Top 10 Things You Missed in Turning Red
Top 10 Things You Missed in Turning Red
Top 10 Things Only Adults Notice in Turning Red
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Things You Missed in Turning Red. For this list, we’ll be looking at easter eggs, references, and other little touches that you might’ve overlooked in Pixar’s latest animated feature. Did you spot any small details in “Turning Red?” Let us know in the comments.
#10: “Bao” Callbacks
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It’s not surprising that Domee Shi, the director of “Turning Red,” previously brought us the Oscar-winning short “Bao.” Both Pixar films revolve around a Chinese-Canadian family with a mother afraid to let go, a quiet yet understanding father, and a young adult who wants their independence. Food also plays a key role with the mothers in each film trying to keep their children from leaving the nest with delicious-looking meals. “Turning Red” borrows a few visual cues from its predecessor as well. The Chinese lanterns that decorate Mei’s neighborhood are similar to the ones in “Bao.” Most notably, as we’re given a view of Toronto Chinatown, you’ll notice a sign for “Bao Restaurant.” We wonder if the food there comes to life…
#9: “Teen Wolf” Connections
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“Turning Red” echoes a few 80s comedies, including “Teen Wolf.” Before the contemporary teen drama, there was the 1985 film starring Michael J. Fox as an average teenager turned werewolf. While this mirrors Mei’s transformation into a giant red panda, the parallels don’t end there. In both films, the transformations are hereditary, being passed down from one generation to another. Just as Mei confides in her besties about this family quirk, Fox’s Scott opens up to his friend. Instead of social pariahs, Mei and Scott become the most popular kids in school thanks to their new fluffy forms, even inspiring merchandise. For all the similarities, the two films have very different endings with Scott distancing himself from the wolf and Mei fully embracing the panda.
#8: 4*Town Voices
4*Town is a clear nod to NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and other boy bands that defined turn of the century pop music. In addition to co-writing three of their songs with sister Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell voices one of the band’s members, Jesse. He’s not the only familiar voice. Robaire is none other than Jordan Fisher from “Teen Beach Movie” and the “To All the Boys” franchise. Aaron Z is voiced by Josh Levi of “X Factor” fame. Along with these established names, “Turning Red” marks the feature debuts for Grayson Villanueva, who voices Tae Young, and Topher Ngo, who voices Aaron T. You could say that 4*Town has created a universally appealing sound, as their albums made it all the way to Portorosso.
#7: Mei’s Flute Case
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The stickers adorning Mei’s flute case say a lot about her, but you’ll need a pause button to catch them all. If you’re a fellow math nerd with a sense of humor, you’ll appreciate a 90° angle sticker, reading, “I’m Always Right.” Mei’s passion for the environment is apparent through stickers that encourage spectators to save the whales and stop littering. You can also tell the film occurs around the early 2000s based on a sticker saying “Talk to the Hand,” which first emerged in the mid-90s. Another alludes to the Y2K scare, which had many convinced that computer errors would destroy the world in the year 2000. Since “Turning Red” takes place in 2002, it appears everything turned out A-OK.
#6: Canadian Landmarks
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Although Domee Shi was born in China, she grew up in Toronto. Her Canadian pride is on full display throughout “Turning Red.” Just as she worked the CN Tower into “Bao,” the Toronto observation tower is even more prominently featured in this film. Mei attends Lester B. Pearson Middle School. While there isn’t a middle school named after Canada’s 14th prime minister in the Toronto district, there is an elementary school. The climax of the film takes place at the SkyDome, another Canadian landmark that was renamed Rogers Centre in 2005. Since “Turning Red” sets itself 3 years earlier, this actually fits the continuity quite well. After Mei’s mother destroyed the SkyDome, maybe they rebuilt it as the Rogers Centre.
#5: The Pizza Planet Truck
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There are some Pixar Easter eggs we can count on seeing with almost every feature. The Pizza Planet truck is one of the most prominent. The rocket-topped vehicle pops up during the third act. As Mei abandons her ceremony and rushes towards the SkyDome, the Pizza Planet Truck is seen parked on the side of the road. While the truck looks just like its U.S. counterpart, we’re curious what the Canadian version of Pizza Planet looks like. We imagine that bacon is a more common topping. We also wouldn’t be surprised if they had a poutine pizza on the menu. Did you know Hawaiian pizza was created in Canada? Sorry if we’re getting off topic, but we’re kind of big on Canadian trivia.
#4: Purl
On Mei’s desk, you’ll find a pink ball with eyeballs hanging around. This isn’t any ordinary ball of yarn. It’s Purl, the titular character from the first entry in Pixar’s SparkShorts program. Purl’s presence here isn’t just a clever Easter egg. It’s also quite poignant. Directed by Kristen Lester, “Purl” centers on a female yarn ball in a male-dominanted work environment. In the end, Purl not only earns the respect of her male colleagues, but also creates a more diverse work space. The short reflected the criticism that Pixar’s protagonists and main creative talent have been mostly male. It only makes sense that Purl would appear in the first Pixar feature solely directed by a female artist and made by a female leadership team.
#3: “Burrow” Bunny
Purl isn’t the only SparkShorts character in “Turning Red.” Along with a pair of sunglasses and rainbow, the cover of Mei’s notebook features the brown bunny from director Madeline Sharafian’s (Mad-uh-lin Shuh-RAW-fee-in) Oscar-nominated short “Burrow.” Although Pixar remains a pioneering studio for computer animation, “Burrow” stands out as one of their rare 2D ventures. So, if the bunny was going to pop up somewhere, it makes sense that she would be on a notebook full of paper. The bunny’s cute, innocent appearance also hilariously contradicts the risque imagery that Mei has drawn inside, signifying her growth from girlhood to womanhood.
#2: Luxo Ball & A113
Two other Easter eggs that have become Pixar staples are the ball from “Luxo Jr.” and A113, the legendary CalArts classroom. Since fans have come to expect these hallmarks in Pixar productions, the studio has gotten extra crafty when it comes to sneaking them into movies. We managed to spot them both, however. The yellow, blue, and red ball can be seen floating in Tyler’s pool at his birthday party. A113 surfaces during the credits on 4*Town tickets. The tickets are notably for May 18, 2002, which is when the girls thought 4*Town would be coming to Toronto. Of course, the correct date was actually May 25. We guess those tickets were for the Toledo show. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Bart & Lisa Mei Names Two of the Panda Statues After “Simpsons” Children TripleDent Gum We Want to Hear 4*Town Cover That Catchy Jingle The Scar on Wu Lee’s Face Did Mei’s Grandma Get This During a Fight With Her Daughter? Priya May Be LGBTQ+ Please Give Us More of This, Disney
#1: Lightyear
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It’s customary for Pixar films to work in an Easter egg alluding to the studio’s next film in the pipeline. With “Lightyear” coming out in June 2022, “Turning Red” had us on the lookout for anything space ranger-related. A nod to Star Command is visible on Miriam’s skateboard. One of the many stickers on the back of the board is a symbol encompassing a rocket, a planet, and a pair of wings. This isn’t the film’s only “Toy Story” reference. The clear Toronto blue sky and fluffy white clouds resemble the wallpaper in Andy’s room. Even more than two decades after their first feature, Pixar is still going to infinity and beyond when it comes to little touches like this.
