| STOP RIGHT THERE! |
 Turning Red (Fictional 2002 release) |
Turning Red is a 2002 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film was directed by Domee Shi (in her feature directorial debut), written by Shi and Julia Cho, and produced by Lindsey Collins. It stars the voices of Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho, Tristan Allerick Chen, and James Hong.
Set in Toronto, Ontario, in 2002, Turning Red follows Meilin "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student who, due to a hereditary curse, transforms into a giant red panda when she expresses any strong emotion. Inspired by Shi's experiences growing up in Toronto, the film was originally pitched to Walt Disney Pictures in the early 90's around 1993, however Disney rejected the script, so the team reworked it, and pitched it once again in 1995, to witch Disney finally picked up the film, with Pixar on board to help develop it. However, the film was pushed to a 1998 release, due to Pixar working on other films. The film was also pushed to 1999 due to the release of A Bug's Life in 1998, and Turning Red had a theoretical release date of August 19, 1999 however the film was pushed to a 2000 release because of Toy Story 2. Finally, it was revealed that Pixar announced that they would be releasing 3 films after 2000. Monsters Inc in 2001, Turning Red in 2002, and Finding Nemo in 2003. While it was critically acclaimed, Turning Red has become a underrated gem, that is overshadowed by Monsters Inc & Finding Nemo. The film released on March 11, 2002 but wouldn't release in the UK and other European countries till June 15, 2002 due to the UK release of Monsters Inc in February 2002, and Pixar having to take extra time to get dubs done. Turning Red also had a delayed Australia & New Zealand release of May 15, 2002, and despite the delayed release, the film gained a tiny cult following in New Zealand.