Pixar’s latest film release on Disney Plus, Turning Red, puts the female experience of puberty front and centre with 13-year-old protagonist Mei (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), who finds herself turning into a giant red panda when faced with a particularly stressful or emotional experience.
As well as that metaphor, the film also shows her mother Ming (Sandra Oh) making a direct reference to periods, as well as the fantasy-based fan art of a teenager obsessing over her boy band crush – so far, so reasonable you would think.
However, the film has been met with fierce backlash from some viewers, who have slammed it online via social media and in the audience review section of Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Offensive and disrespectful’, offers one such review, while a second goes for ‘disgusting’.
‘Inappropriate and should not be anywhere near children,’ decries an unhappy viewer.
‘It makes me sick that Disney believes children should be subjected to things like this,’ blasts another. ‘If you are a parent, do NOT let your child watch this.’