The newest Pixar film, “Turning Red,” is surrounded by controversy due to its themes of periods and puberty. It’s basically an animated “coming of age” film.

The main character, Meilin Lee, who goes by the nickname “Mei,” is a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl growing up in Toronto. Mei is going through puberty, which includes mood swings, periods and acne.

This all seems pretty normal, but that’s not really the case. You know when you feel such strong emotions, you might not quite act like yourself? Maybe you’ll throw a fit or say something you don’t mean.

Well, Mei, on the other hand, turns into a giant red panda. Keep in mind that this is Pixar, the same company that created universes where cars can talk, toys come alive and rats can cook.

As it turns out, Mei’s ability to morph into the creature is genetic. Her mother, Ming, reveals that this “curse” was passed down by their ancestor, Sun Yee, who had a supernatural connection with the animal.

The first time Mei turns into the giant red panda, her parents believe that it is caused by the confusion she experienced when she got her first period.

Some things to note about the movie are that it is the first Pixar film directed by a woman, Domee Shi, and features a lead character of Asian descent (second to the 2009 film, “Up.”)

The film currently has a rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. So, you, like myself, may be wondering, “What’s the problem?”

A grown man, CinemaBlend Managing Editor Sean O’Connell, had a lot to say about it.

In his initial review, he wrote that he didn’t like the film about an Asian-Canadian teenage girl going through puberty and getting her period because he couldn’t relate to it.

He also said that the story was too “limited in scope” to be enjoyed by the general population because the Asian community in Toronto is too specific.

Perhaps Pixar’s next movie will be about a man who feels a strong sense of confusion after not being able to relate to a young girl getting her period and has to write an apology Tweet to the public.

In his apology, O’Connell said, “I’m genuinely sorry for my Turning Red review,” and “It is clear that I didn’t engage nearly enough with the movie.”

CinemaBlend Editor-in-Chief Mack Rawden also said, “We failed to properly edit this review, and it never should have gone up.” The review has since been retracted and reassigned to someone else.

As you can imagine, Twitter had an absolute field day with O’Connell’s review. NPR’s Linda Holmes tweeted, “I too prefer more universally relatable heroes such as cars with eyeballs.”

Rosalie Chiang, the voice of Mei, defended the film.

“This is a coming of age film,” she said. “I think different people of different cultures are going to go through it differently, but at the end of the day, the core messiness and change is something everyone can relate to.”

Now, parents are leaving negative reviews of the film because they think talks of periods and puberty are inappropriate for children.

I’m not sure what the big deal is, to be completely honest. I don’t see how periods are “inappropriate.” They’re a natural part of life.

The film is rated “PG” for “Parental Guidance.” It’s up to the parents to decide whether or not the film is something that they want their children to see.

I think the film would be beneficial to show to children who are going through puberty and getting their periods.

It’s time to normalize these kinds of conversations and make sure children are educated about what’s happening to them.