Pixar’s newest feature film, “Turning Red,” is the first to be solely directed by a woman, with Domee Shi (who previously directed the Pixar short “Bao”) at the helm.
“Turning Red” follows Meilin “Mei” Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl on the brink of adolescence. Mei’s ancestors share a mystical connection with the red panda species, and one morning she discovers what this truly means when she wakes up from a nightmare to find that she has transformed into a giant red panda. Mei’s parents are aware that this change is set to arrive, but they react very differently. Mei’s friend group embraces her special power, loving her no matter what.
Many familiar voices bring these animated characters to life, so if you recognize some but can’t quite place them with a face, we’ve got you covered. Here are all the voice actors in “Turning Red”:
Meilin ‘Mei’ Lee (Rosalie Chiang)
Mei is the star of the movie. Voiced by newcomer Rosalie Chiang, she is 13 years old growing up in Toronto, Canada — making her Chinese and Canadian. Mei’s mother has high expectations of her, and Mei wants to live up to those expectations, but she is also at the peak of adolescence, and with adolescence comes all kinds of hormones and feelings. One morning, Mei wakes up from a nightmare to discover that she transforms into a giant red panda whenever she feels strong stress or excitement. “Turning Red” follows Mei and her friends as they figure out how to navigate Mei’s unique situation.
Ming (Sandra Oh)
Ming, voiced by Sandra Oh, is Mei’s mother. She has the best intentions for her daughter, but in vocalizing every little thing Mei could improve within herself, she can create an impossible image for Mei to meet. Ming and Mei’s relationship is a close bond — they’re not only mother and daughter but also best friends. But when Mei transitions into teenage life, Ming clenches even tighter for control of her daughter, who she senses is changing and potentially slipping away. Once Mei’s red panda powers activate (her ancestors were close with the species in the past), Ming’s helicopter mom personality goes into even more overdrive.
Oh herself is known for many roles, including staple character of Dr. Cristina Yang in “Grey’s Anatomy” as well as more recent projects like “Killing Eve” and the Netflix series “The Chair.”
Jin (Orion Lee)
Jin, Mei’s father, is voiced by Orion Lee, who has appeared in 2019’s “First Cow” as well as “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (2021) as a Stars Lab Scientist. Jin balances out Ming’s fierceness with a calmer personality. Jin coaches Mei through her red panda powers and is more confident in her ability to choose for herself than Ming is.
Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan)
Priya, a young Indian-Canadian girl, is one of Mei’s best friends. She is the most mellow (and seemingly least phased, at least by her facial expressions) of the friend group of four, but she shares in their excitement over certain things like 4*Town, the boy band that Mei and her friends love.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan recently broke into fame with her main character role of Deve Vishwakumar in Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” a series created by Mindy Kaling based on Kaling’s memories of her childhood as a first generation Indian-American girl.
Miriam (Ava Morse)
Miriam is another one of Mei’s best friends. Tomboyish in nature, Miriam is always there for Mei, especially when she gets swept up in her strong feelings or the realization that she turns into a big furry animal. Mei’s mother Ming grows suspicious of Miriam because she thinks Miriam is a bad influence for Mei. Morse also voiced Ava in another Disney film, “Ron’s Gone Wrong.”
Abby (Hyein Park)
Abby, who is voiced by Hyein Park, completes Mei’s friend group. She has chaotic energy and is confident and bold. Abby, who is Korean-Canadian, is also not afraid to be aggressive, and she follows through on helping her friends. Park is a storyboard artist at Pixar, making her voice acting debut in “Turning Red.”
4*Town – Robaire (Jordan Fisher) & Jesse (Finneas O’Connell)
4*Town is the boy band that Mei and her friends are obsessed with, and their songs were written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. The band members are voiced by Finneas, Jordan Fisher (“To All the Boys: P.S. I Love You”, Josh Levi (“Friday Night Lights”), Grayson Villanueva and Topher Ngo. And yes, they do their own singing.
