A review published on the CinemaBlend site of the new animated film from Disney-Pixar turn red was pulled on Tuesday, after some readers lambasted it for ignoring its creator’s cultural experience – and the film’s cast argued that it portrays a universal experience very well.
The film, which will be released on Friday, is directed and co-written by Canadian animator Domee Shi and will be Pixar’s first feature film directed by an Asian woman. The film follows the story of Meilin (Mei) Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl living in Toronto who discovers she has the ability to transform into a giant red panda.
The review, penned by CinemaBlend general manager Sean O’Connell, complained that the film’s focus on Lee’s Asian background – as well as storylines that revolve around Lee’s struggles during puberty as a young girl – limited the film’s ability to connect with audiences.
“I recognized the humor in the film, but none of that,” O’Connell wrote in his review.
“By taking root turn red very specifically in Toronto’s Asian community, the film rightfully feels like it was made for Domee Shi’s friends and immediate family members. Which is good – but also, a bit limited in scope.”
The upcoming Disney-Pixar movie Turning Red puts Canada in the spotlight with a Canadian director, voice actor and story set in Toronto.
When asked if this could be a problem for the public, turn redThe cast disagreed.
“Of course not,” Rosalie Chiang, who plays Lee, told CBC News in an interview. “It’s a coming of age movie, everyone goes through that change…I think different people from different cultures are going to experience it differently, but at the end of the day, the basic mess and change is something something everyone can relate to.”
Canadian actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan – who plays Lee’s friend Priya – described the story of Lee’s friends and family as “universal” and that many people will be able to “relate to Meilin’s story, whether you are a Chinese girl from Canada or not.”
Shi also disagreed with the review, saying the film “is a love letter to this time in our lives. It’s a love letter to puberty. It’s a love letter to love in Toronto.”
Critic and Editor Apologize
Much of the criticism around the exam stemmed from O’Connell viewing elements of Asian culture as alienating.
The review pointed to another film, The Mitchells vs. the Machines as an animated film that “took pains to include plot elements that anyone might find engaging”, and pointed out turn red‘s “mystical red panda bit” as particularly difficult for the public to identify.
Hours after the post was released — and after hundreds of comments online complaining about the content — CinemaBlend pulled the review, and O’Connell and editor Mack Rawden issued an apology.
“I am sincerely sorry for my turn red criticism,” O’Connell posted on Twitter. “Thank you to everyone who provided criticism, no matter how harsh.
“Clearly I didn’t engage enough with the film and didn’t explain my point of view well at all. I really appreciate your feedback.”
In a tweet shared by the CinemaBlend account, Rawden said the site “failed to properly edit” O’Connell’s review. He said the review was reassigned to another writer and the site has since added “new levels of editorial oversight”.
We failed to properly edit this review, and it should never have come up. We unpublished it and attributed it to someone else. We’ve also added new levels of editorial oversight. Thank you to everyone who spoke. – Mack Rawden, Editor https://t.co/kfkfwlf4q8
In a since-deleted tweet promoting the review, O’Connell added that while “some Pixar films are made for universal audiences, turn red is not.”
“If you are in [the target audience], this might work well for you. I’m not in it. It was exhausting.”
Director Domee Shi and the cast of Pixar’s Turning Red sit down with The National co-host Andrew Chang to talk about Asian representation, letting Toronto play its part in the film and the universality of coming of age.
When contacted by CBC, O’Connell declined to comment for this article.
turn red The premiere is scheduled for Friday, March 11 and currently holds a 94% “fresh” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
While originally slated to debut in theaters as well as online earlier this year, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution President Kareem Daniel said turn red will premiere only on the Disney+ streaming platform “due to the delay in resuming family movies in theaters caused by the ongoing pandemic.”
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