Warning! SPOILERS for Turning Red.
At the end of Turning Red, Mei goes against her family’s tradition and chooses to keep the red panda - here's why. Turning Red, which marks Domee Shi’s directorial debut, follows 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian overachiever Meilin “Mei” Lee. When she comes of age, she learns that she transforms into a red panda every time she strongly feels an emotion. As it turns out, she can undergo a ritual to remove the panda spirit from her, just like what her grandmother, aunties, and mother have previously done. However, after a heartwarming talk with her father, Mei embraces herself fully by deciding not to part ways with her red panda.
Originally, Turning Red was scheduled for a theatrical release. Due to the influx of Omicron variant cases, the film was given a direct-to-streaming release on Disney+, a move that initially drew flak from Pixar employees and potential viewers. Regardless, Turning Red received positive reviews from critics, who largely praised its animation, cultural representation, and voice cast. For a film that focuses on a specific set of experiences, Pixar’s latest entry managed to make its story universally relatable — even as to why Mei keeps the red panda with her.
Mei’s decision to live with the red panda within her is explained during Turning Red’s final scene. As she adjusts to the changes in her life, she says, “We’ve all got an inner beast. We’ve all got a messy, loud, and weird part of ourselves hidden away. A lot of us never let it out, but I did.” The red panda is a crucial part of Mei’s life, and as she seeks to embrace the chaotic, growing, and learning young woman that she is, she is not letting her family’s experience limit her life. Her ancestors might have feared the turmoil that comes with the panda, but Mei chooses to view it as a strength. While the red panda has been a source of trouble at times, it has also given her the happiest moments, like attending the concert of Turning Red's real-life influenced boy band 4*Town with her girlfriends and forming new bonds with people her age. It has also become her means of discovering a different side of her, allowing her to live holistically.
Since the red panda comes out each time Mei has intense feelings, keeping her powers also suggests that emotions are a big aspect of human life. Reacting to stimuli and expressing one’s emotions are natural, and having to tame those passions is akin to discarding a core aspect of one's humanity. Mei’s decision in Turning Red is an interesting argument against the long-held idea of how women should behave: not overly emotional, reserved, submissive. It has been ingrained in society that displaying emotions publicly is a sign of weakness, and that women should contain themselves to avoid being frowned upon. However, by creating a physically huge metaphor, Turning Red, which highly deserves a theatrical release, validates this emotional side. The film’s motifs even encourage women to take up space and express what they feel.
As opposed to her mother’s insistence to shun the panda spirit away, Mei’s resolution to carry it within her also shows her breaking a generational habit. Rather than compartmentalizing and avoiding the pains of growing up, Mei realizes that she cannot live her life according to other people’s wishes. She can turn to them for guidance, of course, but ultimately, she has the right to explore her interests and emotions. Consequently, the heroine of Turning Red welcomes the changes in her adolescent life, no matter how tumultuous and uncertain the future might be.
