It stars the voices of Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho, Tristan Allerick Chen, and James Hong.

Set in Toronto, Ontario in 2002, the film follows Meilin "Mei" Lee (Chiang), a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student who transforms into a giant red panda when she experiences any strong emotion, due to a hereditary curse.

Development began in May 2018 when Shi was announced as writer and director of a full-length film; several Pixar animators visited locations around Northern California gathering inspiration and visual references.

In 2002 Toronto, 13-year-old Meilin "Mei" Lee lives with her parents, Ming and Jin, helps take care of the family's temple dedicated to her maternal ancestor Sun Yee, and works to make her mother proud.

Ming and Jin explain that Sun Yee was granted this transformation to protect her daughters and her village during wartime, and that all her female descendants have also had this ability.

Mei's aunts (Chen, Ping, Helen and Lily) are voiced by Lori Tan Chinn, Lillian Lim, Sherry Cola and Mia Tagano.

[9] The approach of using more personable stories followed from Luca under Pixar's new chief creative officer Pete Docter's oversight, which shifted the direction the studio took with both storytelling and film production.

[20] Chiang, then only 12 years old, was selected in part because she was a local child actor conveniently based in nearby Fremont, which is only about 35 miles (56 km) from Pixar's Emeryville headquarters.

[20] They escalated the issue to Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter, who personally approved the casting of Chiang in the film's lead role.

[21] To keep production going, Pixar shipped an enormous amount of professional audio equipment to Chiang, who turned one of the rooms in her parents' house into a makeshift recording studio.

[23] As it takes place through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old girl named Mei Lee, the entire environment has been stylized to convey a specific feeling; Shi described the film's overall look as an "Asian tween fever dream".

[6] Shi also considered how video games like Pokémon, EarthBound and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were able to "stylize their world in such an appealing, chunky, cute kind of way".

[21] Domee Shi said that several anime influenced the film, including Doraemon, Sailor Moon, Ranma ½, Fruits Basket, and Inuyasha.

They partnered with the non-profit organization Gold House that specializes in promotion of East Asian and Pacific cultures to identify what foods to include.

[51] Turning Red had special screenings that took place in London at Everyman Borough Yards on February 21, 2022, and in Toronto at TIFF Bell Lightbox on March 8, 2022.

[60] It also began playing at Manhattan's AMC Empire 25 and Oakland's Grand Lake Theatre the same day it was released to Disney+,[61][62] as well as several Showcase Cinema de Lux venues across the United Kingdom.

[67] Turning Red was released on digital services on April 26, 2022, and by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on May 3, 2022.

The website's consensus reads, "Heartwarming, humorous, beautifully animated, and culturally expansive, Turning Red extends Pixar's long list of family-friendly triumphs".

[80] The Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan gave 4 stars out of 4 and concludes: "[The film] delivers a bigger, and in some ways more universal message: It's okay to not always be in control, to let your freak flag fly.

[87] IGN's Siddhant Adlakha gave a rating of 9 out of 10 and concludes: "A story of magical transformation as a metaphor for personal and cultural change, Turning Red (from Bao director Domee Shi) is Pixar's funniest and most imaginative film in years.

It captures the wild energy of adolescence, uses pop stars as a timeless window into puberty, and tells a tale of friendship and family in the most delightfully kid-friendly way".

[88] Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson commented that "The film often seems squarely, deliberately, aimed at ... parents instead, offering them a gentle (if busy) reminder that they were young once too, once bursting at the seams with enthusiasm and curiosity and, yes, budding lust.

"[89] The film was also praised for its realistic depiction of female friendships and their ups and downs,[90] which producer Lindsey Collins credited to having mostly women on the creative team.

"[92] The Guardian's Benjamin Lee gave 3 stars out of 5 and concludes: "The journey is slick and diverting, and at times incisive, but Turning Red is yet another Pixar film that coasts rather than glides.

[94] World's Collin Carbarino comments that, "With Turning Red, Pixar abandons decades of nuanced storytelling and warms over Disney's clichéd advice to follow your heart.

"[95] The Gospel Coalition's Brett McCracken said that "For all of its merits, the film ultimately advocates a wrongheaded central message under the guise of empowerment: embrace who you are, even your reckless vices and dangerous impulses, and don't let anyone stop you.

"[96] CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell called the focus on a Chinese Canadian girl as "limiting" to a broad audience: "By rooting Turning Red very specifically in the Asian community of Toronto, the film legitimately feels like it was made for Domee Shi's friends and immediate family members.

[97] The New Yorker's Jane Hu echoed O'Connell's views, accusing the film of relying on East Asian stereotypes and of being "hyper-specific and alienating.

[100][101] Movie critics for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and Vox argued that these are natural topics that reflect the realities of 13-year-old girls and should not be considered taboo, and praised the film for its honest portrayal of these behaviors.

"[104] Kimberly Jones from The Austin Chronicle summarized the film as a funny, sweet, and empathetic portrait of cultural identity, gentle teen rebellion, and tetchy mother-daughter relations.