Turning Red: Every Easter Egg & Secret Pixar Reference Explained
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Turning Red!
Pixar's Turning Red is about a tween Chinese-Canadian girl who learns she can transform into a giant furry red panda thanks to a centuries-old family gift. The movie comes from writer/director Domee Shi, who based a lot of the story on her own experiences growing up in Toronto. The animated film stars newcomer Rosalie Chiang as Meilin «Mei» Lee and Grey's Anatomy's Sandra Oh as her mother Ming. Mei is a 13-year-old girl who finds out the hard way that all of the women in her family turn into red pandas every time their emotions are heightened. Premiering on Disney+ on March 11, 2022, Turning Red brings an Asian-Canadian perspective to Pixar, grounding itself in the real experiences of young girls in the early 00s, despite its fantastical premise.
Turning Red follows the Pixar trend of telling a personal story that doesn't feature a traditional villain. Mei has to come to terms with her transformation into a red panda, which happens every time she gets too excited or upset. She and her friends, Priya, Miriam, and Abby, are obsessed with a boyband called 4*Town, who is coming to Toronto during their North American tour. The problem is that none of their parents want them to go. The girls get the idea to use Mei's panda form to earn money to buy tickets to the concert, against her mother's wishes.
Related: Turning Red's Most Ridiculous Criticism Is Why The Movie Is Good
At its core, Turning Red is a coming-of-age movie about self-acceptance and growing into your own. It's also loaded with Easter eggs and references to the 2000s, as well as other Pixar movies. Some of the references are obvious, such as 4*Town's homage to the boyband craze of the 1990s and 2000s. Others might take a
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