In Disney/Pixar's new animated film, "Turning Red," a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl named Mei Lee comes into puberty and turns into a giant, furry red panda whenever strong teenage emotions overwhelm her.
Mei freaks out the first time. Her mother, hearing screams in the bathroom, assumes it's because "the red peony" bloomed. She grabs up a box of assorted sanitary pads and stands at the ready with ibuprofen and a hot water bottle.
Brief references to menstruation in an animated film apparently are a bridge too far for some parents, because "Turning Red" has kicked up heated debate.
