Why are people slamming a Turning Red review and calling it "racist" and "sexist"?
by Jaskiran Kaur | Sat, 12 Mar 2022 18:08:50 GMT
Turning Red casts Rosalie Chiang in the character of Mei, a teenage girl; Credits: BBC

Turning Red is a beautiful coming-of-age masterpiece by Pixar Studio that portrays the story of a teenage girl who finds herself becoming a giant red panda whenever she loses her temper. The film has been hailed as a must-watch by several critics while its first impression reviews are also quite good. 

Yet, one particular critic did not seem to like the brilliance put into "Turning Red."

The internet was collectively shocked when a CinemaBlend review questioned the "universality" and the relatedness of the film for its audience. Fans, cast members of the film, and more media personalities were quick to call the review the "sexist" and "racist" writeup it is. 

The review was written by CinemaBlend's managing director, Sean O'Connell, who said that the film could appeal only to a small Asian community of Toronto, and that is it. His bland and tasteless interview incited the rage of film critics and fans of Pixar alike. 

In his interview, the director said that though he saw the humor in the film, he did not find it amusing and did not connect with the humor. He also specifically mentioned the Asian background of the film's character and acted as if it were a reason to not like the film. 

In fact, he accused the film director of Turning Red, Domee Shi, of having made the film for only her circle of friends and her family members as no one else could relate to it (according to the review). He tried to underplay the racism in his post by saying that the film is just fine, but its Asian connection is a "tad limiting in its scope."

He paired down his opinion blog about the film with another tweet, deleted now, stating that while some Pixar films are known for their universal appeal, Turning Red is not one of them. Labeling the target audience for the film "very specific and very narrow," O'Connell said that you might relate with the film only if you worked in it. 

But because he hadn't, he did not enjoy it. He ended his rant by calling the film exhausting. 

It is important to mention here that Turning Red is directed by Domee Shi, an Oscar-winning director. She had received the world acclaimed film awards for her animated short film with Pixar, Bao. 

Her latest work with Pixar follows the story of Meilin "Mie" Lee, voiced by Rosalie Chiang, a newly turned teenage girl. The young girl seems to be unable to control some of her emotions as she steps into her teenage years and starts turning into a red panda whenever her emotions get the best of her. 

Though the film is set in the Asian community of Toronto, turning a teenager and getting the newly emerging emotions as a result of newly altering hormones is a universal enough topic for all people. 

In her interview with CBC, Mei's voice actor Chiang had said that the film's ethnic background is not a limiting aspect for the film. The film is based on a coming-of-age storyline that is similar for all people. 

Though different cultures might perceive the changes differently, all young teenagers seem to go through the same set of emotions. A universal group of people can account for the relativity of the film. 

Similarly, another cast member from the film, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, also spoke on the relativity of the film. The Never Have I Ever star who voices a friend of Mei in the film also vouched for the "universal" narrative of the film. 

She stated that many people will be able to relate to the story even if they do not belong to the Asian community living in Canada. 

Similarly, Domee Shi also spoke against the controversial review in her talk with CBC. She detailed that the Turning Red is a "love letter to puberty" and Toronto. 

Owing to the massive backlash faced by CinemaBlend, the media publication has taken down the review by its Managing Director. The Editor in Chief of Cinema-Bland, Mack Rawden, shared the publication's negligence when dealing with the racist review. 

He said that the publication "failed" to edit the review and that it should not have been published. He announced the piece has been pulled down, and someone else will be writing the film's review. He also added that the publication has brought in more "levels" of screenings concerning the editing. 

O'Connell also backed down from his previous views regarding Turning Red and issued a new tweet where he admitted that he did not "engage nearly enough with the movie" when he wrote his review. He also thanked everyone who called out his previous review, regardless of the "harsh" criticism he received. 

However, many fans are still not convinced with the steps taken by CinemaBlend, trying to undo the damage and calling out that O'Connell should not enjoy the privileged position he holds at the publication taking his racist history into account. 

The film was released in theaters on March 11, 2022. 

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