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Google PlayCanadian director Domee Shi made Toronto proud when she took home the Oscar for best short for Bao in 2018, and now she makes history not only as the first Asian woman to direct a Pixar feature, but also as the first woman to direct a Pixar movie alone with the Toronto-set Turning Red.
The city of Toronto splashes across the screen in bright colors, showcasing the 6ix’s iconic landmarks, including the CN Tower, the TTC streetcars, Chinatown, and the Rogers Centre. It’s Shi’s eye for textured design and unique animation style that gives it a different feel than the other Pixar films.
Set in 2002, the movie follows Meilin Lee (voiced by newcomer Rosalie Chiang), a dorky, confident 13-year-old who excels in school, tries to be the perfect daughter at home, and has a close-knit group of friends. However, one day Mei finds out that when her emotions get the best of her, she turns into a giant red panda.
At the core of the coming-of-age story is the mother-daughter relationship that is heartfelt and relatable. The movie will also hit home for Asians, South Asians or immigrant kids who grew up in a household like Mei’s. It’s something countless Torontonians will be able to see themselves in—despite a recent controversial CinemaBlend review where a white male writer slammed the film for being “unrelatable” simply because he couldn’t identify with any of those demographics.
But just as relatable is Turning Red’s universal theme of growing up and coming into your own during the transitional phase of being a teenager.
The cast also includes two familiar Canadian talents: Sandra Oh as Mei’s helicopter mom, Ming Lee, and Never Have I Ever’s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as one of Mei’s friends, Priya.
Shi, along with Oh, Ramakrishnan, Chiang, and producer Lindsey Collins were in Toronto on Tuesday for the Canadian premiere of the film ahead of the Friday release on Disney+. We caught up with the cast and director to discuss the importance of this film, animating the rich multiculturalism of Toronto, mother-daughter dynamics, and more.
