Episode 73: Turning Red and Brave (featuring Phoebe Shum)

Cinema in Context

Female-led Pixar films. Jeremy Downing and William Chen are joined by Phoebe Shum to discuss Brave (2012) and Turning Red (2022). We begin by discussing Turning Red, especially the strengths of its themes and confidence in setting. We turn to Brave and consider the strength in the visuals and animation, discuss the connections to Tangled (2010) and Frozen (2013), the structure and storytelling in the film, and the history of the film's production. We talk about the history of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, and the distinctions between the two studios. We return to Turning Red and consider it in regards to connections with films like Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), Asian stories and storytelling on screen, and the television series Russian Doll (2019-). We talk about the representation in Turning Red, especially in the animation style representing real people and how they capture a specific age group authentically.