Turning Red Director Explains '90s Anime Inspiration
Turning Red director Domee Shi shares the inspiration behind the coming-of-age animated film. Known for her Oscar-winning short film Bao, Shi has gone on to break the glass ceiling, directing the first all-female creative leadership team for Pixar Animation Studios with a script co-written by Julia Cho. Ahead of its release on the Disney+ service, Turning Red's metaphorical story exploring the experiences of adolescence and puberty has garnered positive early reviews from critics.
Turning Red is set in Toronto in the early 2000s, following the life of a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian, Meilin “Mei” Lee (Rosalie Chiang). After she uncovers her family’s god-granted ability to transform into a giant red panda when becoming too excited or stressed, her mother, Ming Lee (Sandra Oh), explains the ancestral history of her family’s curse. As Mei learns to navigate around her newfound ability in Turning Red, she turns to her friends Miriam (Ava Morse), Priya (Naitreyi Ramakrishnan), and Abby (Hyein Park) for help.
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In a recent interview with IndieWire, Shi disclosed the inspiration for the upcoming Pixar film, which recognizes her beloved childhood hobbies of watching Japanese anime and reading manga that was written and drawn by women. Shi specifically mentions the impact of Sailor Moon and how she incorporated similar themes in the film. The director explained that she wanted to capture the “girl friendship spirit” of the anime classic, which followed the story of middle school-aged best friends who saved the world together. Shi continues by adding other renowned animes Fruits Basket and Ranma 1/2, which inspired the red panda transformation while encompassing various
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