Turning Red embraces the 8th grade roller coaster of celebrity adulation, crushes, best friends, menarche, being the daughter of a gorgeous math genius mom, being adored by a chef dad (Jin's stir fry looks like a delicious cookbook video), being stuffed with dim sum by Joy Luck Club aunties and Grandma Wu, trying to please everyone (parents, teachers, Besties) but herself, Meilin Lee discovers her 13 year old certainties about who she is, and what she is, are not as set in cement as she believes.Ming, Mei's mother had an epic disagreement with her mother Grandma Wu over Ming's choice of husband Jin, the shy genial gentle cooking soul, who likes to sing karaoke alone in the basement (you have to watch all the credits to see this Easter egg). Men who cook and are consistently kind and supportive offer a sanctuary of nurturance which is irresistible.MeiMei, her mom's affectionate diminutive, belies Ming's high expectations. Mei secretly reveals just how far from cooperative a daughter can be while appearing to remain Confucian malleable, obedient and A+.Mei's string-braceleted besties, Miriam tall gangly Jewish, Abby Korean plump Panda cuddler, and skeptical Hindu Priya combine their sympathetic joy to beat box Mei out of Red Panda self-pity.Her Besties vocal percussion hugs remind Mei that she remains lovable by those who really matter, no matter how intense the temptation to give in to Red Panda extreme impulsivity.Mei slowly discovers that she can modulate juvenile emotions by choosing Daoist breathing, Buddhist equanimity, remember that she is lovable and well-loved, and that she can compassionately choose to avoid executing inner and/or outer Red Panda harm, an ethical moral of personal responsibility.The Besties' favorite 4*Town five member boy band causes moaning, sighing, wide eyed screaming and scheming to attend the 4*Town concert Toronto 2002 during a penumbral eclipse.Pubescent emotions still erupt in terrifying anger tantrums and furry Red Panda transformations for Mei, a metaphor for coming of age hormonal surges. Through the film, Mei increasingly self-calms by brushing her fur, breathing deeply, soothing her emotions before harming herself or others.Though twerking in mom's face aggravates Ming's gargantuan Red Panda rage.Turning Red comprises a complex contrapuntal score, like Les Miserables: aunties' gong and drum chanting, 4*Town Hip Hop and Besties karaoke mingle with Mr. Gao's sword ritual, during a Red Moon astral window circle attempt to restore Ming's equanimity.Mei and her mother Ming achieve rapprochement, and even Grandma Wu and Ming rediscover their love of one another through sharing Mei's journey of individuation and separation enroute to responsible adult autonomy and acceptance of consequences. At the end, entire extended family is saving all their earnings to pay for the rehabilitation of the Ming Red Panda destroyed Toronto Skydome.Grandma Wu and Aunties return their Red Pandas into sequestered amulets, though Grandma Wu and Ming's Red Pandas now inhabit electronic pets which require constant feeding attention and entertaining.Meilin decides to allow her Red Panda to remain free. Mei chooses to exercise self-discipline to soothe life's vagaries of emotional turbulence.Turning Red embodies the confusion, contradiction and conflict, inner and outer, of coming of age with eye-catching hues, cartoon animation which avoids uncanny valley, hair, fur, backgrounds, eye and mouth expressions, light and penumbra, dialogue and music, a 5* production with Pixar VP Danielle Feinberg.The identical right eyebrow slits on Grandma Wu and 4*Town hearthrob Robaire imply tribal cultural affiliation.Bonus: Turning Red has English subtitled full film commentary from director and writer Domee Shi.My daughter and I have watched Turning Red multiple times, each time discovering something anew in ourselves.Turning Red is deeply emotionally resonant, as is all art which harbors underlying truth.Ming affirms MeiMei across the Red Moon penumbral eclipse astral window:I will always be proud of you.