I did not feel like this movie was that good compared to soul or other pixar movies. I like coming of age stories, but I disliked the tight, unhealthy, and dysfunctional grip Meilin's mom displayed. Imagine the stress that normalizing her mother's behavior puts on a kids development. I am sure many kids would fluorish under the same circumstances, but I, unfortunately, see more kids growing up with unhealthy coping habits from being in that type of mother/daughter relationship. There is this blurry line between having good intentions and being innapropriate. This movie just crosses that line with its secondary handling of their character relationships and misses a 5 star mark.
On a positive note, the main plot is uplifting and great.