Turning Red (film) Animated feature from Pixar Animation Studios. Mei Lee, a confident, dorky 13-year-old, is torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing, mother, Ming, is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships, and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically always), she “poofs” into an 8-ft.-tall red panda. Digitally released on Disney+ March 11, 2022, with a limited run at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, after international releases beginning March 10. Directed by Domee Shi. Voices include Rosalie Chiang (Meilin Lee), Sandra Oh (Ming), Ava Morse (Miriam), Hyein Park (Abby), Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Priya), Orion Lee (Jin), Wai Ching Ho (Grandma), Tristan Allerick Chen (Tyler), Addison Chandler (Devon). 100 min. The film’s overall aesthetic is described as “chunky cute,” a principle that informed the simpler, rounder look of the characters and settings. Additional design inspiration came from anime, stop-motion animation, and the anatomy of Chinese porcelain sculptures. The story takes place in Toronto in 2002 and features a boy band named 4*Town, for which songwriters Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell composed 3 songs: “Nobody Like U,” “U Know What’s Up,” and “1 True Love.” Score by Ludwig Göransson. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
