I finally gave in and subscribed to Disney+ so I could watch the last part of Owl House* and hey we can also watch Turning Red, which has gotten tons of positive reviews. Including some angry reviews from fundamentalist religious whackos which always puts it on my must-see list.
Mei is a cringy young teenager with a domineering mom, and she and her friends love boy bands and they’re just discovering boys, but that’s just the background. Her family has an ancient curse and by the end it involves grandmother and aunts and cousins to try and head off a catastrophe.
I thought it was really honest and sweet and super-funny. One Chinese-Canadian reviewer said they did OK with cultural aspects of the movie, so it should age well. And the animation is off-the-chart amazing even for Pixar:
Yeah that scene made me hungry.
Mei is in the story, but she can also see through the fourth wall at least as well as Deadpool or Pinkie Pie. At first you’re ready to kinda hate the mom, and then maybe at least dislike the grandmother, but… there’s no villain and no deep message. Which is a parallel to Encanto… have I reviewed Encanto yet? Because I loved it too.
Anyway, it was a really fun movie though possibly not for the fundamentalist in your life.
*Turns out Disney, after canceling Owl House, has not scheduled a date for releasing the fragments of season 3 on Disney+ yet. I am not happy with you on either point, Disney. Owl House had unlimited potential; it deserved a long run with merch and spinoffs and movies and the whole bit.
georgewiman 