Turning Red: Release Date, Cast And More

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New Pixar movies are always cause for excitement. Whatever the final outcome may be, a glance at the behind-the-scenes process proves that the immensely talented team of artists and storytellers never give anything less than 110%. Up next on the docket is Turning Red, a story about a teenage girl with a penchant for turning into a giant red panda at the first sign of stress. You should probably be sold on that extremely relatable hook alone, but here's everything you need to know about this animated flick anyway.

Turning Red is scheduled for a March 11, 2022 release and this Pixar release will get the full theatrical treatment.

With its fair share of tension, parent company Disney decided to forgo a theatrical release for both Soul and, most recently, Luca. By sending them straight to Disney+ instead (without the $30 upcharge attached to higher-profile films such as Black Widow), it felt like a clear message was being sent about priorities.

This will be Turning Red director Domee Shi's most high-profile project since her short film Bao, which played before Incredibles 2 in 2018 and went on to win an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

Based on its new teaser trailer, Turning Red is about teenagers growing up under a suffocating helicopter parent, and it infuses the proceedings with a very specific cultural perspective from the Chinese-Canadian filmmaker.

"Young actress Rosalie Chiang lends her voice to Mei Lee, a 13-year-old who suddenly 'poofs' into a giant red panda when she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS). Sandra Oh voices Mei Lee's protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming, who is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager."

As we now know, Domee Shi will be directing and writing the script for Turning Red. Produced by Lindsey Collins, the incredibly talented composer Ludwig Göransson (The Mandalorian, Tenet, Community) is handling music duties. After reinventing the kind of music we expect from Star Wars, it's thrilling to consider how Göransson will put his stamp on this new generation of Pixar films.

All we officially know at this point is that the main character of Mei Lee, a thirteen-year-old girl with the seemingly Hulk-like tendency to change form when her heart rate increases, will be played by relative newcomer Rosalie Chiang. To this point, her credits include appearances in the television series Clique Wars and two shorts. No doubt this role will lead to more opportunities for the young actress. Opposite her is the well-established Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Grey's Anatomy, Raya and the Last Dragon) voicing Mei's well-meaning but sometimes overbearing mother Ming.