‘Red: Growing Up Is A Beast’ depicts the life of a teenager who transforms into a giant red panda
Audiences can now watch Red: Growing Up is a Beast on Disney+! Disney and Pixar’s animated film, available on the platform, is directed by Oscar® winner Domee Shi (Bao, Pixar short film), produced by Lindsey Collinsand tells the story of Mei Lee, a 13-year-old girl torn between remaining an obedient daughter and the chaos of adolescence.
Her mother Ming is an overprotective and somewhat authoritarian person who is never far from her daughter, which is a sad reality for the teenager. And as if the changes in her interests, relationships, and body weren’t enough, whenever she experiences strong emotions (which is pretty much always the case), she transforms into a giant red panda.
Check out below 5 moments from Red: Growing up is a Beast that fans loved, laughed and got emotional.
1. The support of Meilin’s friends
Miriam, Priya and Abby support Mei Lee from the moment they discover that she transforms into a giant red panda when she feels strong emotions. The support of her friends is Mei Lee’s ‘place of calm’, since – when she feels some very strong emotion, which would transform her into Panda – she remembers her friends and their hug, and manages to calm down.
2. Fulfillment
Mei, Priya, Abby, and Miriam have two greetings they say every time they see each other. The first is that all the friends put their hands together and wiggle their fingers. Priya and Mei have another ‘touch’ to greet each other.
3. little dance
Every time they need to cheer Mei Lee up, her friends start singing the chorus “Nobody Like U” by 4*Town, the most amazing boy band ever. The four friends are superfans of the band and Mei Lee does the choreography even when she’s transformed into a panda.
4. Back to the 2000s
“RED: Crescer é uma Fera” is full of references to the 2000s, bringing that affective memory of childhood and adolescence to the public. During the film we see that Mei Lee has a virtual pet, listens to music on a CD on a diskman, poses for a photo showing her tongue with her fingers on her face, among other things that millennials also did.
5. The importance of family
The film highlights the importance of family and family relationships for Mei Lee. The teenager lived a double life in fear of displeasing her mother, Ming, who is overprotective of her daughter. Furthermore, although Ming has a distant relationship with her mother (Mei’s grandmother) and the rest of the women in her family, they all gather to perform the ritual that would rid Mei Lee of the Panda. At that moment we see their union and resumption of ties, with Ming forgiving himself for hurting his mother and making peace with her. Mei is the one who helps her in this process and this causes their relationship to be reestablished, with Ming also accepting her daughter’s particularities and tastes.
Source: Recreio
