Toronto plays itself in ‘Turning Red,’ Disney Pixar’s new film arriving in March

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2021 (1549 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After years of playing New York, Chicago and countless nameless locations, Toronto is getting its star turn.

Oscar-winning director Domee Shi’s latest film, “Turning Red,” being released next March by Disney and Pixar, is set in this city.

The animated film tells the tale of Mei Lee, a 13-year-old girl who turns into a red panda whenever she gets too excited. Mei Lee is played by Rosalie Chiang, while her mother is voiced by Canadian Hollywood star Sandra Oh.

Shi won an Oscar for her 2018 animated short film “Bao,” which featured a lonely mother who directed her care towards a sentient dumpling that came to life after she made it.

Shi, who grew up in Toronto, attended Sheridan College’s highly regarded animation school.

“We are beyond thrilled that director Domee Shi chose her hometown of Toronto as the backdrop for her new feature film,” said Greg Mason, VP of Marketing for Walt Disney Studios Canada, in a press release. “Turning Red truly is a love letter to Toronto and Canada.”

In an emailed statement, Mayor John Tory said he was looking forward to watching the movie with his grandkids, and proud to see the city being featured in a major production.

“It used to be the case that Toronto was always disguised as ‘some other city.’ Now, thanks to our own great reputation and thanks to all the Torontonians making films and TV shows we are actually able to be Toronto!” said the mayor. “Turning Red is another testament to our great city and all that we have to offer,” he added, going on to thank Shi “for choosing to highlight her hometown.”

While it’s not the first time a production has been set in Toronto, it’s still something of a rarity.

There’s a simple reason for that, says Kenneth Wong, a marketing professor at Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business.

“American audiences just don’t respond as well to non-American references, unless it’s something dramatically different,” said Wong.

In other words, Paris, London or Rome, they’d get. Toronto? Not so much.

While it’s good to see Toronto having a star turn, Wong suspects there won’t be much of a tourism boom because of “Turning Red.”

“If it weren’t an animated film, maybe there’d be more of an impact. People saying, ‘Hey, that city looks kind of cool. Let’s go check it out.’ But that’s less likely with animated films, partly because they’re usually aimed at kids,” said Wong.

Still, the impact on Torontonians’ own perception of their city could be just as long-lasting, Wong suggested.

“I grew up in Montreal when Jean Drapeau was mayor. He brought the Olympics, the World’s Fair, and the Expos to town. I know for me, that made me dream big, and think that anything was possible for Montreal,” said Wong. “Maybe this one will have the same effect for kids in Toronto.”

Josh Rubin is a Toronto-based business reporter. Follow him on Twitter: @starbeer