Caricature and ‘funny faces’ in the young heroines of Turning Red

In Disney’s animated movies, female protagonists are often depicted with less dynamism compared to male protagonists or female antagonists. Heroines tend to retain their gentleness, charm and grace, while heroes and villainesses exhibit a wide range of caricatured, exaggerated and comical expressions. Pixar’s Turning Red has broken this unspoken rule and significantly increased the visibility of comical exaggeration on the four young heroines (Meilin, Abby, Priya and Miriam). Many dynamic distortions and caricatures have been applied to these characters, and some even lead to ludicrous, grotesque depictions of facial expressions. This article examines these portrayals of comedic, exaggerated facial expressions within the context of animated female characters during puberty. The study applies theories around caricature, comedy, pubertal girls and the Halo/Horn effect. Through analysing examples of ‘funny faces’, the article explains how these unconventional images of young female protagonists contribute to new understandings of, and approaches to, visual narrative roles of gender in animation.<p></p>