Is Pixar's Turning Red Too Niche?!⎮A Turning Red Discussion

Since Turning Red released there's been significant discourse online about a variety of "issues" audiences are having with Pixar's latest instalment. There has been a lot of hate for this film, which i have covered already, but one issue that consistently has come up which I haven't covered, is whether the film is too niche for a broad audience to be able to connect with it. And so today I thought I would examine and break down this critique and essentially tell you why that is completely false.
Hear our thoughts and let us know yours in the comments down below!

[@FatesUtopia2]

Like you’ve mentioned, people are taking this the wrong way. I’ve heard parents around me saying they don’t like the way it focuses on friend groups being her main source of strength during her confusion (aka not her parents). Thank you for your thoughtful analysis!

[@kingdomheartsfangrl6]

If u fear that ur kids will love their friends more than they do you, then maybe they just dont feel comfortable enough to be 100% genuine around the parents. I love my parents fo sho, but there are some things about me during my teen years that ive never told them but have told my friends. I have a friend who told me her mom is her best friend, and that she and her mom holds no secrets. Idk, parents insecurity over their kids' friends is so wild hahaha

[@starsiadraws]

I feel as a young parent I understand not wanting to feel like your child loves you especially since most young kids love their parents unconditionally. It's important to realize that they'll come to appreciate you again as they get through that confusing time and to try understanding your child. That doesn't mean you let them do things that aren't good for them

[@saffy18]

I can imagine parents not taking it well, but at the same time there's a huge group of people out there who rely more on their friends for emotional support than their family (me being one of them, and I know plenty of other people like this as well). And it's not like the movie is necessarily telling kids "your parents suck, go to your friends for help". The movie made it very clear that Mei's mother wasn't accepting of her personality or interests, which is why she relied more on her friends for those kinds of things. Mei's simply representing a population of people out there, she's not telling kids what to do.

[@ladybugcuti]

it really depends on the parent and child’s relationship ig. this movie focuses more on the relationship between her mother (ming), and mei not being as honest as before. since she is growing up things will change, so ofc the people who relate to her she could be more honest with. i actually liked that part of the plot, idk why people complain abt that though.

[@LadhielVulnera]

I like they showed exactly this, how mei finds a safe place in her friends

[@kou7191]

I'm a 30 year old bearded "bear" looking hispanic guy and I relate to this little asian girl way more than any character I'm "meant" to relate to. A lot of people just lack empathy, and it shows.

[@channel45853]

lol, what?

[@soursaccharine]

@@channel45853 basically: any type of person can relate to this

[@channel45853]

@@soursaccharine I mean the "lack empathy" part, all because they can't relate to a movie character......

[@soursaccharine]

@@channel45853 ooohh. i think that might mean like instead of being like “i can’t relate but that must suck” people just go “oh since i cant relate to this im just gonna say its stupid and no one can relate.” or something

[@channel45853]

@@soursaccharine I don't think the original commenter meant that, or at least it didn't sound like he did.

[@vladimir3905]

Exactly, for some reason, male focused stories are "for everyone", yet women focused stories are "just for women". That's ridiculous. And that, my friends, it's called living in a sexist society. And even if the story is "just for women" how is that a bad thing? Who says a man can't enjoy it even if he can't "relate" to it?

[@Thebeezzkneezz.]

This exactly. And the way people are reacting to the Tyler fight scene also pisses me off. In Luca we see the boys throw punches and no one blinks and eye A girl fights? SHE MUST HAVE CONSEQUENCES I seen many commentary were they go "she went to far how could she do that she needs to apologizeto him" as if tyler didnt bully her (im for assuming a few years due to the nick name "evil tyler" thats not a quick titel to earn) black mailed her and forced her to be the panada. Got in an argument (were he verbally abused her and her family) and her reaction is to jump on him and shake him up and to set her boundaries "dont talk about my family like that" She didnt even throw a punch she literally just shook and scared him. (He may have bruises and scrapes but all she did was shake him. Not her fault she's a big red panda. Again in the Luca and Alberto fight and they never apologize for that. And Mai had her reasons / anger towards this kid built up over years. Kids especially bullies need to be put in their place sometimes and her apologizing would make her standing up for herself a mute point I'm glad she apologized to her friends and not Tyler. (Boys pick on girls when they "like them" and that's not okay. Girls need to be shown it's okay to stand up for yourself (and don't say tell a teacher. I was being bullied by a boy in grade 7 to the point I ended switching schools and all my principal did was say "he probably likes you, it's natural for boys" ... him directly causing my mental health/ self worth to Plummit but he was more worried about him (And ofc it was a male principal)

[@Nstone53]

A lot of us have probably see Morgan Freeman's clip with 60minutes where he states why he doesn't like Black History Month. I feel like that is the reason so many people can't "relate" White is the standard and so is being male. Disney and Netflix both have "Movies for Black/Women" sections and it's annoying. Its like being put in a box and the men walking around only look in that box if they're curious but the box does was "FOR WOMEN" on it, so why would they?

[@vladimir3905]

@@Nstone53 1. Being male and white stopped being the standard in media a while ago, the only one who don't get that are indeed white males. 2. The "I can't relate" excuse is bs. They just can't see a movie of a girl that doesn't meet their standards as a protagonist.

[@MustacheDLuffy]

What makes a story relatable is if the people can feel sympathetic to the characters personalities. Most turning red stuff is fine besides periods which is something only girls have.

[@igotayo6300]

@@Nstone53 why are you acting like being a woman/person of color is a big deal in films?? If Luka had male characters would that be a big deal?? It's 2022, people are open minded just say that you don't really accept woman and person of color in society 😒

[@vania7302]

I feel ppl are getting too focused on the period analogy and missing the forest for the trees. For me the period is just a proxy to the onset of adolescence, which EVERYONE experiences and just happens to become sort of offical in girls when their period arrives, with the MC being a girl. We all have cringey sexual awakenings, and while boys don't get periods they have their own crap to deal with, like wet dreams I'd imagine. And as for the theme on becoming your own person and that clashing with who you are with your parents, I'm sure non-Asian families can relate. I'm Latina and it definitely hit close to home. Similar with friends being your main source of support. I'm almost 30 and until last year I still had a hard time making my mom understand that, much as I love her, she cannot be my main source of support for every trouble in my life. Some things I want to discuss with friends instead and it doesn't mean I don't love her or mean any disrespect. Yeah the movie isn't an Oscar winner, but it doesn't deserve half the have it has been getting

[@TSamuel808]

Pretty weird how so many People have problems with the Movie just because they cant relate to it, despite many Movies being similar. Sometimes you shouldn't focus on just ONE main thing. I was able to connect to the Main Character despite being a Boy, and with everyone else too, and i can relate to most aspect of their live, even if i never experienced it myself. But that is just my opinion.

[@devilcwesker5980]

A fucking rat is more relatable then the entire movie of turning red

[@jcr1842]

@@devilcwesker5980 okay cool but that’s your opinion, ppl will and won’t relate and that’s fine 🤷‍♂️

[@devilcwesker5980]

@@jcr1842 it's my shitposting account most thing I say I don't have strong feelings about. Tbh I can't remember

[@Witchtimez]

"Can't connect" = 'I have no empathy for marginalized girls that can't be sexualized' "This film promotes bad behavior!" = 'I am an authoritarian parent and I cannot handle being called out in any capacity' That's what a bulk of the criticism I've seen boils down to. And I'm tired of hearing it from a crowd that puts the MCU or Star Wars as their pinnacle of cinematic artistry

[@AlliandoX]

So true, it’s bc she’s not their Japanese sexy waifu

[@A-really-cool-Youtube-name]

WHOA WHAT THE HECK! I JUST SAY I CAN'T RELATE TO THE STORY BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A CLOSE FRIEND GROUP AND I DON'T LIKE BOY BANDS! JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE DOESN'T RELATE TO A STORY OR DON'T LIKE IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY ARE MAD BECAUSE THE MAIN CHARACTER ISN'T A ANIME WIFU! HOLY SHIRT! ARE YOU GUYS OKAY? Have you guys been outside? Did NOBODY tell you that not EVERYONE HAS to relate to something!? These are all just our silly opinions!

[@Witchtimez]

@@A-really-cool-KZbin-name "the bulk of criticism" =/= all criticism. And the bulk of criticism has been from cisdudes and/or super strict Christians who don't wish to exercise empathy. You're probably an outlier

[@A-really-cool-Youtube-name]

So you think everyone who disagrees with you must be a cis white man and/or strict Christian? Yikes. I'm 13 and dislike this movie because it's cringy.

[@Witchtimez]

@@A-really-cool-KZbin-name I mean. That's literally how most of the whiners have identified themselves, but knock yourself out with the point you're trying to make. I do honestly hope you get to experience a fun, weird friend group though. Makes the teen years a lot easier to bear with.

[@WarmLillie]

I can relate to Joy, a literal emotion of Happiness. So criticism like this is just ridiculous.

[@Will_Morand]

Turning Red is "too narrow" because some of the topics it deals with are handled by half the world. That makes sense.

[@shesalilsapphicokay]

Late as hell... but thanks for that LMAO. I am forever bitter about the way people reacted to Turning Red. It really pisses me off. x

[@adrenalineactivate]

More like it's "to narrow" because it talks about the lesser half of the world (women, the subhuman of mankind from how most man sees it.)

[@starsiadraws]

I'm not a fan a breaking down criticism to "white men" but like... It literally is mostly white men who complain about the movie "not being relatable" just because the main character is a young girl *going through puberty* and she's a Chinese-Canadian (even though that's not the main point of the movie). You don't have to a Chinese-Canadian teen in the early 2000s specifically to relate to this movie. I am about a decade younger than Meilin, and I'm a white American living in the south. But I was drawing crappy anime versions of myself and my crush kissing, I was feeling physically uncomfortable through puberty and people picked on me for no apparent reason. Me and my friends were awkward and cringey. I think this criticism of Turning Red is really showing how men are used to either seeing other male characters on screen or female characters that magically don't go through puberty and always look attractive no matter what.

[@MustacheDLuffy]

For not being a fan of it you just did it

[@EnemaOfMyEnemy]

@@MustacheDLuffy is it not true though?

[@shesalilsapphicokay]

Late I know, but your on point LMAO. The men complaining about how unrelatable Turn Red was are legendary (in not a good way). x

[@kittipebcoz]

literally like people think that if a children's movie shows pads it's going to be the end of the world. Like, have these people never see their mother on her period or something? Pads should be normalized by now. If people are going to complain about pads in the movie for being "inappropriate" then they should complain about toilet paper too. It's also something you use in the bathroom too right? and it's literally so misogynistic for people to not like mei just because she's a girl. You can relate to characters regardless of their gender. It's sad to think we live in a world where it's normal for girls to relate to boy characters but not normal for boys to relate to girl characters.

[@Groffili]

I wanted to say that it's not that long ago that movies and TV shows prohibited displaying toilets... but then I looked back at examples of these shows, and it WAS long ago. I'm getting old. ;)

[@austint4139]

I just see turning red the same way I do Luca just a simple fun animated movie that Pixar happened to make

[@husklordMusic]

Thanks, that's one of the points I've been trying to prove to the haters because they've been treating Pixar like crap, Luca was good, this film other than the fact that it came from a females perspective, I understood because I've watched multiple reviews, and now I'm mad when people are calling this movie crap and garbage, like seriously why is this such a bad movie when it has good themes, and story and plotting, it was narrow, and hard to plot just like Luca, and now I'm starting to just want to say leave it to the professionals, it doesn't matter if a movie company throws in a metaphor (for turning red it's the period metaphor) just let it go this is Frozen now you suck at judging movies if you don't know how to correctly dissect a movie and write an actual review...

[@cookietastik603]

To be honest I agree with you 100%, i hate that alot of people in today's society just think that male focused stories are better then women focused stories, and that people can't see the bigger picture. Spessificly I've seen alot of people make excuses that this film is nothing just because its ONLY focused on girls crushing over a boy band, and cringy teenager things, AND YEAH that's literly 40% of the movie but the other 60% that nobody gives any credit for is the family trauma and how it's been passed down to generations and generations, like not just that but I SAW my past self in Mei, how she kept blaming herself for her moms doing when she was just acting like a normal teenager, 99% of people draw sexy random things, it's normal. And there is no way nobody has ever THOUGHT about something like that if they've not drawn it. And the most relatable part in my case is when the morning after Mei turned into a red panda she was literly jumping across the walls and ruining the whole room then she became a ball and started shivering, basically with no tears she was just numb. Or when her parents were talking RIGHT OUTSIDE HER DOOR about her and how everything is awful. Then she cant sleep and she blames herself, turns into the panda and starts crying but not too hard even if she wanted to, since her parents would hear her. I mostly put this movie together with Luca, I wouldn't watch it again but it was really awlsome and really relatable (I wouldn't watch them again because they both made me cry to be honest. Disney/Pixar movies are amazing)

[@strickshot]

My favorite anime is male focused does that make me a sexist somehow

[@strickshot]

@@TLITMG i have never seen that before so idk

[@frshootingstar08]

Even tho I’m a boy , but I could connect it since I’m Chinese, but I would still relate to that even I’m not Chinese, the reasons they are hating this film is just stupid

[@alizayay]

The only reason why I wouldn’t understand that a person can’t relate to this is: Everybody has gone through puberty! No matter if you’re a girl or a boy, we all know what it feels like to be in our awkward stages 😂 Unless you aged like a goddamn Giselle, there shouldn’t be 0 connection towards that

[@ElNeroDiablo]

I'm yet to fully watch Turning Red as a whole, been mostly watching reviews and discussion videos on it, but I must say as a mid-30's who was a teen when this movie was set; I can empathise with the changes in life that puberty delivers along with controlling and overbearing maternal units, and how the friends you have at school are often more trustworthy with your secrets than your parents (or other family members) are. If anything; this movies makes me wish we had a similar one about growing up in the early-00's (before wide-spread information was available on the Internet, and before MySpace & Yahoo Groups were replaced with Facebook being filled with armchair analysists espousing things like heavy metal chelation "therapy" and other crap as "cures") with High Functioning Autism (specifically Aspergers Syndrome as it'd have been called back then), showing how whilst we *do* experience emotions it is hard for us to process them in the same manner as those who aren't NeuroDivergent. Especially for teens with HFA, and those who have to deal with death in the family during an already turbulent time emotionally. Am I projecting the wish for a movie that I have a big personal stake in having done faithfully based on my own experiences? Probably, but way too many movies nowadays still treat people with Autism as low-functioning braindeads that need constant care and attention to function and thus are the butt of poor jokes, or hyper-intelligent savants in specialised fields relating with maths and technology that can't function in the "real world". Either way we're treated as strangers, others, weird things that must somehow be "fixed" to fit in with the Average Joe Dumbass on the street. Though I'd fully expect a lot of NeuroTypical whiners on the internet bitch about "can relate to the movie as a whole, ignore the good points it has, total dislike!" if we got such a movie.

[@carlinc.christensen3478]

I agree with you 100% People are too harsh on this movie for addressing important topics that our society has deemed 'taboo'... It's stupid!

[@essieblanco625]

But Coco and Soul main characters are not white and Nemo, bugs life, monsters inc and WallE are not even humans so also not white. I don’t understand how you came with that conclusion that people don’t find the film relatable because the main character is not white... 😳

[@Theonebeliever]

As an Mexican Canadian old widowed robot toy monster rat/ant fish that was an ex-slave and was a circus performer, who currently works at an energy plant in the kitchen for his young adopted son, I take high offense to this video. Shame on you sir! Next time think before you make these horrible attacks on folks like me.

[@mertmsn73]

honestly i have yet to hear any good criticisms of turning red. like no, its not a perfect movie, but nobody seems to be able to explain why. the main criticisms ive heard other than this are "it discusses periods which isnt appropriate for a kids movie" and "the main character never learns that she has to respect and obey her parents which is bad" and like... no, periods arent inappropriate theyre just a normal bodily function and kids should be allowed to know about them, and she doesn't need to learn to respect and obey her parents thats not what the movie is about?? idk it just seems like all the popular criticisms of the movie are pretty gross and disingenuous

[@blightcaster4388]

the real criticisms are being burred under all the shallow ones sadly. Not to mention the director and va's are harassing people who are actually giving constructive material. and such is the state of movies

[@EnemaOfMyEnemy]

Mei was shown to be practically perfect aside from wanting to go a boy band concert. Parents to don't let their kids do perfectly reasonable things when they're actually really studious and well-behaved are shooting themselves in the foot, especially if they watch this movie and think "that girl needs to respect her mom." BULLSHIT. Her mom needed to respect HER. I went through much the same thing with my mom, who blew up at me over who I wanted to date when I was 18. Now I'm 30, I've moved across the country from her, and I've realized she's been a petty and controlling person my whole life, not just over my first bf. I don't like her and I barely talk to her.

[@mertmsn73]

@@EnemaOfMyEnemy im sorry you went through that with your mom, nobody deserves that shit

[@hyenaboy7504]

@@blightcaster4388 umm, why are you lying?

[@corrinflakes9659]

Really, why can’t a film narrative be personal? What ever happened to “write what you know”? Because I feel this film is.

[@Darsh.r.m_20]

Turning red was really something that really connects to me Also you should look at more animated shows on Disney channel and Netflix

[@FeligamiAdrizoeSworaDennisTRF]

I love this movie!^^ Although the twerking part made me cringe a bit. Also the drawing certain things because of hormones as you get older. So relatable!

[@vilmavenla]

mei is literally the cringe 14 year old me.

[@inf1nityxyxz]

I really think the *red* panda was a metaphor to her period, so that was kinda necessary to explain; but I get what you mean, it could easily be another animal

[@ScarletLion02]

I don’t like the film. I don’t HATE it but I don’t love it. And that’s fine? I don’t see a need to try and rip it down online especially on Twitter. If you don’t like something simply move on- personally though I really enjoy the movie’s soundtrack. I have it downloaded and listen to it like all the time. Pixar nails the music yet again.

[@hyenaboy7504]

Ludwig Gorranson really needs to make more music for Pixar.

[@Cherryblossom-ink]

This movie had so much emotion and was so cute and had so much talk about being a girl and dealing with your parents and the way the boys act in this movie is just like how a lot of boys act now around girls when they tease them for no reason cause they want to make them mad or flexing on girls a lot of guys still do that and it’s funny how true that is 🧐😆

[@WarmLillie]

People who say this, I don’t know what’s wrong what you’re thinking about inside now. Your focusing on the outside like the location.

[@nero3795]

1:07 I’m tired of people needing every single film that is released to be a “cinematic masterpiece” or the great film ever. Why can’t films just be people’s ideas, stories and experiences coming to life rather than this dumb comparison game. I don’t care whether Turning Red was better/worse than [insert random film] let it be it’s own thing

[@Mikami_The_Bard]

I am white Polish girl living in Poland and my boyfriend was all the time comparing me to Mei, saying that it looks like me and my mom's relationship xD I so freakin love this story, her reactions, her "cringy drawing" of boys without shirt as mythical creatures.... I FELT LIKE ITS ABOUT ME IN CHILDHOOD XD

[@shikiira4185]

I find the "Because it' depicts girls problems and I can't relate to girls problems" super hilarious. Okay, it's geared to toward a more female demigraphic. Okay? Where was this complaint when the other female geared movies and shows came out. Like are we forget that fandoms like bronnies exist? If a male demigrahpic can get into a literal little girl's show then how the hell can they turn around and say they can't understand turning red?

[@katchatt9827]

I watched the movie out of boredom and enjoyed it. I'm not a fan of the recent styles of Pixar just because the jarring facial expressions aren't my favourite. But, I appreciate the work Pixar put into creating a style and rigging it perfectly. As a teenage girl, i related to some of it, but the friendship aspect wasn't my favorite. I understand how they're supposed to be her crutches of some sort, but their characters just felt so static and unmoving. Also the purple overalls girl (i don't remember any names lol) i just got so unsettled by her facial expressions always being like blown up emojis. The reason this bugs me is how they're not side characters and still felt like they were. I might watch it again just to see if I catch anything else that is fun, but overall, 8/10! If you haven't watched it yet, pls do!

[@mymiserablesister5378]

Idk why people “cant relate” when this is essentially Brave with an Asian American skin. For me Mei was very relatable. She had to balance family expectations with her school life, her insecurities and distrust with her parents, and figuring out who she was and who she wanted to be. All great topics to address and I think the film did it well. As an Asian American with no culture (lol) I didnt need to connect with her traditional family/ethnicity/culture to relate. However the main personality plot piece that took me out of the story was the boy thirst. It was very cringey to me and didnt like it. When I think about toxic BB fandoms it makes me cringe and I mostly cant relate to that. And the cult-like solution to the film weirded me out a little. Lastly, when I heard about this movie, someone told me it was about periods. The period jokes only lasted for like 5 minutes of the movie and it didnt faze me at all. Sure, it’s tmi for some but shouldnt be the reason to turn it off. Overall, it’s a C for me. It was ok. Wouldnt watch it again

[@TandaSandaBanda]

The movie was actually intended to be cringeworthy-in order to show how middle schoolers truly act.

[@TandaSandaBanda]

I get what you mean though about toxic fandoms.

[@mymiserablesister5378]

@@TandaSandaBanda i mean for its target audience they captured stereotypical tween behavior well. I’m not their target audience so my opinion doesnt matter much. But for all I know, I cant relate to that behavior/cringe bc I didnt gush over anyone like 1D or bieber at Mei’s age

[@TandaSandaBanda]

@@mymiserablesister5378 Honestly same, didn’t crush on any of that stuff either.

[@hyenaboy7504]

How do other cultures weird you out? Isn’t that kinda racist?

[@Snowball_Maltese]

I just really liked the Canadian part of it. I am Canadian so the TTC, Sky Dome (Roger Centre now a days.) I loved that!

[@smokyshiro5176]

I even find it more realistic as many other teenage shows where everything is about love, drama and stupid arguments. I loved the teenage representation in turning red and I felt really comfortable with these characters. It was about time some show represented teenagers in another way than the cliché and I think turning reds representation is more up to date.

[@musingsofahomeschooler5332]

So what I’m wondering is, is this film created for women? Or just for middle school girls?

[@boingyboop4960]

I really enjoyed this movie. It’s funny and relatable and the characters are so unique and loveable

[@iicloudycomet5555]

I definitely agree with you. I have heard the same complaints as well and it just angers me so I’m so glad someone finally talked about this. Thank you.

[@Kittsuera]

if periods is an issue (its not) you can still comprehend the character's state of mind regarding it through the excellent expressions and animation. other parallels work fine as puberty in general. the body starts to change. hormones and other emotions start to be more prominent. the Panda can easily present the idea of learning to control your emotions. not suppress them or be controlled by them. idk about others but the "roboting" to keep calm/ try to get though the day seems relatable. so, imo the only thing too Niche is the opinions and perspectives of reviewers who can't see past their own specific Niche experiences. as far as i know, i haven't had the ability to turn into a panda, entered the spirit realm and had the displeasure of ripping a part of your soul out via a separation mirror But for some reason that is still a understandable and emotionally powerful moment U.U/

[@jason7120]

It's okay, but not not for me so it was mostly meh. Very predictable, a big heavy handed, pretty much for a niche audience that the story writer is a part of.

[@tjsmith5276]

In my opinion the fact that this movie was a passion project for the director makes it even better. The story is completely relatable in that it could simply stand as a metaphor for anyone of us having a side of ourselves that we are not proud of and yet we don't want to get out, be it some weird personality trait or birth defect etc.

[@KingSaysHello]

For me, I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. It's kind of just, there for me. Like, it exists, but I don't have any opinions on it really.

[@bleethteed8681]

Niche or not, I think this movie really needed to exist and be seen! A story about letting go and not hiding yourself was really great to see now, but I know that it would have had a much stronger impact on me if it came out when I was in middle school like Mei. I had the nightmarish experience of being an autistic girl in middle school in the midst of cringe culture, and I'm positive that there are other kids out there right now who feel the same way. If Turning Red can make kids like I was feel as seen as I did, that would be incredible!

[@kirkdarling4120]

This film was indeed, highly niched. BUT...it also did a great job of introducing the audience into its niche. It does a great job of explaining Mei Lin's environment as well as her feelings and motivations so that we understand how she feels, what she fears, and why, even if we don't live that life ourselves. As another example, think of "Watership Down," which has a similar task of pulling the audience into a totally alien environment and making the audience understand the alien motivations of the characters enough to care about them and follow their story. "Turning Red" does that, and IMO the refusal to go along with it tells us something about those people, not about the story.

[@inf1nityxyxz]

03:55 Am I a toy??

[@1234_Flux]

From what I heard I thought this movie was gonna be woke but it isn't. It's just not for everyone.

[@AlliandoX]

Cuz apparently they can’t relate unless the main character is male or a blonde white woman

[@blightcaster4388]

I didnt think it was awful, like i've said. But i do think there are real criticisms out there that are being dragged into the "LMAO WE HATE THE FILM SINCE IT WAMAN", which i do believe is incredibly unfair. Not to mention the director and voice actors attacking people who are giving actual constructive criticism. So in short, i think people need to chill a bit. ON BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN. Plz. thanks.

[@hyenaboy7504]

I haven’t seen any of the film-makers attacking anyone, so that part of your comment isn’t true.

[@ThePrincessCH]

The film was based on the life of it's creator, Domee Shi.

[@MissJJoan]

I love this review, that rant you did in the middle there was like a love letter to Pixar. Seriously, you should send them that part as a thank you note, I think they’d really appreciate it 😊

[@goddess_ofchaos]

"Remi is a goddamn rat" the passive aggressiveness in his voice

[@sravya7b497]

Could you do a video on MLB discussing about the concequences of Gabe's reveal Ik it's lame but I really want to see that

[@vladimir3905]

That's too niche

[@KingSaysHello]

@@vladimir3905 bruh

[@vladimir3905]

@@KingSaysHello what? This video is not about miraculous ladybug.

[@sravya7b497]

@@vladimir3905 honestly i was just bored of waiting for S5 (already)

[@sravya7b497]

@@vladimir3905 i know but since I was early i thought he would notice

[@sunflowerice]

thanks for that, and I´m honestly glad I went in blind when I put the movie on, didn´t even know about the negative reviews^^ I enjoyed it a lot, it was fun and it brought me and my friend back to reminiscing our emberassing childhood xD

[@iniratagen9740]

Wow the comments have a lot of fights in this video

[@starlamb03]

I can connect with almost everything I just didn’t like the end

[@starlamb03]

friends won’t always “be there”

[@sakanashoji]

to the people who say some parts are cringe: I grew up mostly with the parent daughter relationship mei has with her mom. other than that i didnt relate to this movie much at all (outside of the nearly every girl does this moments). But, i still felt like i connected to the movie, mainly because i can simply hey behind the idea that some YOUNG GIRLS will act this way! boy bands, sneaking out, periods, pressure, anger issues/talking back/mood swings ect, even twerking, especially for a film set in the time where twerking was much bigger thing (at least i remember it that way) i can enjoy the film knowing that someone ELSE can relate to this. because i know for a fact someone does

[@loodgack]

I don't like nowadays how people compare everything to everything. When I watched the movie, I entirely forgot it was pixar. I didn't care. I actually enjoyed it, it was good for that afternoon! It's kind of a slice of life with important topics and these topics aren't discussed. I'm writing it as a woman. And the generational trauma topic , the "be as good as your parents expect, be perfect" is basically what I've started the comment with. Stop comparing things. Enjoy them instead.

[@erin6320]

I liked this because im half Canadian!! My mom is from Edmonton. I had a customer say “I didn’t like turning red that much” and I thought to myself “OH SO UR RACIST”

[@shadowgirl765]

I liked it a lot honestly. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm surprised people can't relate with the classic teenager trope of rebelling against their parents. I found a lot of things extremely relatable

[@KyoH-n1e]

It confused me when he said most Pixar films are watched by children and parents or people who didn’t live there life. But in my opinion it feels he is Stating his opinion then telling facts in that statement

[@hecate9190]

Hey, nice video! I agree with your points (and love ur channel as a whole- especially the Miraculous stuff hehe), but I wanted to point out something very ignorant mentioned, that was a bit disappointing to here. You put ‘Asian’ and ‘Indian’ in two different categories. You do realise India is in Asia right? And ‘Indians’ shouldn’t be a term used to categorise South Asians as a whole (we aren’t all from India). Unfortunately I see this kind of thing a lot these days. Asia has become just East Asia: China, Japan and Korea. And the struggle and history of other Asians, particularly South Asians, completely erased. Asia does not share the same history and was treated very unequally by colonisation; some parts were colonised, some weren’t, some were the colonisers, some were colonised twice and for longer periods, some were treated as savages and taken as indentured slaves by Europeans, some were looted so heavily by Europeans that they were plunged into the third world, and some are still being exploited. There is also a difference in treatment based on the colour of their skin- South Asians experiencing a lot of racism from other parts of Asia for this, and colourism in their own countries. Please don’t feed into this idea that Asia is just East Asia and perpetuate an erasure of several cultures. Just say brown people or south Asians instead. Thanks 💛

[@popmusiclover1000]

As someone who had an abusive mother that didn’t want me to be who I truly was and wanted to suppress me, this film really moved me and was outstanding. Actually, is in my top 10 favorite Pixar movies now.. but even if you didn’t have a controlling or abusive parent, I felt like the theme of this movie about not hiding parts of yourself and being your own unique creation wasn’t too niche lol idk 🤷‍♂️ I just really loved this movie but as other comments stated, I can kinda see why it wasn’t liked as much by the regular audience.

[@shadyjoanneboots]

I saw some people use the movie Mitchells vs. Machines as an example of a movie that is "universal" when this movie is not, even though the Mitchells movie also stars a teen girl as the main character. Same case with Inside Out. I think it's very telling that the movies centering white lead characters are considered relatable and universal, but as soon as it's a movie about a Chinese-Canadian girl, suddenly it's too niche.

[@mishapurser4439]

I wonder if the "it's too niche" argument can largely be boiled down to "I don't like it because it shows puberty from a non-white and woman's perspective". Which would be very misogynistic because they don't think women's perspectives are worthy of media representation, and racist for the same reason.

[@shesalilsapphicokay]

I'm late I know... but I've only just come across your channel, but I love your content. You spit a lot of facts in my opinion. It's just straight up sexism to complain about this movie being unrelatable because it centers a girl. Half the effing world are girls, or at least were girls at one point. x

[@CrazyChicKayli]

On paper mei and I have two similarities were both females and both second generation to our country. But I related so much to her character and I really loved this movie. It’s so similar to coco and Luca the way you pointed out but what makes it “too niche” is what keeps it from being a copy from its predecessors. I mean I love Luca and coco but would I really like to see another look alike film of those two? Not really. And if I’m being honest the fact that these stories are what people dub “too niche” is what makes people love them. We fell in love with a Mexican boy who goes to the land of the undead and meets his hero, we fell in love with an Italian sea monster in the fifties who loves pasta, we fell in love with toys that came to life, and so on. Isn’t that the point of these stories? To explore worlds we never thought about? I’ve never been to toronto or seen a Chinese temple but after watching it I thought it was cool and wanted to visit! Even though mei is a female and the red panda is a play on a girl becoming a woman and getting her period, it’s still relate able because we’ve all gone through puberty and have had pretty embarrassing stories about that! How many times Have we all had our parents completely embarrassed us and honestly how many times when we were younger did we relate more to our friends than our own family. If this movie is too niche then the whole plot of the film was completely lost on you, and that sucks.

[@ultra_archer4063]

I wouldn’t it’s a niche I personally loved it

[@lifekindasucksrn6442]

“I can’t relate bc she’s Asian” how did Asian ppl relate to the thousands of white movies??

[@TheStewieOne]

Honestly, I didn't hate the film, it just felt off my first viewing. But it gets better with repeat viewings.

[@jaythomas8616]

Only thing I don't vibe with in the movie is the art style. That's it. Everything else works for me. But I still accept that the artistic take is a fun one and the story is pretty solid.

[@floridamanjack7225]

No it’s bad because there’s five of them and The band is called four town

[@0deadx21]

When they got a 5th member, it would have been too costly to change the name, so they kept it.

[@floridamanjack7225]

@@0deadx21lame excuse

[@alexhillyer8390]

I thought that was a good video about how you can't Perfectly relate to something yet still like it. I think a good series to handle in a future video would be HILDA from NETFLIX

[@roebear]

My boyfriend told me that he didnt want to watch it because it was about periods and i told him that if he was uncomfortable with periods he shouldn’t be dating females.

[@notasaltyperson8330]

It’s almost like periods are a personal thing that shouldn’t be discussed with males

[@Scarab3271]

@@notasaltyperson8330 So in sex education, boys may only have to learn about male puberty, but girls would learn about both male and female puberty? Sure, menstrual cycles can be uncomfortable, but there is a point there about partners knowing about menstrual cycles. I mean, does a father not know that the mother also experiences periods? My dad has two daughters, my sister and me. Yet, he knows and is sympathetic when it came time that we got our first periods. It's embarrassing, yes, but all necessary that both sexes know.

[@notasaltyperson8330]

@@Scarab3271 ok but why in a movie for kids

[@Scarab3271]

@@notasaltyperson8330 I would say that it's probably because kids (by some definitions) have menstrual cycles. It depends on the age, between, in general, 10 to 15, give or take a few years. I personally got mine at age eleven.

[@notasaltyperson8330]

@@Scarab3271 fair

[@Beij1ngCorn]

actually, I can't relate to it at al, but I still respect it as a film; the people behind it put effort into it. Just cause I don't personally enjoy it, doesn't mean I hate it

[@___________1876]

Idk what haters even mean, woman are the majority of the population so any male center films would be the niche ones.

[@johanstenfelt1206]

Hm, interesting, good, fair and valid points, i appreciate this video.

[@gumballwatterson3164]

toy story was about growing up. things changing. everyone can relate to toy story because we all have something to hold onto.

[@rwilson1197]

I think it is

[@vladimir3905]

Yeah, like any other movie. How is this movie in particular different?

[@miraculoustrollhunters]

3:15 you just reminded me of Thomas Astruc’s twitter 😅

[@morganbrooksfield1575]

Him: No one completely engages in a movie Biopics: ಠ_ಠ

[@josedelapinio]

Your review style didnt quite resonate with me XDXDXD

[@autisticdancer]

Yeah I don’t understand what people mean by “this film has a narrow demographic, it’s niche.” When you really think about that it doesn’t make any sense. Just because you aren’t a Chinese Canadian 13 year old girl doesn’t mean you can’t relate to the character. I’m not Chinese Canadian. I am a 13 year old girl. Even if I don’t specifically share everything about Mei doesn’t mean I didn’t relate and emphasize with her. Just because you aren’t white or black doesn’t mean you can’t relate to someone who is not white or not black. Just because you are a boy or girl doesn’t mean you can’t relate to someone who is not a boy or girl. Even if you don’t share someone’s background doesn’t mean they are an alien to you. In the end, we all share the same thing. We are all people. So saying you don’t relate to someone who isn’t exactly like you is just hiding the fact that you are judgmental and you don’t bother to understand people who are different from you. :/

[@hyenaboy7504]

And literally every person on Earth older than 13 can relate to a 13 year old in one way or another.

[@EJ_YTMiraculousbackup]

I think that opinions are good and the complaints of the animation not being Pixar is not true cause they have different styles for each movie

[@anthonysmith3415]

True but it was almost always a great looking art style, not this cheap looking style for modern kiddy cartoons

[@EJ_YTMiraculousbackup]

@@anthonysmith3415 I agree

[@anthonysmith3415]

@@EJ_YTMiraculousbackup thanks, I just want something spectacular or amazing with the animation, like the old days with Don Bluth or that spider verse animation style

[@hyenaboy7504]

@@anthonysmith3415 At least it shows they still have artistic talent.

[@fajaradi1223]

I've accidentally found a video about a priest trashing this film. He was hilariously pointing out that this film is full of anti Christian values. The girl turning into demonic red panda, the demonic rituals to seal the panda which eventually failed and she choose to keep her demonic panda and embrace it. I just SMH, really?

[@hyenaboy7504]

Like 1: did he forget other cultures exist? 2: how are spirits intended to PROTECT whomever they’re “possessing” (for lack of a better word) demons? Isn’t that the exact opposite of a demon? 3: Can I punch that guy in the face for calling the world’s cutest animals “demonic”?

[@pokemnstar]

yeah i fully agree w you on this one!!

[@Sanakudou]

I don’t think this is a very cohesive argument, relatability is not sole the reason people enjoy or connect to all those other movies you’ve mentioned, the examples you were giving were kind of proving that clearly wasn’t what made people enjoy them while failing to elaborate and identify the actual reasons those narratives work and appeal to larger audiences including those without anything common with the characters. The main issue for this film is they didn’t really execute the themes correctly/cohesively and it made it harder to understand what it wanted to say and thusly how it wanted you to feel, the panda metaphor sort of altered part way through the movie, particularly with the mother becoming a panda too, so it’s no longer a female puberty thing. I think people are developing even more negative opinions towards this movie due to the way people react to those who just didn’t enjoy it or just felt it had no wow factor for them. The general movie watcher doesn’t have the understanding of proper story structure/proper theme execution to identify what about the movie left them feeling this way, they can’t put their finger on it but know something wasn’t quite right. But then, out of nowhere, these people get accused of being racist or sexist for not having liked the film, there’s no room to analyse what narrative flaws may have lead to a lacklustre response, disliking the film now = being a bad person, which is NOT a healthy place to take this discussion or film critique in general. Call out the individuals, especially any industry reviewers, that openly express dislike for the film exclusively over the gender and race of the character, as that is not what gives the film its flaws nor is the reason people struggle to relate to these characters, but please try not to lump EVERYONE who isn’t a fan of the film into the this nasty “you don’t like it because you’re racist/sexist” category, it’s extremely unfair and a dishonest representation of those that aren’t fans of this movie. It’s a shame that the film got politicised like this, I actually think there’s some good writing lessons people could learn by properly analysing the flaws of this movie and realising how they could’ve fixed it/made this movie universally easy to love.

[@hyenaboy7504]

I think the red panda is meant to represent strong emotions.

[@charliesmith9660]

"Are you a fish? I doubt you're a fish."

[@santaclaws1508]

I haven't watched this movie

[@alexhillyer8390]

Anyone else interested in my thoughts in the last comment I had

[@noyoranim8588]

watched it- was meh. i had to suspend my belief on how characters would act wayyy too much. as a kids movie? it great.

[@hyenaboy7504]

Literally EVERY work of fiction requires suspension of disbelief. They aren’t documentaries.

[@mecahhannah]

I agree with pretty much every word you said

[@randomlife4608]

what is your fav miraculas kwami

[@Mr_Gamer-Random]

That bit where you were talking about Pixar films that literally have non-humnas yet people still connect with them you should've mentioned Cars

[@kirkdarling4120]

Fun fact: Many people consider "Cars" a retelling of "Doc Hollywood" starring Michael J Fox. Many people recognize "Turning Red" as a retelling of 1985's "Teen Wolf"...also starring Michael J Fox.

[@em6352]

I completely agree with people complaining about how they can't connect and I think most of them are males. Like the amount of movies I don't connect with because I don't live in America, Europe or any mainstream places. However, I've never complained once and have grown up with Disney. Surprisingly, I can connect with Turning Red because I'm obsessed with boybands, I also take a lot of joy and inspiration with my friend group and I'm a girl ;)

[@Tucker11111111]

This film is great. Maybe not instantly but it grows on you. The "too narrow" objection is such BS. Here's hoping for a second, maybe a series.

[@ShaleNinja]

Ha, I was going to make pretty much this exact rant in your previous video, then saw this in the sidebar, and was immensely relieved to hear you cover basically every single point. The choice of the early 2000's as a set was strangely perfect for the discourse surrounding the film. It was the peak of society's abject contempt and even hatred toward the interests of teen girls and young women. Think about the hate and mockery toward boy bands, twilight (and similar YA), dancing and singing as a group of girls, etc. Everyone else considered themselves to be "better than" the interests and lives of girls - I was among them, as a trans man buried deep in the closet at the time. Yes, it was the peak era for that dreaded "m" word that triggers the hell out of people who participate in it. That irrational hate never really went away in the last 20 years, though...it just became less overt and more dogwhistled as "criticism", much like what we see in the "criticism" of this film. Fact of the matter is that in almost all societies, women outnumber men. People who survive into adulthood outnumber those who pass away before puberty. The vast majority of people have families. Ergo, people who relate directly to the topics discussed in this story outnumber those who don't, especially when you account for people who are not women and are not POC/minorities who possess basic human empathy. I'm glad there are plenty of people like yourself and like these actual film critics who are able to hold a mirror up to the real issue at play here, and I'll say it. It's racism and sexism, so deeply ingrained into society that people can't even express that they do see people like Mei & co as inferior, let alone analyse it. And if you're a guy, and are grossed out by the lightest of touches re: menstruation and girlhood discussed in this film, then you are 0% ready, mature or responsible enough to be in a relationship with a female partner. Grow up.

[@dvreaux]

I like it

[@brokenguardianangel8575]

Wow, there are people actually complaining about where the story is set in? I am not an American. Most movies I watch are set in America or like the UK or parts of Europe I have never been to. Do I demand people to make movies about my country? No, because I can still relate to the situations and characters. I can understand a spy trying to save a world even though I am not a spy trying to save the world. I can see an old man crying his eyes out because he lost his wife and feel empathy bc that is what humans do. We see situations even if we don't fully see ourselves in them and we empathize, we put ourselves in their shoes. You only need a great story and even better characters to make anything relatable and/ or interesting.

[@mariahcomfort4441]

I have a daughter I watch the film with her now that she is getting older and starting to go through different changes of liking boys finding herself and yes puberty now I grew up in the early 2000s and 90s so this film had me cracking up because I felt like I was watching my childhood all over again personally I think this is a great film even my husband who is a 200 pound Spanish man got a kick out of this and thought it was a great movie to watch with all our kids

[@mateuspedrosadasilva884]

I'd argue the demographic of disabled fish without mothers or living toys with fear of abandonment is even smaller than the one of like. Canadians I guess.

[@Karma_Karma_Karma]

E

[@romanrodriguez3643]

Animat say no an he the 😈