From the creative mind of Domee Shi, most known for her Pixar Animated Studio short Bao, Turning Red (2022) is a coming-of-age story about a young Chinese-Canadian girl that helps her mother take care of her family’s temple in Toronto. With an overprotective and traditional mother, and her adolescent life full of boybands, crushes, and relationships; she finds herself torn between her two lives as they constantly clash. The stress of being the perfect daughter and maintaining her own personal social life, takes a huge emotional toll on her. Due to her Chinese ancestry, this emotional toll comes in the form of a giant red panda.
Known for his recent Disney work in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, the Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, scored the music for Turning Red. According to Göransson, he wanted the music to act like a mixtape for Mei in the uncomfortable and confusing journey that is adulthood. Just as Göransson stated himself, the soundtrack became a mix of genres, the jumping from New Jack Swing, to 90’s boy-band music, to traditional Chinese Instrumentation along a Western Orchestra. There are pieces where the soundtrack almost sounds experimental but in a well-thought out way. We are given musical cues that are familiar and nostalgic for the parents and older generations, mixed with newer experimental sounds for the younger generation. The same way we are watching Mei become confused and trying to balance her two worlds, we are also experiencing that through music.
Analysis
The film was a fun and entertaining change from other Pixar films, and the music was amazing ear candy. While there are moments in the film that highlight Göransson’s music, we often find ourselves missing it due to the high pace and energetic storyline. This film is worth a watch with extra attention to the incredible music. Highly recommend!
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