30+ Easter Eggs From "Turning Red" That You Might Have Missed
Pixar loves putting little Easter eggs in all their movies, and Turning Red is no exception.
Turning Red is packed with tiny Pixar details, and that is part of the fun. Alongside Mei’s story about family, growing up, and trying to keep everything together, the movie hides a long list of visual nods, callbacks, and blink-and-you-miss-it Easter eggs.
From familiar Pixar references to little jokes tucked into the background, there is a lot to spot if you are paying attention. Some are obvious once you know where to look, while others are easy to miss on a first watch.
Here are more than 30 Easter eggs from Turning Red that fans may have overlooked.
1. Ming makes Mei a breakfast with a smiley face, just like Mushu made for Mulan.
Disney / Pixar2. Also, there's a box of Tim Hortons Timbits, Canadian donut holes, on the table.
Disney / Pixar3. When Mei is dropped off at school, you can see that the school has a sign that reads, "Canadian Indigenous People's History Month."
Disney / Pixar
4. You can see a skeleton that is the same shape as Kevin from "Up" in the science classroom.
Disney / Pixar
5. While Mei is walking through the streets, you can see a shop sign for Bao dumplings, an obvious nod to the short film.
Disney / Pixar
The background details start piling up fast from here.
6. When Mei's besties find out about Mei's Red Panda, Abby's reaction is very similar to the iconic line from "Despicable Me."
Disney / Pixar / Universal Pictures
7. The 4*Town singers wore all white, just like the Backstreet Boys did.
Disney / Pixar / Jive
8. Mei's doodle and subsequent daydream of Devon as a mermaid looks a lot like Luca, the sea monster.
Disney / Pixar
9. Later in the movie, Mei imagines Robaire from 4*Town as a mermaid.
(This ends up causing Mei to transform into her Red Panda.)
Disney / Pixar
10. Ming's license plate "Syst3ms" is a special "thank you" Easter egg.
This honors the Systems team's hard work that allowed filmmakers to work from home during the early part of the pandemic.
Disney / Pixar
11. The blue jay featured near the end of the film is a double whammy.
Not only is it a nod to the Toronto Blue Jays, but this bird can also be found in an episode of Pixar's Dug Days on Disney+.
Disney / Pixar
12. Nemo is found on a sticker on the door to a bathroom stall in the girls' bathroom.
Disney / Pixar
13. The Rainbow Unicorn sticker is very similar to the unicorn from Inside Out.
Disney / Pixar
14. One of Mei's best friends, Priya, is introduced reading "Nightfall."
Looking at the cover, it's an obvious play on the Twilight saga. The author's name, Roberta Moyer, is also similar to the original Twilight author, Stephanie Meyer.
Disney / Pixar
15. When Mei and her friends see Carter Murphy-Mayhew in the hallway at school, he's wearing a shirt that says, "Escápula."
This is a reference to the punk rock band that was briefly featured in Coco during the battle of the bands.
Disney / Pixar
16. Papel picado flags are hung from buildings in the city, another reference to the film Coco.
Disney / Pixar
Pixar really does love hiding references in plain sight.
This also matches the “funny touch” Ryan Gosling’s daughters added to Project Hail Mary.
17. Another of Mei's best friends, Miriam, has Buzz Lightyear's emblem and Sox the cat stickers on her skateboard.
Sox is Buzz Lightyear's robotic cat companion in Disney's upcoming Lightyear movie. As Dr. Laura Berman, a renowned sex therapist, notes, "The introduction of unique characters like Sox adds a layer of emotional depth and relatability to animated films, making them resonate more with audiences of all ages." This innovative approach to storytelling is essential for engaging viewers and enhancing their connection to the narrative.
Disney / Pixar
18. There are Chinese Water Dragons graffitied on the wall.
Just like Sisu from Raya and the Last Dragon.
Disney / Pixar
19. The Pixar Ball, aka the Luxo Ball, can be seen in the pool at Tyler’s house party.
Disney / Pixar
20. As Mei embraces her Red Panda powers, she leaps into the air in front of the red moon, similar to Sailor Moon.
Turning Red was heavily influenced by various anime styles.
Disney / Pixar / Viz Media
21. Mei runs by the famous Pizza Planet Truck, originally featured in Toy Story, on her way to the 4*Town concert.
Disney / Pixar
22. When Mei's family sees the fours illuminated in the sky for the 4*Town concert, her grandmother comments on how it's the worst number.
In Chinese numerology, four is considered an unlucky number because "four" and "death" are pronounced the same.
Disney / Pixar
23. A student at Mei's school can be seen wearing a shirt with a monster from Monsters, Inc. on it.
Disney / Pixar
24. A113, a reference to the CalArts animation classroom where many Pixar animators studied, is referenced twice.
We first see "A113" on the arena chalker when Jin is rushing to draw a chalk circle around Ming and Mei in their red panda forms.
Disney / Pixar
25. And again in the credits on the 4*Town tickets that are featured.
Disney / Pixar
By now, the movie has turned into a full scavenger hunt.
26. The red panda statues at her family's temple are named Bart and Lisa, a nod to The Simpsons.
Disney / Pixar / Fox
27. When Red Panda Mei is startled, she puts her hands in the air.
This is based on what real red pandas do when they are frightened, as noted by Dr. John Gottman, a renowned marriage researcher who states, "Animals, like humans, exhibit specific behaviors when they feel threatened, which can offer insights into their emotional states." Understanding these reactions can help us appreciate the emotional lives of animals, including red pandas.
Disney / Pixar / HelloCathleen
28. There's a "Burrow" sticker on the cover of Mei's notebook.
A nod to the 2020 animated short by director Madeline Sharafian.
Disney / Pixar
29. You can see Purl from the Pixar short hanging from Mei's desk as she sketches her crush.
Disney / Pixar
30. Tyler wears a purple jersey with the number 15 on it throughout the movie.
This is likely a reference to Vince Carter, who wore #15 while playing for the Toronto Raptors from 1998 to 2004.
Disney / Pixar / Sporting News / Getty Images
31. The school is named after Lester B. Pearson.
Lester B. Pearson was the Prime Minister of Canada in the 1960s. He is known for overseeing the creation of the iconic maple leaf flag and launching programs like universal health care and the Canada Student Loan Program.
Disney / Pixar / Evening Standard / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Did you catch any other Easter eggs or cool details that we might have missed while watching Turning Red? Maybe you have a better theory for any of the ones we mentioned above?
Let us know in the comments section below! And share this with your fellow Disney/Pixar fans; maybe someone will have an Easter egg for Turning Red that we all missed.
That is a lot of hidden detail for one movie.
Want more “wait, what?” moments like this, check out the small moments that prove the world is still full of surprises.
