WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Turning Red, now streaming on Disney+.
One of the most interesting things about Pixar’s animated movies is how often the theme of generational trauma appears. It’s especially prominent in Brave and Inside Out, which both dive deep into how parenting affects teens and their development. Well, last year’s Encanto and the more recent Turning Red also tackle the theme, adding even more nuance to a relatable topic for kids, young adults and parents alike. So, with that in mind, let’s break down how both movies deal with generational trauma to see how they compare.
What Was the Generational Trauma in Encanto?
Encanto focused on Mirabel and her abuela, Alma, who became upset when Mirabel was turned into the black sheep of the family. Mirabel didn’t get magical powers during puberty, which led Alma to focus on the other teens who were deemed special. Obviously, that upset Mirabel, and she went on to confront her parents, aunts, uncles and grandmother about how ignoring her made her feel inferior.
Sadly, the same thing also happened with the clairvoyant Bruno, who the family forgot about because he was a soothsayer that broke the utopia they were building. Both his and Mirabel’s stories reinforced how the Madrigals got caught up in just living life and being happy after almost facing genocide during their time as refugees and proved that tragedy is no excuse for alienating your loved ones.
What Was the Generational Trauma in Turning Red?
Turning Red’s issues started with Mei’s mom, Ming, who had a falling out with her own mother, Wu Lee, years back. The elder didn’t approve of Ming dating Jin, which led to Ming’s Panda emerging and harming the mom. After that, Ming sealed her Panda away and tried to do the same to Mei, becoming the controlling, overbearing and overprotective mother she once had.
All that affected Mei terribly because she lost her sense of identity, became afraid of flaws and paid the price for a war her mother and granny fought years back. And the trauma even went farther back than that, with Mei’s ancestors seeing the Panda as a curse rather than a gift when they moved out West. That suppression manifested differently with the women down the line, affecting their emotions and ability to be open, and it all came to a head with Mei.
How Ecanto and Turning Red Compare
Despite being traumatic, Encanto’s issues easy to solve because all Alma had to do was pay attention to Mirabel and treat the future kids better. Ultimately, a simple conversation was all it took to reestablish that sense of family, bringing Bruno back into the fold as well. Turning Red, however, had a lot more moving parts because of how the Lee women didn’t like what their ancestors passed down. It created resentment with them, which is why Ming became a monster-like Panda and almost killed people by rampaging through a 4*Town concert to scold Mei for wanting to keep her Panda.
And on top of that, Turning Red’s finale reiterated that the problem can’t be fixed by one person. Ming’s mom and the aunts had to put their ego and personal feelings aside to let their Pandas out to exorcise Ming’s monster, which allowed Mei to be her own person –free and independent from the family’s past. It felt like she could start a new generation of Lee women, while Mirabel’s story ended with her still tethered to the Madrigal house and its dynasty.
To see how Turning Red compares to Encanto, the film is now streaming on Disney+.
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