Turning Red is genuinely entertaining and in no way deserves the kind of hate that it gets. That said, it is not the strongest Pixar, and seems more typical of an average Disney movie than something at Pixar caliber.

Turning Red was not the worst Pixar movie I've ever seen, but it also just didn't feel as emotional or heartwarming as the other films I've seen from the company. The plot was pretty compelling and it's a good coming-of-age story with some lessons about family thrown in, but some of the humor fell flat and it definitely had its flaws.

The girls and their fandom were clearly made by someone who's lived it. Despite the fantastical story, everything here is the realest a Disney animated film has gotten since Lilo & Stitch. While the metaphor of Mei's transformation could apply to many things, the heart of how it feels to grow up and realize you have more in common with your parents than you know is universal.

While Turning Red doesn't have the same heart or emotional depth as other Pixar films, the cast and writing are still charming and hilarious from start to finish, and its focus on the trials and tribulations of puberty gives it a level of relatability that doesn't usually show up in films like these. Even with some of its weaker story elements, it still gets to the core of what makes Pixar work, and even if you're not the target audience for Turning Red, it's a film that's easy to enjoy.