‘We can all learn something from them’: Pixar execs praise all-female ‘Turning Red’ creative leadership team

March 3, 2022

Pixar has lauded the all-female creative leadership team behind its latest animated film “Turning Red” for creating “one of [its] fastest films ever.”

“Turning Red,” which follows the story of a Chinese Canadian teenager who transforms into a giant red panda, is the feature film directorial debut of Chinese Canadian filmmaker Domee Shi, who helmed the 2018 Oscar-winning animated short film “Bao.”

Shi made a historic first for Pixar when she assembled a creative leadership team with all-female members.

In a recent interview with NextShark, Shi highlighted the importance of authenticity when creating stories.

“In light of all the terrible things that have happened to our community, it’s more important than ever to really showcase these stories and put our faces out there to tell the world hey, we’re here, we have emotions and complex feelings and relationships, and the issues we go through are universal,” she noted.

Korean American playwright Julia Cho, who co-wrote the screenplay of “Turning Red” with Shi, recently explained to The Hollywood Reporter why the film is her “dream project.”

“If I could make my dream project, it would be Pixar, women and Asian American,” Cho shared. “I think that it’s just incredible that we are actually here, standing here, celebrating this movie’s release because it was such a dream for a lot of us who always wanted a story like this.”

Pixar President Jim Morris told The Hollywood Reporter that bringing the all-female team together “happened very organically. It wasn’t like we decided, ‘Let’s make sure that that happened.’”

“People who work well together wanted to work with other people that they like,” Pixar CCO Pete Docter was quoted as saying. “They were not only all-female, but it was probably the most efficient film we’ve ever made. They were really smart thinkers and risk-takers. I think we can all learn something from them.”

“One of the fastest films ever in terms of getting made at Pixar — which means it only took four years,” Morris chimed in.

“Turning Red” held its red carpet premiere at Hollywood Boulevard on Tuesday night.

The film, which features the voices of Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Hyein Park, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho and James Hong, is set to be released on Disney Plus on March 11, along with a limited one-week run at the El Capitan Theatre starting on March 11.

Featured Image via Jesse Grant / Getty Images

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