JP Nunez
Have you ever wondered what a werewolf movie would be like if the cursed character turned into a panda instead of a wolf? Me neither, but I have to admit, after seeing the new trailer for the upcoming Pixar film Turning Red, I’m feeling a sudden urge to find out. Here’s what the movie is going to be about:
“Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red introduces Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she ‘poofs’ into a giant red panda!”
If there’s one studio you can count on to turn ridiculously absurd concepts into surprisingly good movies, it’s Pixar, and it looks like they’re going to do it yet again when they return to theaters in 2022. The Turning Red trailer combines elements of fantasy, coming of age, comedy, and even horror into a unique mix that has a little something for everyone, and there are two things in particular about it that really stood out to me.
For starters, we have the mythology. The idea of someone turning into a panda instead of a wolf or a giant green hulk is enough to get me interested, but there’s a lot more to it than just that bare premise. There’s mysticism and family history involved too, and while the trailer doesn’t tell us too much about this curse (or quirk, as Mei’s mother calls it), I bet that what it does show is just the tip of the iceberg. I suspect that the film will teach us more about the history behind Mei’s strange condition, and from the little bit we already know, it’s almost certainly going to be worth the wait.
Secondly, there’s the comedy. As with any Pixar film, Turning Red looks like a hoot and a half, and to be honest, I’m having trouble picking out just one scene as an example. Should I point to Mei’s opening monologue? Or the shot where Mei is in her bed and it collapses? Or the part where Mei’s friend clobbers her? This trailer is full of amazing laughs from start to finish, so I can’t wait to see how funny the full movie is.
And thankfully, that wait isn’t going to be too long. Turning Red is scheduled to hit theaters on March 11, and I fully expect it to live up to the promise of its great trailer.
So what do you think of the trailer for Turning Red? Do you agree with JP that it looks like another win for Pixar? Let us know in the comments! And if you’re looking for horror trailers we’ve got you covered!
