In "Turning Red," the Pixar-produced film airing on Disney+, a 13-year-old girl named Mei who lives in Toronto turns into a red panda whenever she feels a strong emotion, ranging from anger over her mother's strict parenting to crushing on her and her friends' beloved boy band, 4*Town. The red panda Mei poofs into is giant, bright orange-red and adorable, capable of turning even the mean girls at school into cooing, weeping fans. As Mei's friend Abby says, pleading for her to turn into the creature so Abby can hug her: "Just a little hit! It's so cute!"
In this movie, as in life, teenage girls are onto something. Why are red pandas so irresistible? Athletic, pint-sized and fierce, they're not even a "real" panda, and yet, they are also the best panda.
