Turning Red

Set in Toronto in the early 2000s, Turning Red tells the story of Meilin "Mei" Lee and her ancestors’ mystical connection to red pandas. Although she is a confident high-schooler, Mei must decide whether she wants to remain dutiful to her mother or embrace her chaotic side. To make her teenage troubles harder than ever, Mei turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited or stressed.

What to know

Turning Red is an animated fantasy movie by Pixar Animation Studios. The movie marks the directorial debut from director Domee Shi. Although this is her first feature at the helm, Shi has contributed to many of Pixar’s most beloved titles. This includes Inside Out, The Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4.

The voice cast for Turning Red includes Rosalie Chiang as Meilin "Mei" Lee, Wai Ching Ho as Mei's grandmother and Ava Morse as Mei's friend, Miriam. Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh plays Ming Lee, Mei's mother.

Turning Red was released on Disney+ on 11th March, 2022.

Production: Timeline, news & updates

• November 26th, 2018: Domee Shi, the first woman to direct a Pixar short film, announces that she is working on a feature-length movie with the animation studio. The director is known for the Pixar short film, Bao, which became a viral hit in 2018 after screening before The Incredibles 2. (Source: Deadline)
• June 26th, 2021: Concept art is released for the upcoming Pixar film. It shows Mei as a giant red panda wearing a human-sized school backpack. (Source: ScreenRant)
• November 17th, 2021: The first trailer for the animated movie is released. It shows Mei introducing herself and her friends as they dance and sing on the streets of Toronto. Mei is shocked to discover that her family has a mystical connection with red pandas. (Source: YouTube)
• January 7th, 2022: Pixar announces that the film will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in the US. Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution gave the following statement: “Disney+ subscribers around the world enthusiastically embraced Pixar’s Academy Award-winning Soul and the critically acclaimed Luca when they premiered exclusively on the service and we look forward to bringing them Pixar’s next incredible feature film Turning Red. Given the delayed box office recovery, particularly for family films, flexibility remains at the core of our distribution decisions as we prioritize delivering the unparalleled content of The Walt Disney Company to audiences around the world.” (Source: TheWaltDisneyCompany)
• March 11th , 2022: Turning Red is released exclusively on Disney+.