy of Pixar, with its new short Float due out November 12 with the debut of the Disney+ streaming platform.
Float is one of six projects under its SparkShorts banner. It’s from writer/producer Bobby Rubio.

This is believed to be the first time ever Filipino American characters have been featured in animation. It’s also the first time Pixar has introduced Filipino CGI characters.

In his video blog on YouTube, Frank Bernard said SparkShorts is designed to bring more diverse storytelling to Pixar Studios. 

Bernard described the story in Float this way. “The dad has tanned skin, large expressive eyes, a very prominent Filipino nose, and definitely epitomizes the traits of a Filipino father. The fact that he’s depicted as a very protective dad who tries to keep his son grounded, literally, is so Filipino, and it really shows Rubio is tying in his own culture in his work.”

Rubio has worked as a story artist for Incredibles 2, Inside Out, and Monsters University.

“I know what it means to see our culture represented on screen,” Rubio wrote on Twitter.

Rubio has worked on other Pixar hits including Incredibles 2, Inside Out, Up and Monsters and also the animate films Tarzan and Avatar: The Last Airbender series. 

He shared how important it is to finally have characters that represent millions of Filipinos all over the world.

"I am proud to tell our stories. I know what it means to see our culture represented on screen! #RepresentationMatters," he wrote.

Excitement in the Fil Am community is building

"I am so grateful to tell our stories. I know what it means to be underrepresented... I’m going to do my best to tell MORE!" he wrote in another tweet.

Rubio is currently on a separate project entitled Neighborhood Legend, starring yet another Filipino American character in a story set in his hometown of San Diego, California.

You can get a look at all six Pixar SparkShorts in the trailer below.

“The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows,” said Jim Morris, president of Pixar Animation Studios. “These films are unlike anything we’ve ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than our normal fare.”

Added Lindsey Collins, vice president of development for Pixar, “We want to nurture our future storytellers and encourage them to share their stories with the world. Who are the future directors and producers and what crazy new ideas do they have brewing? What is the next big breakthrough in our industry? Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of Sparkshorts. The program was created to provide opportunities to a wide array of artists—each with something unique to say.”

___________________________________________________________________

Pixar introducing films by two of their Asian American artists

DISNEY PIXAR

Two Filipino American characters will be featured in the animated short film 'Float.'

PIXAR, the animation studio that gave us some of the best movies in recent years, will be releasing two short films by Asian American artists.

In a video posted on Disney Pixar's social media accounts, Bobby Rubio's animated short Float  and Edwin Chang's Wind are featured as one of the SparkShorts films for 2019. SparkShorts is a project under Disney Pixar, which showcases the short films created by the company's group of artists.

"I see it as a wonderful opportunity to tell my story," Rubio said of Float, which will have two Filipino characters, a first for Pixar.

Rubio, who has worked on animated films Tarzan, Avatar: The Last Airbender series, and Up shared how important it is to finally have characters that represent millions of Filipinos all over the world.

In Float, A father discovers that his son floats, which makes him different from other kids. To keep them both safe from the judgement of the world, Dad hides, covers, and grounds him. But when his son’s ability becomes public, Dad must decide whether to run and hide or to accept his son as he is.

"I am proud to tell our stories. I know what it means to see our culture represented on screen! #RepresentationMatters," he wrote.

"I am so grateful to tell our stories. I know what it means to be underrepresented... I’m going to do my best to tell MORE!" he wrote in another tweet.

DISNEY PIXAR

Artist Bobby Rubio has created Pixar's first film featuring with a Filipino theme.

Also announced in the SparkShort initiative is Edwin Chang who will be directing Wind.

Wind is a magical realism story about a Grandma and a Grandson trapped in a massive, never ending sinkhole, living on a large boulder suspended by strong winds. Together they scavenge falling debris to build an escape, hoping to find a better life in the outside world.

The short films in the SparkShorts program will hit YouTube starting February, but Rubio's film still has no release date.

DISNEY PIXAR

A scene from Edwin Chang's 'Wind.'

“The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows,” said Jim Morris, president of Pixar Animation Studios. “These films are unlike anything we’ve ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than our normal fare.”

Added Lindsey Collins, vice president of development for Pixar, “We want to nurture our future storytellers and encourage them to share their stories with the world. Who are the future directors and producers and what crazy new ideas do they have brewing? What is the next big breakthrough in our industry? Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of Sparkshorts. The program was created to provide opportunities to a wide array of artists—each with something unique to say.”

Rubio is currently on a separate project entitled Neighborhood Legend, starring yet another Filipina American character in a story set in his hometown of San Diego, California.

All of the shorts will be available on Disney+, the upcoming streaming service that Disney will launch in late 2019.