Elizabeth Johnston – March 21, 2022
Disney Pixar’s latest animated feature, “Turning Red,” has been turning many heads in the Christian community for the presence of several subtle and not-so-subtle themes in the movie that many warn parents should be aware of.
One New York pastor, Mike Signorelli, screened the movie to determine whether it would be appropriate for his own children to watch and shared his warning about the “dangerous” movie with CBN News’ Faithwire last week.
“I believe that every parent — not just a pastor, but a parent — has a mandate to actually screen material,” he told the outlet. “Because every single device you have in your home is a portal, either a window into the things of God or, unfortunately, things that I believe are demonic.”
“Within the first eight minutes, I was absolutely appalled,” he said.
A central theme in the movie is communication with the Chinese-American protagonists’ ancestors, which Signorelli noted is patently unbiblical. “Is it demonic?” he asks.
“We know in Hebrews 9:27, it’s appointed once to live and then to die and we face judgment, and it’s strictly forbidden, in the Christian context, to communicate with the dead,” he explained. “And so, even within the first eight minutes, you have chanting, communication with ancestors, and immediately a red flag should start to go off.”
The film, which centers around a 13-year-old girl who is torn between her parents’ high standards and the school friends they disapprove of, is being hailed by supportive critics at a fun, honest parable of female puberty as protagonist Ming starts turning into a giant red panda whenever she gets excited.
The themes of challenging parental authority as well as subtle implications that one of Ming’s friends experiences same-sex attraction have been highlighted by concerned conservative critics, yet as Singnorelli noted, the point at which the young woman defiantly declares “my panda, my choice” seems like an overt nod to the pro-abortion movement.
Bear in mind, this is an animated film that is rated PG, classified as a “family” movie, and largely marketed towards younger audiences.