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Writer-director Domee Shi
Giant Red Panda Express Director Domee Shi and her team explore the world of female puberty, tween friendships and oversized animals in Turning Red. By Karen Idelson
P
ixar’s 25th animated feature Turning Red dares to go where few animated films have ever gone — the terrifying world of tween girl puberty, boy bands and confusing middle school dynamics. It also explores what might happen if you just happened to turn into a giant red panda. Led by an all-female team, the beautifully designed and animated feature is directed by Domee Shi, who won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for her short Bao in 2019. The first-time feature director pulled from her own childhood to create the story of Mei Lee (played by Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old girl who struggles between following her mother’s (Sandra Oh) rules and growing into her own person. “Growing up as an only child, I felt like I bonded a lot closer with my friend groups through each stage of my life,” Shi says. “They were kind of like my support system and my second family and with the movie we really
‘It felt so necessary to tell this story about an adolescent girl and these super personal, cringy and embarrassing experiences that she goes through.’ — Director Domee Shi
wanted to just celebrate female friendship. This was an important part of our lives for many girls like me. A lot of these friends were my cheerleaders. They accepted me no matter what — with all of my weird, pervy drawings and obsessions with boys. They were always there for me.”
Female Support
Shi says she wanted the same kind of warmth and support for the film’s main character. “It was also important for us to make sure that her friends all felt like individual girls and that they weren’t just all kind of cut from the same cloth,” she adds. “They needed
to have their own identities and personalities, just to show how diverse and different teen girls can be as well.” Producer Lindsay Collins also felt that Mei Lee’s circle of friends were an important component of the story. “I think a lot of times, unfortunately, girl friendships are portrayed like ‘mean girls’ relationships,” says Collins, whose credits include WALL•E and Finding Dory. “It was really important early on to establish that’s not how we’re representing this group of girls. I think at the end of the day, as a parent, all you’re wishing for your kids is that they have friends around them that make them feel comfortable.”
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april 22
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