I would consider the fact that Asian people made and voiced the characters in this film, so Ming may be exaggerated and end up reflecting negative stereotypes simply as a consequence of it being an emotionally-heightened family film trying to comment on a real cultural phenomenon the creators connect to (which you seemed to say you related to at the start). I can see it being a problem, but it doesn\'t seem to be maliciously dictated by white executives.
For whatever reason, TV Tropes isn\'t letting me update my previous comment, so disregard it—this is a better phrasing of what I was thinking-
I would consider the fact that Asian people made and voiced the characters in this film, so Ming may be exaggerated and end up reflecting negative stereotypes simply as a consequence of it being an emotionally-heightened family film trying to comment on a real cultural phenomenon the creators connect to (which you seemed to say you related to at the start). I can see it being a problem, but it doesn\'t seem to be maliciously dictated by white executives. I also feel like Ming\'s parenting, while textually rooted in her culture, is far from exclusive or relatable to only Asian children, as entitled, overprotective mothers can be found everywhere and have recently become a white stereotype as well, so the character stands more as accessible than stereotyped to me.
Fair enough. My reaction was mostly against the broader context of Hollywood\'s Asian representation that the film released in; in a vacuum it probably wouldn\'t have been an issue for me.
My comment was also partly a response to rjung\'s review, which was very negative about the portrayal.
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Big Red, Turning Blue
Turning Red, the 25th Pixar movie, is about a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl Mei who learns she's descended from a line of women who Hulk Out into a giant red panda whenever they turn highly emotional. Her strict mother Ming decides to have the transformation suppressed via a time-specific ritual, while also putting further restrictions on her daughter in the meantime. Having a loving but oft-overbearing Asian mother, I can't help but feel Turning Red was partly made for me. And I liked much of it; the film boasts impressive animation, colorful characters, well-landed jokes, heavy themes and the expected hit-in-the-feels moment at the climax.
But I also left with a jittery feeling that something's wrong.
Much of the film follows Mei's life in middle school. While trying to deal with her erratic transformations, Mei plans to attend a Boy Band concert behind her mother's back. As someone with sisters who were once boy band-inclined, we shared some great nostalgic laughs watching this together. But Mei feels somewhat limited as a protagonist. She doesn't have to make any personal sacrifices or learn big lessons beyond accepting and asserting her feelings on what she wants. Which isn't necessarily bad, but I fear the movie didn't handle this in a healthy manner. Mei makes careless choices like lying to her family, selling out her friends, and even throttling another kid, but she's soon forgiven and gets basically everything she wants.
In part, this is because most of the conflict is Ming's fault. She's irrationally expecting, she publicly embarasses her daughter, and she turns into a rampaging panda kaiju. But it's revealed Ming became strict because she accidentally hurt her mother with the panda form in a past fight over the latter's disapproval of Mei's father. After her kaiju rampage, Ming apologizes and bows to Mei's wishes. This resolution doesn't feel earned. Ming flips from literally fighting with Mei verbally and physically to acquiescence, and there's little process to it aside from Ming's mother expressing forgiveness. I think it would have been more believable and affecting if Ming had more direct and personal observation of how her harsh behavior was harming Mei, and how Mei is better off without it.
There's also other aspects worth considering. The denouement adds a reference to a common pro-choice slogan ("my panda, my choice"). And while I don't think Ming's "Asian Mom" portrayal is outright offensive, I am a bit weary of Hollywood's shallow and repetitive Asian rep.
Turning Red has a lot of parts I enjoyed and related to, but the interpersonal conflict at its core didn't quite stick the landing. If you seek a Pixar film about an overbearing parent that goes through a gradual, believable arc of accepting their child's freedom whilst the child grows more bold, assertive and independent, check out Finding Nemo. It handles similar themes much better.