Voices in turning red talk about friendship and Asian culture
The main voice actors in Pixar’s latest animated film, Turning Red, share their impressions and views on the friendship and representation of Asian culture inherent in this film.
Sandra Oh, who voice-over Ming, the mother of Meilin (Rosalie Chiang), said the portrayal of friendship between young girls in Turning Red is very warm and empowers the young women who will see the film.
“And in this film, I think it has a good representation of deep friendship, both in the good times and the bad,” he added.
Hyein Park, the voice of one of Meilin’s best friends, Abby, also agreed. According to him, the depiction of female friendship needs to be made as authentic as possible.
“When we at Pixar had the opportunity to show female friendship, it was important for us to make it as authentic as possible. So Domee and I (Shi, the director) talked about it a lot and made it real. A lot of the stories we make share like the moments we love in life.” friendship,” he explained.
“And Pixar has a wide audience. And I hope the younger generations who watch this film can see what true and solid female friendship looks like,” added Miriam’s voice actor, Ava Morse.
Turning Red itself follows Meilin, a young Chinese girl who lives in a Chinatown in Toronto, Canada. Meilin lives with her family, a mother who is strict and upholds her cultural values.
Sandra Oh, who voice-over the mother, said that Meilin saw a lot of her mother’s character. “I’m not afraid of this ‘mother tiger’ concept. I love my mother very much. Meilin is strong behind her tiny body. I have a good relationship with my mother,” said Oh.
Rosalie Chiang, who voices Meilin, said she also learned a lot from the characters she played. “He was very focused on his goals. He also went through some changes (puberty) like everyone else,” he said.
Hyein Park added, “Dan Meilin doesn’t deny being fragile, and that’s a difficult thing to do. Meilin can also accept mistakes and dare to apologize to her friends.”
