"Growing up is a beast."
That's the tagline for Turning Red, the latest movie from Pixar. Directed by Domee Shi, who won an Oscar for her 2018 short film Bao (which is fantastic and currently available to stream on Disney+), it stars young actress Rosalie Chiang, who 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 quite a lot of the time).
Sandra Oh voices Mei Lee's protective, if slightly overbearing mother, Ming, who is never far from her daughter - an unfortunate reality for the teenager.
Directed by Shi and produced by Lindsey Collins, Turning Red is set to be released on March 11, 2022. Unlike Soul and Luca, it's thought this movie will receive a theatrical release, which is good news when it's been reported that those working at Pixar have been left demoralised by the decision to have their last two titles debut exclusively on Disney+ for free and not on Premier Access.
Turning Red looks like it should be an absolute riot, and the premise is definitely classic Pixar. Visually, this looks more akin to previous movies from the studios as opposed to Luca (which some fans felt put a bigger focus on colour than detailed characters and animation).
Check out the trailer and poster below: