By now you have most likely heard about the latest Disney Pixar movie, Turning Red, and you may have heard mixed reviews about this movie. While there are some singing the praises of this movie and are labeling it another classic in the line of Disney movies, there are others who have great concerns about the overarching message and influences this movie presents to children. I am in the concerned group.

Initially, I had decided to steer clear of the movie, advising our daughter not to watch it in spite of the cute red panda advertised. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized what an opportunity was presented in sitting down with her and watching the movie while taking the time to address some areas of question and concern.

Today, I want to share with you some take aways I had from the movie. I took the time to discuss these with our daughter. The following day before homeschooling, we spent a good amount of time looking at Scripture with regards to areas of question in this movie. I hope this helps you as a Christian mother and serves as an example in how to broach subjects with your children in a Biblical way. You do not have to be a Bible scholar to do this, and these kinds of talks plant the seeds for further candid discussions down the road.

As a mother, I realize our children cannot be insulated from the world. They will come in contact with people and beliefs contrary and even hostile to Christian beliefs. I want the Word of God to be the first line of defense for them, and in order to do that, we as her parents need to be the first line of providing that understanding properly. I want her to think through things, testing things by the Word of God while being ready to give a reason for the hope she has in Christ and to understand that walking in God’s ways and instructions are essential to a disciple of Christ.

Turning from the Screen to the Word

According to the creators of Turning Red, they wanted to be unapologetic about puberty with the director stating, “The red panda is a metaphor not just for puberty, but also what we inherit from our moms, and how we deal with the things that we inherit from them.” However, there is an elephant in the room, and it would be the inheritance of sin from Adam as stated in Romans 5:12-14. This is not a metaphor. This is the truth. This was the curse that came into the world because of rebellion against God. In the midst of boy bands, teen angst, and fits of anger, a sinful nature is at the root of it all. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer.

There were several areas I highlighted and discussed with my daughter that were prevalent in this movie. I want to share these with you for your inspection and for engaging with your children should you share these same concerns. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of topics to address, and I went into greater detail about scenes such as the ritual scene in a recent podcast episode. You may also find it helpful.

At the beginning of the movie, Mei talks about the importance of honoring your father and mother. However, she says if you only honor them, you might forget to honor yourself. The former concept is fundamental to Scripture. The latter is foreign, and the Word is clear we are to honor God first (Matthew 22:37). We are to consider the needs of others and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Philippians 2:3, Matthew 22:39), and yes, we are to honor our father and mother (Ephesians 6:1-3). We are not told to honor ourselves nor are we encouraged to rebel against our parents. We are in fact told to deny ourselves. The Bible does not testify favorably of those who practice such things (Romans 1:28-32, 2 Timothy 3:2).

Throughout Turning Red, there are references and practices to ancestor worship and reverence, offering incense and prayers before a female ancestor, Sun Yi. It is also stated that Sun Yi loved the red panda so much she asked the gods to turn her into one so that she could protect her daughters and her village. However, Scripture tells us there is only one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:5,6). There is only one God (Isaiah 43:10,11, 45:20,21) and we worship Him alone (Exodus 20:3-6, Luke 4:8). Deuteronomy 18:10,11 also helps us to understand that communicating with the dead is forbidden, and those who are in Christ and absent from the body are present with the Lord. They do not hear our prayers; they are worshiping God (2 Corinthians 5:6-10).

The act of setting oneself free is conveyed to Mei as the ritual necessary to be free of the red panda spirit, and it provides one chance without allowance for failure. But if we recognize the real curse present as mentioned above, we know self-deliverance is not possible. We are not our own savior, and if self-deliverance were possible, there would be no need for Christ’s atonement. True freedom is found in Christ alone (John 8:31,32, Romans 8:2, 1 John 4:4). We are told to put off the old self by putting on Christ (Ephesians 4:17-24), and we are empowered to kill sin by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:13). We are never told to embrace the bad parts or to live with them. We harness nothing in our own strength. We understand the enmity present between the flesh (sinful nature) and the Spirit, and believers in Christ are told to be led by the Holy Spirit, not the flesh. Without Jesus Christ, we are slaves to sin rather than slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:15-23).

A ritual scene is integral in this movie in order to rid oneself of the panda spirit. The women begin to chant while Mei sits inside a chalk circle. When Mei asks what they are singing, the man participating in the ritual says it doesn’t matter. They are simply singing from their hearts and Mei should follow their voices and let them guide her. But Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful and desperately sick; who can understand it?” As Christians, we understand our hearts are not to be trusted apart from Christ. God does give us a new heart, and we are to be led by His Spirit. John 16:13 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” We are also to renew our minds with the Word of God and not to conform to this world (Romans 12:2). His Word guides us into all truth (Psalm 119:105, John 17:17).

One final scene to note here is the infamous mantra from our modern culture adapted for this movie, “my panda, my choice.” This is a tipping of the hat to the mindset surrounding abortion with the nuance of a panda spirit, and I would argue this is subtly attempting to normalize this way of thinking in the minds of children. However, the use of this statement in the movie is as incoherent as the original statement itself. The panda spirit within Mei is a separate entity of its own. It is not part of her body. It has possessed her. She belongs to it permanently. If we want to be technical, the mere presence of two living beings agrees more with the prolife stance, negating the very statement in itself as homage to “women’s reproductive rights”. As Christians, we teach our children what 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 has to say regarding those who belong to Christ, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.”

It is important for Christian parents to teach their children the ways of the Lord, and this comes through the proclamation of the Word of God. One of the vital ways we do such a thing is in the day-to-day happenings of life. We take the opportunity to help them understand the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need for salvation. We answer their questions before the world provides their answers. We tackle difficult matters head on when the time is right to broach the subject. We trust the Word of God to instruct us and the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth as we lead them into this same truth.

We read the Bible to them and encourage them to read it daily. We unashamedly declare to our children the reason for the hope we have in Christ. We equip our children to do the same rather than simply telling them something is bad and to avoid it. This is not sufficient. They need to understand what God has to say on the matter at hand. We live in a world that looks much different from when you and I grew up as children, and our children are facing and are going to face more difficult societal norms with the pressure and temptation to compromise before the Lord. And when the world comes knocking through subtle or not so subtle undertones, attempting to be the first line of open mindedness, we respond by being the first line of defense to the children God has given us to steward, renewing their minds with the best defense, the Word of God.

For a more in-depth discussion regarding this movie, listen to the latest episode of The Lovesick Scribe Podcast.