Anime: How Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’ Has Classic Anime Roots
Director Domee Shi said herself that a few of our favorite animes inspired Turning Red. But which classics inspired this movie?
By now you’ve either seen Turning Red or heard all about it. The latest Pixar film was an adorable and nostalgia-filled romp for those of us who were enthusiastic about our fandoms in the early 2000s. And of course, a lot of that fandom included anime. Director, Domee Shi, took inspiration directly from a few of our favorite animes. And if you saw the movie, I’m sure you noticed.
Ranma 1/2
“Ranma ½ is another anime that we were inspired by, especially when Mei transformed, she poofs into a giant pink cloud.”
With nearly uncontrolled animal transformations, and a panda at that, it’s not hard to see what Ranma inspired in Turning Red. But what you may have only noticed on a subconscious level was that shade of red hair that Meilin sported once the red panda appeared. Mei’s initial resentment of her transformation also fits right in with Ranma’s story. They both eventually figure out how to use this power for their benefit. But I don’t remember Ranma ever embracing his transformation the way Mei does.
Fruits Basket
“Fruits Basket’ and ‘Ranma 1/2’ are two hilarious animes that were created by women about human animal transformation mixed with high school romance, comedy, drama.”
Fruits Basket is so good and so popular that it came back for a remake fairly recently, and the remake was also great. It shares quite a few themes with Turning Red, such as how weird and out of control adolescence can feel. But both also bring a lot of joy to the screen. Friendship is so important in Fruits Basket and Turning Red and it may just be what saves the day in both stories.
Sailor Moon
“We tried to capture that girl friendship spirit in our movie.”
It’s nearly impossible to miss the magical girl and specifically Sailor Moon inspired moments. It’s in everything from the emphasis on girl friend groups, to the look of the cityscapes. Like Fruits Basket, this is a show with an emphasis on the power of caring about somebody a lot. They’re best friends who help save the world, but then also hang out and fangirl over stupid thing.
And this skyline is straight out of 90’s Sailor Moon with it’s dream-like colors and feel.
The Fan Culture
This may have been the most relatable thing about the entire movie. Mei’s school notebook filled with anime-style doodles may as well have been my notebook circa 2002. Or any of my friends’. While not inspired by any specific show, Shi describes Mei’s doodles as anime, and they definitely have that style. Was this a little autobiographical? Honestly, it feels too real and too close to too many of our actual teen years not to be.
Besides the ones Domee Shi mentions specifically, did you get the feeling of any specific anime from Turning Red? What little nods and references did you notice? Was Turning Red relatable for you, too? Let us know in the comments!
Ja Ne, Adventurers!
