Some Pearl-Clutching Mothers Feel Disney's "Turning Red" Is Too Mature For Children, But These 10 Disney Movies Are Way More Inappropriate.
If Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the soundtrack for those who are upset about the movie, would it be, "We don't talk about mens-tru-ation, no. We don't talk about menses!"
The Disney fandom, and subsequently the internet, has been set aflame by the recent release of Disney/Pixar's Turning Red. This truly beautiful, multifaceted film is a coming-of-age story about a Canadian-Chinese girl named Meilin Lee, or Mei for short.
Turning Red gives us a story about a typical 13-year-old girl navigating life in 2002. It’s rife with the internal cringe that anyone who has survived female puberty is all too familiar with: teenage crushes, boy bands, some teenage rebellion, and the dreaded and inevitable start of menstruation.
It’s because of these topics that some people, largely “Christian parents,” have become bent out of shape. As if their children will never go through puberty or experience typical teenage rebellion; or is it because it’s pointedly about all those things but relayed in a story that focuses on how other cultures and families operate within these situations?
Not that Mei and her friends did anything outrageously rebellious in the first place (I'll refrain from sharing spoilers, but they did some sneaking around/out). And this is DEFINITELY not the first time “disobedience” has been a concept in Disney movies.
Disobedience against parental figures has been a core plot of many of Disney’s movies. Think of Nemo touching the “butt,” Simba going to the Elephant’s Graveyard, Ariel trading her voice for legs; I can go on, but for brevity’s sake, I won't.
Disney put in the work to shine a spotlight on, and honor, Chinese culture in modern-day and intergenerational relationships, and is helping to broaden the severely lacking representation of anyone other than white folks in the media we’re given to consume. The reviews reflect this; those who are able to uncenter themselves from media that isn’t a reflection of who they are, or POC who are familiar with the nuances, have all shared glowing reviews.
Regardless, the detractors have been screaming into the void about how they think Turning Red is “too mature” for children because it deals with puberty, the sexuality of teenage crushes, and menstruation. Besides the fact that this is something all 13-year-olds WILL experience, menstruation ISN’T a “dirty” or “shameful” thing and SHOULD be talked about more to help everyone understand and be more understanding of menstruation.
Even if you’re one of those in the minority who feels Turning Red is “inappropriate,” we’re here to kindly share some classic Disney movies that are WAY more inappropriate. Keep scrolling to see what we came up with.
1. Beauty and the Beast
Belle and Beast fall in love, in spite of his "beastly" temper. But it's supposed to be okay because Belle "changes" (read: fixes) him.
Not to mention posturing in order to intimidate her, keeping her prisoner in exchange for her father's freedom... Beauty and the Beast is full of wildly inappropriate relationship ideals.
giphySo we're just going to ignore the fact that he locked her up in a cell, screamed at, and threatened her?
He only began to treat her with kindness because his enchanted staff encouraged him to do so in order to break the curse that his poor attitude got them all into. You can do better, Belle.
giphy2. Toy Story 3
This one shouldn't surprise you. If it does, let's recap:
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The toys literally face death and just accept their fate. They share a solemn look and silently reach out to hold hands as they slowly inch closer to their imminent demise.
Let me tell you about how I SOBBED watching this as a full-grown adult. Do kids really need to face the cruel realities of mortality in their movies?
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3. Lilo & Stitch
I mean, yeah, same girl. And really, she had valid reasons to feel that way, too.
If you don't remember, Lilo and Nani's parents were killed in a car crash.
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Then while Nani is busting her ass to raise Lilo by herself, Lilo gets taken away by CPS agents.
I dunno, that seems a lot more "mature" than seeing a box of pads.
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4. Aladdin
OH LOOK, A TEENAGE GIRL SNEAKING OUT OF HER HOME WITH A STRANGE MAN. HOW SCANDALOUS.
Princess Jasmine was 15 and married a conman who straight-up lied about who he was nearly the entire time they were together, and this was AFTER she learned she was lied to.
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And let's not forget that this 15-year-old seduced and kissed a grown man in order to distract him.
BUT MENSTRUATION
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5. Dumbo
YEP, I'm coming for Dumbo, too.
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They got a BABY drunk
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6. The Lion King
Scar MURDERS Mufasa, his BROTHER, and then right after Simba finds his father's corpse, Scar convinces Simba it's HIS fault.
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That's some straight-up Game of Thrones type plot.
And there's no arguing that Game of Thrones is inappropriate for children.
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7. The Little Mermaid
Ariel was so completely hot and bothered over Prince Eric that she literally gave up her friends, family, and her FREAKING VOICE to try to get with him.
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Ariel was a horny-ass 16-year-old who got married to the first dude she met.
Mei's fanfiction drawings are TAME compared to that hornball mermaid.
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8. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Dr. Madeline Levine, a renowned child psychologist, emphasizes that "media representations can significantly shape children's understanding of relationships and consent." Additionally, Dr. Laura Berman, a well-known sex therapist, points out that "the portrayal of unconscious characters in romantic scenarios can send troubling messages about consent." The film's conclusion, featuring the Prince kissing an unconscious (presumably DEAD) Snow White, raises serious concerns about the implications of such depictions on young viewers. Consent issues aside, this portrayal is indeed unsettling.
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It's also worth noting that Snow White is supposed to be FOURTEEN
Don't @ me with the "things were different back then" b.s.
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9. Sleeping Beauty
We literally JUST covered the issue of consent, y'all.
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Consensual affection 2022
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10. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
This movie is full of all sorts of inappropriate and mature themes: lust, murder, genocide.
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Within the first 10 minutes, Frollo murders a woman and tries to drown her baby.
He also tries to burn Esmeralda at the stake because she, God forbid, refused to have sex with him.
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Kimmy said it best
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Welp, there you go. Even these beloved classic Disney and Pixar movies share “mature” themes and varying degrees of rebellion (and horniness, let’s be real).
So, not only is it fitting that Turning Red joins their ranks, but hopefully, this calls out the RIDICULOUS outrage around a fantastic coming-of-age story that also focuses on a Chinese mother/daughter relationship.
Have you watched Turning Red yet? Let us know what you thought about the movie in the comments below!
And if you know someone with their undies in a bunch over the movie, share this with them to help shift their perspective.
