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Pixar returns with teaser for next film 'Turning Red,' about a girl who turns into a giant panda

By Josh Weiss
Turning Red Still

Turns out Luca was just the beginning of Pixar's budding (and probably unintended) trilogy of films centered around young kids who transform into a menagerie of wild beasts. You think we're kidding? 

The Disney-owned animation studio just unveiled the title and teaser trailer for its next original feature, Turning Red, which follows Meilin Lee (voiced by relative newcomer Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old girl who poofs into a giant red panda when she gets a little too excited.

"Kind of like the Incredible Hulk, but cuter," Pete Docter, Pixar's Chief Creative Officer, remarked during that massive investor presentation last winter. "Turning Red is an original take on the great tradition of coming-of-age comedies, albeit one with an emotional and furry twist."

Watch the teaser below:

While the first trailer doesn't give away too much of the plot — after all, the movie's not out until next March — it does introduce us to Mei Lee's protective and overbearing mother, Ming (played by Killing Eve's Sandra Oh). Turning Red was helmed by Domee Shi, who took home an Oscar for her Pixar short "Bao" that ran before screenings of Incredibles 2 back in 2018.

"I think 'Bao' is definitely an example of Pixar embracing stories from diverse backgrounds," Shi told Vogue in 2018. "They’ve realized that diverse points of view and stories are an asset. That’s where the new ideas are, where you’ll see stuff that people haven’t seen before. I hope I’m the beginning of a trend."

Produced by Lindsey Collins (WALL-E, Cars), Turning Red will be one of two Pixar releases to hit the big screen next year. The second, which is set to debut in June 2022, is a Buzz Lightyear origin story, featuring Chris Evans as the voice of the young space ranger of Star Command.

Turning Red bounds into theaters everywhere March 11, 2022.