Turning Red: Not Another Stereotypical Hollywood Chinese Film
Hollywood filmmakers have consistently dedicated their efforts to exert American values to the Global South for decades. To further their influences in China, Pixar now brings Turning Red to its mainland China audiences. As the first Pixar movie solely directed by a Chinese American female director Domee Shi, Turning Red depicts the struggle of a 13-year-old girl Mingmei between being her mother’s obedient girl or authentically herself. While some critics argue that the animation roughly puts Chinese elements in the movie and calls it Chinese-related, Turning Red presents fresh perspectives on Chinese-American family relationships and the integration of eastern and western cultures. What is more appealing to Chinese audiences is that it shows the possibilities of synthesizing feminist and individualistic values with traditional Chinese values in a familiar setting, serving as a cultural education to this generation of Chinese teenagers and young adults.
The animation has undoubtedly gained massive success in the West, with a 94% Tomatometer rating. The director herself is the first female director to direct an animation at Pixar solely. She provides a fresh perspective of the growth trajectory as an immigrant descendant of a minority group. As the story is derived from her own life experiences as an immigrant, the animation is trying to tell the story of Mingmei (a Chinese Canadian) living in a minority community (Chinatown in Toronto). However, while western audiences, especially those from minority groups, can easily spot the theme, most Chinese audiences can hardly notice the animation’s emphasis on it. As China is a monoculture country with vast lands, most people live their lives without interacting with people from different races or cultures. Such a phenomenon is more prevalent in rural areas. From their perspective, sometimes, if another person is from another province or even another city, it is already a rare scenario. It is hard for them to imagine a city with people from various backgrounds functioning normally. In contrast, many American people interact with people of different colors and cultural backgrounds throughout their lives. Hence, when Americans take these views for granted, they can hardly resonate with the Chinese Canadians’ immigrant experiences, viewing monoculturally as Chinese persons.
If minority representations do not resonate with Chinese audiences, then what do? In comparison to its success in the West, the expression of feminist values, such as engagement with family affairs and independent living, in Chinese families contributes significantly to its success in China. It is noticeable that most characters in the movie are female, and Mingmei’s family prioritizes female descendants rather than male descendants since the red-panda superpower is only delivered to female children. Moreover, while Americans view the movie as “remarkably frank about female sexuality” (Stevens), traditional Chinese culture still views female sexuality as “unspeakable.” When Mingmei had her first period and transformed into a red panda for the first time, Mingmei’s mother Ming asked, “Did the red peony bloom?” She is still too afraid to talk about periods directly as a mature woman. In traditional Chinese culture, women’s periods are viewed as dirty and bring bad luck, and women experiencing periods are considered “untouchable.” Most Chinese audiences, especially teenage girls, feel such experiences vividly relatable, and the animation’s Chinese elements put them in a familiar cultural setting.
Up to this point, the scenes are indifferent to Chinese audiences compared to other Hollywood movies they have seen. While they may think this is another stereotypical movie made by Hollywood to trick them, here comes the turning point. As the film progresses, Mingmei’s friends tolerate and considerately ask her to let her emotions out, and she gradually learns to control her emotions. The animation’s title, Turning Red, has a metaphor for the women’s period and signifies the change in her feelings. Meanwhile, her mother realizes Mingmei’s puberty actions and gradually learns to understand and respect her decisions. “Turning Red builds a stereotyped image of the Chinese-Canadian community only to tear it apart bit by bit as the plot unravels,” reads a five-star review on Douban. (Ji Ru Bai Nan Bot) Since such understanding is still rare in Chinese families, it depicts Chinese teenagers’ imagined family relationships and encourages them to pursue such values in their own families.
The feminist values discussed in the animation lead to a bigger picture. With children struggling with the relationship with their parents, they are eager for individualistic representations instead of merely meeting their family expectations. “Many East-Asian kids go through similar struggles. During their teen years, they are constrained and try to reconcile with themselves for the rest of their lives,” reads one of the most upvoted comments on Douban. (Tamagno) While American people take individualism for granted since this is the foundation of their values, the new generation of Chinese young adults seek more individualistic characteristics instead of perfectly fulfilling their parents’ expectations. Mingmei had contrasting solid personalities in the animation: the obedient little girl in front of her mother and the chaotic, playful girl for her friends. Her mother did not respect her privacy and always had high expectations for her. While Ming discovered the secret notebook of her drawings on her crush, Ming went crazy and embarrassed Mingmei in public. However, with the encouragement of her friends, Mingmei gradually became fearless to be authentically herself and had a big fight with her mother. Ming compromised and explained that she did that way because her mother always had similar expectations for her, and she felt she could never fulfill her mother’s demands. Such experiences let most Chinese teenagers feel relatable as they may experience similar situations right now. Born in a traditional Chinese family, it is unfilial if children do not always obey their parents’ commands. However, Generation Z’s social atmosphere is changing as they actively seek changes and embrace American values of individualism. When translated into Chinese families, it has become a combination of individualistic and collective values, meaning that children have individualistic rights but should still fulfill duties to their parents. In this case, what American audiences take for granted are progressive values for Chinese audiences.
Some may argue that the animation oversimplifies Chinese families’ problems, and it is unrealistic for Ming to understand and respect her daughter’s individualities suddenly. However, with the animation’s setting in Toronto, it is reasonable to consider that American values of individualism and freedom had already influenced Mingmei’s mother for many years. She still affirmed many traditions because she wanted to continue her family heritage. When she discovered her inner self, she accepted it and allowed her daughter to be authentically herself. In real-world cases, when individualistic values influence many Chinese parents, their acceptance of their imperfectness has helped them understand their children’s individualistic needs and become open-minded about them.
In terms of cultural influences, Turning Red, like other Hollywood movies and animations, is trying to bring American values to the world. When telling these stories, Hollywood tends to lead their audiences to think such progressive values relate to the United States. (Liu) What is unique about Turning Red, though, is that it tells a western story in a Chinese way, in contrast to Mulan telling a Chinese story in a western way. While it resonates with the Chinese audience with familiar cultural settings, it brings Chinese audiences American values such as feminism and individualism. It transforms their mindsets into accepting these values. Chinese audiences are likely to relate the animation to their own experiences and become more willing to embrace American values and integrate them with their own.
Turning Red tells a compelling story of a Chinese immigrant family in the western world. It is a western story at its core. Still, it feels naturally appealing to Chinese audiences and gains success in Mainland China since it deliberately uses Chinese elements and exclusive cultural values. With its feminist and individualistic values introduced to Mainland Chinese audiences, the movie serves as another example of bringing American values to the world. However, this time Chinese audiences resonate with these progressive values and would like to relate them to their personal, familiar experiences, opening them to opportunities of refining their family relationships.
Works Cited
Ji Ru Bai Nan Bot. “学着点儿吧米老鼠，看看少数族裔女性如何创作真正的少数族裔representation.” Learn your lesson Mickey Mouse, let’s see how a minority female depicts minority group representation, https://movie.douban.com/review/14269839/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.
Liu, Zhigang. “好莱坞电影传播‘美国价值’的启示_参考网.” The lessons from how Hollywood movies propagandize American values, https://m.fx361.com/news/2019/1103/5953386.html. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.
Shi, Domee. Turning Red. 2022.
Stevens, Dana. “Pixar’s Groundbreaking New Movie Is One of Its Best in Years.” Slate, Mar. 2022. slate.com, https://slate.com/culture/2022/03/turning-red-movie-review-disney-plus-pixar-menstruation.html.
Tamagno, Beatrice. “Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’ Is Also Controversial in China, for Different Reasons.” RADII | Stories from the Center of China’s Youth Culture, 23 Mar. 2022, https://radiichina.com/pixar-turning-red/.
