Pixar's new movie is almost here, so you can watch Turning Red online via Disney Plus soon. The coming-of-age animated film features a curse, an adorable giant red panda and plenty of hijinks and heart that are sure to please the whole family.
Release date and time: Turning Red is streaming now on Disney Plus.
Cast: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee, James Hong
Director: Domee Shi
Running time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Rating: PG
Turning Red is the feature film directorial debut of Domee Shi, who created the 2018 Oscar-winning short Bao. It is the first Pixar film to have a solo female director, the first to take place in Canada, and the second to feature an Asian lead character after Up.
The story, which is set in Toronto between 2002 and 2003, centers around 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl Meilin "Mei" Lee. One morning, she's horrified when she turns into a giant red panda. She discovers it's a family curse; whenever she gets stressed or overly excited, she'll transform. She can only turn back by calming down. The curse can be broken with a ritual during the next red moon — but that also happens to be the night of a concert by her favorite boy band, 4*Town.
Here's everything to know about how and when to watch Turning Red online.
How to watch Turning Red on Disney Plus
No need to turn into a giant red panda to see Pixar's new movie. Turning Red is streaming now on Disney Plus. It was released at 3 a.m. ET on Friday, March 11.
It's the third Pixar movie to be released direct to Disney Plus, following Luca and Soul.
How to watch Turning Red internationally
Disney Plus is available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, so it's not going to be tough to get access.
Turning Red trailer
The Turning Red trailer introduces Meilin Lee as an unapologetic math nerd who says whatever she wants, has a great group of friends and adores the boy band 4*Town. But her "best year ever" is completely upended when she wakes up one morning as a giant red panda.
Turning Red cast
The voice cast of Turning Red features a newcomer in the lead role: Rosalie Chiang as Meilin "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian teen.
She is joined by:
- Sandra Oh as Ming Lee, Mei's mother
- Orion Lee as Jin Lee, Mei's father
- Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Priya, Mei's Indo-Canadian friend
- Ava Morse as Miriam, Mei's Caucasian friend
- Hyein Park as Abby, Mei's Korean-Canadian friend
- Wai Ching Ho as Mei's grandmother.
- James Hong as Mr. Gao.
- Tristan Allerick Chen as Tyler, Mei's classmate
- Addie Chandler as Devon, Mei's secret crush
Jordan Fisher, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo, Finneas O'Connell, and Grayson Villanueva play the members of 4*Town.
Turning Red reviews
Turning Red is receiving very positive reviews and currently has a 94 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. Here's a sampling of what the critics are saying:
IndieWire's Kate Erbland lauds the "bright, colorful, zippy animation (some of the best in recent Pixar memory), with Shi and her animators often unfurling more classic style animation to tell storybook scenes or to contextualize the legacy of what Mei is enduring. It’s emotional, stunning, and a joy to behold."
Jamie Graham of Total Film writes, "Turning Red is funny, thrilling, gorgeously animated, features spot-on boyband tunes written by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas, and of course boasts that inspired concept, even if the original Teen Wolf movie did much the same thing 37 years earlier."
Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly calls it "breezily charming," adding, "It captures something sweetly universal: Growing up is messy, no matter how you bear it."
CNN's Brian Lowry writes, "Turning Red delivers an exquisitely animated story that’s moving as well as funny – welcome evidence that creatively speaking, at least, Pixar hasn’t lost its golden touch."
The Playlist's Drew Taylor says the movie is "one of the most unique and unforgettable movies in Pixar’s grand pantheon" and "full of gorgeous animation and moments that will make you choke back sobs."
