From “Toy Story”, “Incredibles” to “Coco” and “Luca”, Disney and Pixar have brought together a series of iconic fan-favorite stories from time to time. Each film features a meaningful story that is close to the lives of many people and is supported by stunning visuals. This year, Disney and Pixar have released a new film with a story and visuals that are no less unique. Centered on a story about a mother-daughter relationship as she faces major changes in her teenage years, Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” is releasing exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar starting March 11.
Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” follows the story of a 13-year-old teenager named Meilin Lee – otherwise known as Mei to her friends. Mei is a quirky and confident teenager, she spends a lot of time with her gang, has above-average grades, and is close to her family. At first glance, Mei looks fine, but in reality, teenage life is not like that.
For many people, adolescence is an unforgettable time. Full of fun new things, but also comes with various conflicts and dilemmas that bring big changes. In Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red”, this phase is described by an unusual condition, where Mei will ‘turn’ into a giant red panda when she can’t control her emotions. Domee Shi the director explained, “At one point everything seemed perfect. And then, as we all experienced, suddenly there was terror everywhere. May gets taller, hungrier, and emotional. He even turns into a giant panda, and the only way to return to being a human is to breathe, try to calm down and control his emotions. Like ‘The Incredible Hulk’, but cuter.”
Not only telling stories that are close to the daily lives of many people, Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” also comes with various surprises. Here are some interesting facts about Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” that you need to know:
The Director’s Personal Story
Directed by Academy Award® winner Domee Shi, Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” is a special story for him. Many elements in the film have a personal touch, one of which is the Mei school building which was inspired by the layout of the Domee school building. The artists of the film invented the school’s design to create realistic animations similar to those of urban Toronto schools at the time.
Unique Animation Style Inspired by Anime
In addition to the interesting story, Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” also features interesting visuals that are slightly different from the previous Disney and Pixar films. The film is full of color, texture, and animation style that brings out the expression of most anime films. “I watched anime since I was little. I really like seeing how they play with emotions so quickly and freely – how they can change emotions in no time. This style is very appropriate for a film about a teenager who is going through emotional ups and downs with all his mood swings,” explains Domee Shi.
Disney and Pixar’s first boy band and Songs by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS
According to Domee, the story of teenagers in the 2000s would not be complete without the presence of a boy band. “We wanted Mei’s character to be obsessed with something her mother wouldn’t accept,” explains Domee. In Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” audiences will meet Disney and Pixar’s first boy band, 4*TOWN. The team worked closely with fan-favorite musicians, Billie Eilish and FINNEAS to write the song 4*TOWN, and FINNEAS even voiced one of the 4*TOWN members.
Also read: Turning Red Review
Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” is directed by Domee Shi and produced by Lindsey Collins. The voice actors and actresses in this film include Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Ava Morse, and Hyein Park. Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” premieres exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar starting March 11, 2022.
