Crossings TV Asian Television
Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red debuts on all major digital platforms April 26 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on May 3, just in time for Mother’s Day. Pixar fans can transport back to the early aughts and experience all the warm and fuzzy red panda Mei-hem with never-before-seen bonus material including seven deleted scenes, three featurettes and audio commentary with Director Domee Shi. Turning Red is also streaming on Disney+.
In Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red, confident, dorky 13-year-old Mei must balance being a dutiful daughter with the chaos of adolescence. Her slightly overbearing mom is never far from her daughter. And, as if changes to Mei’s interests, relationships and body aren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited, she “poofs” into a giant red panda! “I really wanted to explore the conflicts of a young teen girl—how she’s torn between being a good daughter and embracing her true messy self,” said Academy Award® winner Shi (Pixar short “Bao”).
“It’s a coming-of-age story about change and those transitional moments,” says producer Lindsey Collins. “It’s about that time in our lives when we’re trying to figure out who we are. We have a girl who is torn between her family and her friends, learning that she’s not at all who she thought she was. And we have the mother whose daughter is suddenly interested in strange music and boys—a mother who struggles with letting go so her child can become who she needs to be. It’s a universal theme that rings true whether you’re the parent, the child, or maybe both.
Ming Lee is a proud wife, devoted mother and hardworking keeper of the Lee Family
Temple in Toronto’s Chinatown. Elegantly turned out and poised at all times, Ming takes her professional duties seriously—but she’s even more dedicated to keeping an eye on her precious daughter, Meilin. There’s no doubt, Ming is fierce, stubborn, funny, controlling, and—as Mei would put it—a lot, but the deep love she has for her family is always apparent. “Ming is a compilation of all of the very strong and awesome Asian women in my life,” says Shi. “Ming can be intense, but all of the crazy stuff she does is motivated by her love for her daughter.”
Filmmakers called on newcomer Rosalie Chiang as the voice of Meilin; Sandra Oh (“The Chair,” “Killing Eve”) lends her voice to Mei’s protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming. Mei’s tightknit group of friends are voiced by Ava Morse (“Ron’s Gone Wrong”) as Miriam, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (“Never Have I Ever”) as Priya, and Hyein Park as Abby. The voice cast also includes Orion Lee (“First Cow”) as Mei’s dad, Jin, Wai Ching Ho (“Daredevil,” “Iron Fist”) as Grandma, Tristan Allerick Chen (“The Barbarian and the Troll”) as classmate Tyler, and Addison Chandler (“American Horror Story”) as Mei’s sudden secret crush Devon. Rounding out the voice cast are James Hong (“Big Trouble in Little China,” “Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny”), Lori Tan Chinn (“Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens”), Lillian Lim (“Motherland: Fort Salem,” “Meditation Park”), Mia Tagano (“Tantalus: Behind the Mask,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”), Sherry Cola (“Good Trouble”), Sasha Roiz (“Grimm”) and Lily Sanfelippo (“Spidey and His Amazing Friends,” “Firebuds”).
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