Inside Turning Red, Pixars pioneering anime movie packed with 90s nostalgia

Date:
Sat, 12 Mar 2022 14:00:10 +0000

Description:
TechRadar speaks to Turning Reds director and producer about the challenges
of creating Pixars first anime-style movie.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Pixar is a pioneering powerhouse. From creating the first entirely CGI
feature film in Toy Story to crafting family-friendly movies with rich, grown-up themes like Soul , the Disney subsidiary has been spearheading a modern golden age of animation for nearly 30 years.

As one of the worlds pre-eminent studios, Pixar continuously strives to push filmmaking boundaries and Turning Red is no different. Pixars 25th feature film is another beautiful-looking flick with a captivating nostalgia-fuelled storyline, but its development wasnt without challenges. Unlike other Pixar ventures, such as Luca , the ongoing pandemic wasnt the biggest obstacle for Turning Reds crew to overcome. Instead, the decision to overhaul the studios famed approach to animation proved more problematic.

Were always trying to leave our comfort zone, producer Lindsey Collins tells TechRadar. Weve become very comfortable with creating films that are kind of realistic or stylized with a certain look. To be totally frank, there was
some hesitancy to fully embrace a new direction people were concerned and nervous that it wouldnt be successful.

Ahead of Turning Reds March 11 release, TechRadar sat down with Collins and director Domee Shi to discuss how Pixar overcame adversity to deliver a uniquely stylized film. We also chat about the movies celebration of 90s culture, plus the anime and other unusual influences behind its distinctive design. A monster calls Some of Turning Red's events are pulled directly from director Domee Shi's childhood. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

Set in early 2000s Toronto, Turning Red tells the tale of Meilin Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a confident but nerdy Chinese-Canadian schoolgirl with a seemingly perfect life. Shes a grade-A student who boasts a close-knit ride
or die friendship group comprising Miriam (Ava Morse), Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), and Abby (Hyein Park). Mei is also extremely close to her overbearing mom Ming (Sandra Oh), but shes proud of their relationship and
the cultural heritage they share. Simply put, life couldnt be better.

That is, until one morning when Mei inexplicably wakes up as a giant red panda. Initially horrified by her new appearance, Mei soon realizes that her cute-but-fiery alter ego only emerges when she gets too emotional. By staying calm, Mei can keep a lid on her new form but thats easier said than done. Torn between her deep-seated family ties and her increasing desire for
freedom (not to mention the onset of puberty), Mei is forced to navigate the highs and lows of teenage life, all the while trying to find a cure to her beastly curse.

Given that Shi emigrated to Toronto with her parents as a toddler, Turning Reds director admits that certain plot points and elements of Meis character are inspired by her childhood. For instance, the scene where Ming turns up at Meis school using sunglasses as her only form of disguise to spy on her,
and subsequently embarrass Mei in front of her schoolmates, is directly
lifted from Shis own life.

Its this intergenerational battle between Asian parents and their children, especially mother-daughter relationships, that was a key theme Shi wished to explore at length. As she jokes: I needed a full film to tell that story. Image 1 of 5 Asian architecture, culture, and traditions are a key component of Turning Red (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 2 of 5 The final designs for Mei, Ming, and Jin Lee in Pixar's Turning Red. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 3 of 5 Pixar's concept artists were told to experiment with Mei's personality in their sketches. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 4 of 5 A selection of Ming's various facial expressions in Pixar's Turning Red. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 5 of 5 Pixar artists studied real red pandas to help them design Mei's alter-ego in Turning Red. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

For a movie that explores adolescence, familial bonds, and companionship through a female lens, Turning Red needed the right individuals to lead its development. Its fitting, then, that an allegorical film about the transition to womanhood is the first Pixar flick to feature an all-female leadership team.

Their personal input was vital to how Turning Red, well, turned out. Shi whose animated short Bao won an Academy Award in 2019 was cautious about turning her feature directorial debut into a memoir-esque tale that some viewers may not find relatable. With the aid of their female co-workers, though, Shi and Collins were not only able to capture the confusing and at-times isolating aspects of puberty, but also the depth of female relationships.

I was nervous about airing the embarrassing and dramatic moments of my life, Shi admits. But good stories come from a real place of vulnerability. It was also important to me not to make it semi-autobiographical, because who wants to see that? We had to put some magic in it, and make it fun, entertaining, and engaging for audiences.

Its a very personal story, Collins adds. We always try to lean into that when we start new projects to capture its true essence. Domees ability to immediately bring that to the table, especially with Mei and Mings relationship, was a great starting point. Breaking with tradition Pixar tore up its own animation manual to create Turning Red's distinct visuals. (Image credit: Disney Animation Studios)

There was one phrase, though, in Shis initial pitch that piqued the interests of Pixars executive team Turning Red needed to be an Asian tween fever dream anime-style film.

The Asian tween fever dream element was easy to comprehend. Meis Chinese heritage illustrates the films celebration of Asian culture. Tween or tweenager, to give its full title describes a child between the ages of 10 and 13. Meanwhile, fever dream relates to the movies neon-infused, pastel-colored fantasy aesthetic.

But Shis desire to make an anime flick proved troublesome for some Pixar employees. This is a studio comprising veteran artists, animators, and other crew members that have produced similarly styled movies for 25-plus years.
Why deviate from a formula thats led to multiple award wins and immeasurable acclaim from fans and critics alike?

We wanted to create something unique, Shi explains. Mei is a mix of Canadian and Chinese, so we wanted to equally honor western and eastern animation styles. Thats why we drew inspiration from classic anime from the late 90s
and early 2000s. Image 1 of 6 Step one in creating Mei's red panda transformation during a school day. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 2 of 6 Step two in creating Mei's red panda transformation during a school day. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 3 of 6 Step three in creating Mei's red panda transformation during a school day. (Image
credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 4 of 6 Step four in creating Mei's red panda transformation during a school day. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt
Disney Studios) Image 5 of 6 Step five in creating Mei's red panda transformation during a school day. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 6 of 6 Step six in creating Mei's red panda transformation during a school day. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

That anime and manga influence is evident from the get-go. Meis exaggerated running gait is reminiscent of characters in Eiichiro Odas One Piece series. Her red panda transfiguration is comparable to equivalent transformations in Natsuki Takayas Fruits Basket and Rumiko Takahashis Ranma . Traditional anime eyes, as seen in classic anime including Sailor Moon and Pokmon , are heavily used throughout to accentuate a characters emotions. Even Meis red panda form is evocative of Totoro in Studio Ghibli s iconic My Neighbor Totoro movie, while a scene in the movie's third art seemingly pays homage to Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan (it's also clearly influenced by Toho's Godzilla , which has its own anime style shows).

As Shi points out, though, theres a specific western anime series that was as influential as its eastern counterparts.

We were also inspired by Bryan Lee OMalleys Scott Pilgrim vs the World , she reveals. And Edgard Wrights film adaptation of that series. Im a huge fan of their work, especially Edgars editing style and quick camera cuts. His Scott Pilgrim film is so comic book and anime-inspired I love how he styled the backgrounds and fight scenes in a 3D medium, so we took lots of inspiration from that. Image 1 of 2 Domee Shi and Rosalie Chiang talk about Turning Red's design process. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 2 of 2 The Turning Red team overcame multiple challenges during its development. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

Still, as innovative as Turning Red's development is, diverging from Pixars traditional animation format created problems. Crew members were used to crafting 3D characters and environments, and showing a characters pair of
eyes to help audiences gauge an individuals emotional state.

Turning Red threw Pixars conventional animation manual out of the window. A mix of 2D and 3D animation combining hand-drawn anime elements with 3D lighting, character and structural designs, and general atmosphere was decided early on. The occasional use of 2D character profiles, where viewers would only see one eye, proved to be a difficult technique for some veteran staffers to understand.

It was an animation technique called isolated motion, though, that proved
most difficult to execute. Pixar animators were used to moving multiple character limbs to embellish their reactions on the screen. However, isolated motion required animators to move a single limb, such as an arm, while the rest of a characters body remains stationary. For a few crew members, this
new animation technique was difficult to master. That is, until a new piece
of animation software Profile Mover was introduced.

Profile Mover was a huge game-changer in how we make characters move, Collins reveals. The 2D elements arent typical for us but were driven by Domees
desire to play in this new sandbox. We were very conscious of making this
look overly simplistic or even cheap, so we spent a lot of time proving this could work in the testing phase and creating a holistically styled look for the movie. Profile Mover helped our animators to relearn what was possible from an animation perspective. I think its going to be used in all of our films going forward. Nineties nostalgia Image 1 of 3 Turning Red is full of late 90s and early 2000s nostalgia. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 2 of 3 4Town are Turning Red's tribute to classic boybands like N'Sync. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios) Image 3 of 3 Mei's room is packed with nostalgic call-backs to the late 90s and early 2000s. (Image credit: Pixar/Walt Disney Studios)

From The Good Dinosaur to WALL-E, Pixar has run the gamut of time itself. The studio has taken audiences on journeys into the past and far future, but Turning Reds setting roots it in the early 2000s a period thatll make some viewers wistfully look back on their childhoods.

Turning Red is packed with 90s culture and playground crazes. From Tamagotchis, bucket hats and sketchbooks, to fanny packs, grunge fashion and boybands, Pixars latest movie is a nostalgia-fueled love letter to a bygone era. As a 90s child, Shis desire to set the film around this era may seem obvious, but there was another major reason behind its post-millennium setting.

We wanted to tell an adolescent story without having to deal with social media, Shi says. If you told it in the modern age, you can't ignore that, and I wanted a blank canvas to tell this coming-of-age tale. The aesthetic of the late 90s and early 2000s was really fun and colorful, so it just felt like a really cool time period to try to depict and stylize.

Viewers of a certain age will enjoy rewatching Turning Red to discover its cultural references alongside the traditional hunt for Pixar Easter eggs, Pizza Planet truck included.

And rewatch it, you can. Turning Red was due to be released in theaters worldwide, but the rapid rise of Covid-19s Omicron variant in late 2021 led
to a revised release strategy. On January 8, Disney announced that Turning
Red would debut exclusively on Disney Plus ; a decision taken with film fans safety in mind. As much as Shi, Collins and Turning Reds crew understood the sentiment behind the move, Pixar staffers couldnt help but lament the last-minute switch. As Collins succinctly told us: It kind of sucks .

Disappointing as that decision is for Pixar employees and fans alike, it
still beats the alternative that is, not being able to see the film at all. Turning Red is a movie that represents a series of firsts for the studio, and one thats sure to appeal to many. Its a joyous and ultimately heart-warming watch thatll make adults yearn to relive their youth, while its irresistibly charming anime aesthetic is truly groundbreaking, even for a company as established as Pixar.

In time, film aficionados may claim that there are better Pixar movies than Turning Red, but its hard to deny how revolutionary it is for the
Disney-owned studio. Its a nostalgia-inducing, thematically resonant flick that celebrates the best of western and eastern animation. Quite frankly, its a film that deserves to be seen.

Turning Red is available to stream now on Disney Plus. Here's how much a Disney Plus subscription costs



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/inside-turning-red-pixars-pioneering-anime-movi e-packed-with-90s-nostalgia/


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