# Turning Red: New Pixar movie on Disney+ (SPOILERS AFTER OP) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** disney-hulu, movies, cartoons-animation\ **Created:** [March 11, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924 "2022-03-11T21:55:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/41 "2022-03-16T23:43:15Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > The Chinese market is a big consideration currently. Did the story not being American per se being added value? I can see it being the case. I can’t, really. It’s a movie from an American company, and I don’t think setting it in Toronto rather than in a US city will make much difference to the [deteriorating Hollywood-PRC relationship](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/14/why-ditching-the-china-film-market-wont-hurt-asian-representation-on-film). > [@](#): > > Pixar’s love letter to second-generation Chinese immigrant families, Turning Red, marks a milestone for Hollywood, seemingly signalling the end of its predictably doomed love affair with China. We are now two years on from the backlash against [Disney’s live action Mulan remake](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/07/mulan-disney-live-action-remake-hong-kong-china), a film mired in controversy from its shooting on location near Xinjiang internment camps and thanking members of the Chinese Communist party’s propaganda department […] > > Subsequent Hollywood-China coproductions saw a similar blowback for this form of kowtowing to China. […] > > We are seemingly entering the [end of the Hollywood-China relationship](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/hollywood-and-china-what-now-1234955332/), indicative of the ways China has been steadily [“decoupling” from the west](https://www.ft.com/content/17314336-b7df-453a-b2ca-25a58e26ca3e). […] > > As the box office for American films declines, they are being replaced by bigger budget Chinese films, which model themselves on the Hollywood blockbuster formula. […] > > Marvel’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings […] was also [littered with Easter eggs](https://www.buzzfeed.com/noradominick/pixar-movie-easter-eggs-that-hinted-at-future-movies) alluding to China’s whitewashing of its own past (including a bus driver’s badge number being the date of the [Tiananmen Square massacre](https://mothership.sg/2021/11/shangchi-8964/)). When its Canadian star Simu Liu spoke about the [realities of his family’s struggle](https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4283595) in communist China – as well as his love of Hong Kong’s lemon tea brand Vitasoy, which was [boycotted in China](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hong-kong-drinks-company-vitasoy-faces-china-netizen-calls-boycott-2021-07-04/) over the stabbing of a Hong Kong police officer – it led to a backlash. […] > > Turning Red goes a step further. Its primary Chinese language is Cantonese, the co-official language of Hong Kong which the CCP is [attempting to suppress](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-13/hong-kong-china-mandarin-simplified-chinese-education/100206266) – as it did with limiting the [use of the Mongolian language](https://www.npr.org/2020/09/16/912623822/parents-keep-children-home-as-china-limits-mongolian-language-in-the-classroom?t=1647255555898) in 2020 – as another strategy to control Chinese identity. These moves have not gone unnoticed: Shang Chi [was refused a Chinese release](https://deadline.com/2021/09/shang-chi-china-release-simu-liu-marvel-1234830474/), and Turning Red has gone straight on to the [Disney+ streaming service](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-10/-turning-red-goes-to-streaming-bypassing-tough-theater-climate) which is unavailable in China. > > So as [China](https://www.theguardian.com/world/china) continues its unrelenting pursuit of isolating itself from the rest of world, we are now seeing a blossoming of Asian-American cinema. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/42 "2022-03-16T23:47:07Z")
Thank you for the link. I am now throughly convinced that my speculation was completely baseless. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/43 "2022-03-17T15:50:37Z")
I have a simple question… why did they set the movie twenty years in the past? It seemed strange to me for them to explicitly call out 2002 as the year the movie was set in, when AFAIK, there wasn’t much in the way of anything that was early-oughts specific. Except possibly the complete absence of smartphones… maybe the whole point was that in 2022, there would be no hiding the panda because everyone has phones with cameras, which wasn’t the case in 2022. (everyone had cell phones, just not with cameras). It just seemed a little bit strange for a Disney movie to be set specifically in 2002 Toronto without any real reasons why it wasn’t Anytown USA in some vague “present day”. Otherwise, I thought it was fine. Not exactly my cup of tea; I kind of wanted to throw the mother and grandmother into a wood chipper, but YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/44 "2022-03-17T15:59:54Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I have a simple question… why did they set the movie twenty years in the past? It seemed strange to me for them to explicitly call out 2002 as the year the movie was set in, when AFAIK, there wasn’t much in the way of anything that was early-oughts specific. Well, as noted above, it’s based on the director/writer’s childhood which would’ve been at the same time. Also, “4-Town” is very much an early-2000’s boy band. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/45 "2022-03-17T15:59:56Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I have a simple question… why did they set the movie twenty years in the past? Because the writer was 13 twenty years ago, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/46 "2022-03-17T16:04:45Z")
> [@bump](#): > > maybe the whole point was that in 2022, there would be no hiding the panda because everyone has phones with cameras Even then there was some footage captured. The grandmother saw it on TV in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/47 "2022-03-17T16:13:11Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Because the writer was 13 twenty years ago, I think. Did the writer turn into a panda when she was a girl, also? Because that’s not really a reason for a specific 2002 setting. Phone cameras make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/48 "2022-03-17T16:16:56Z")
> When Shi started this film, she was very clear in making her story specific. The exact setting of Toronto in 2002 was chosen by Shi for a reason: It was a nostalgic period for Shi herself. > **[Domee Shi’s 'Turning Red' is a significant Pixar addition - The Tufts Daily](https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2022/03/domee-shis-turning-red-is-a-significant-pixar-addition)** > > Pixar has become one of the most renowned animation studios of the modern day. Pixar has continuously pushed the boundaries of animation; however, they have been criticized for their lack of diversity. Out of their 25 films, few have centered on... ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/49 "2022-03-17T20:50:22Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Because that’s not really a reason Reasons don’t have to make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/50 "2022-03-17T20:58:16Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Reasons don’t have to make sense… But they do have to rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/51 "2022-03-17T20:58:17Z")
It just seemed weird to me to call out 2002 as the setting, and then literally do nothing that had anything to do with 2002 specifically. Nostalgia or not, that seemed a bit weird, just like the Toronto setting. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/52 "2022-03-17T22:42:27Z")
How is setting it in Toronto weird? I thought of the phone thing while I was watching it. In addition to that reason, it makes perfect sense for a filmmaker to want to evoke the look and feel of a particular time and place. It’s art. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/53 "2022-03-18T00:49:02Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Because that’s not really a reason for a specific 2002 setting. Why not? It’s pretty common for story tellers to draw on their own experiences when telling stories. This is quite common. > [@bump](#): > > It just seemed weird to me to call out 2002 as the setting, and then literally do nothing that had anything to do with 2002 specifically. There were plenty of early-2000s/late-90s references. I really don’t get why this is hard to understand. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/54 "2022-03-18T01:06:22Z")
Tamagatchi, for one. That’s where Ming’s Panda spirit ended up. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/55 "2022-03-18T01:41:54Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > It’s pretty common for story tellers to draw on their own experiences when telling stories. “Write what you know.” My sense is that the creative process was wanting to write a story grounded in the specifics that she grew up with, mixed in with having doodled out a cute red panda, and creating a story that could connect those elements. Pretty sure that some of the coming of age issues Mei Lin was dealing with are of her experience as well. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/56 "2022-03-18T04:13:33Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > “Write what you know.” As an aside, I was called out on Reddit for saying this, saying it lead to shitty writing. The person was so vehement they got banned. To me, it seemed like the director was going for a nostalgic, idealized take on her own childhood, and I can name a bunch of books, films and shows with that same motivation. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/57 "2022-03-18T14:11:44Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > There were plenty of early-2000s/late-90s references. I really don’t get why this is hard to understand. Outside of the boy band, what exactly were these turn-of-the-century references? And FWIW, the boy band could have just as easily been One Direction, and not Nsync or 98 Degrees. I just felt it was weirdly specific with neither a storytelling reason, or any real leaning into the setting or time period. What about the movie couldn’t have been set in say… Houston in 2014, substituting the Minute Maid Park for the Sky Dome, and making the boy band a little more One Directionish? That’s my point- there wasn’t squat that actually tied it to 2002 Toronto in a particularly firm way, and that seemed weird. It’s all fine and good that the writer/director had some sort of nostalgic moment when writing it, but the details were oddly specific, and yet didn’t advance the plot, story OR character in the least bit. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/58 "2022-03-18T14:17:54Z")
> [@bump](#): > > What about the movie couldn’t have been set in say… Houston in 2014 But you could just as easily say, “Why was it set in Houston in 2014? Why set it specifically in that year when the year was mentioned and then not used to advance the plot? That seems weirdly specific for 2014 not to mean anything.” ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/59 "2022-03-18T14:27:31Z")
Exactly! That’s what I’m getting at. The specific time and place seemed strange in that it didn’t actually mean anything in the story whatsoever, so I’m not sure why they didn’t just make it more generic. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924/60 "2022-03-18T14:30:11Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The specific time and place seemed strange in that it didn’t actually mean anything in the story whatsoever, so I’m not sure why they didn’t just make it more generic. Toronto is Domee Shi’s hometown. And Ming’s Giant Red Panda spirit ultimately ended up inside Mei’s Tamagotchi, which was much more of a thing in 2002 than it is in 2022. Instead of ignoring it, she has to constantly take care of it now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-red-new-pixar-movie-on-disney-spoilers-after-op/960924.md?page=4)