The Couch Podcast #108: Talking Turning Red with Tasha Jun & Michelle Reyes

Have you seen the new Pixar movie, Turning Red? Even if you haven’t watched it yet, I’m guessing you may have heard about it—and some of what you heard might not have been good. Spoiler alert: I disagree with the criticism being thrown at this movie, and we are here to talk about the giant panda in the room today.

First, the basics – Turning Red is an animated kids movie about a 13-year-old girl living in Toronto. Mei-Lin is Chinese-Canadian, and like pretty much every 13-year-old ever, she’s also going through some changes. After a particularly difficult interaction with her mom, she turns into a giant red panda. Before this movie was even released last week, I was reading criticism and that did not stop after the public could flip on Disney+ and watch for themselves.

I invited my friends Michelle Reyes and Tasha Jun to talk with me about Turning Red, and I hope you’ll join us on the couch for a conversation full of, yes, pushback and opinions but also really good insight from my friends who are moms, Christians, and Asian Americans.

If you’ve been waiting for things to get spicy here on The Couch, today is your day. Let’s jump right in.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

“Turning Red” is a turning point for Asians in film. Why is it seen as unrelatable? (NPR)
Domee Shi on Her “Weird” Film About “Magical Puberty,” “Turning Red” (Uproxx)
People Think “Turning Red” is Too Mature for Kids, but Here are 10 Disney Movies That Are Actually Inappropriate (Buzzfeed)
Questions to ask your kids after watching “Turning Red” together (Instagram)

NOT-SO-GUILTY PLEASURES:

DON’T FORGET: