The storytellers didn't make their case at all here! When Mei first turns into a red panda, she is terrified and her mother supports her. Mei decides, unbeknownst to the mother, that she likes being a panda which apparently goes along with lying, disrespecting her parents, diminished school performance, attacking a fellow student, selling pictures of herself for money without parental consent, sneaking off in the night to go to a concert at the age of 13 etc! When the mother objects to this terrible behaviour she is told that she needs to accept that Mei is changing?!! Are you kidding me? She's THIRTEEN!! That's not growth, it's just a child being out of line! The animation is good and I tried really hard to keep an open mind about the story but in the end, I just can't recommend this film because it either doesn't have a good message for children or it fails at delivering it. Shout out to Toronto though!