Pixar’s ‘Elio’ Turns First Contact Into an Emotionally Rich Feel Trip

June 17, 2025June 17, 2025 Michael Lee

Growing up with Pixar means growing up with stories that shape us. From Toy Story to Inside Out, the studio has built a legacy of emotionally resonant, visually stunning films that speak to audiences of all ages. Now, with Elio, Pixar introduces a brand-new original story that explores loneliness, identity, and belonging — through the eyes of a child who longs for connection and finds it in the most unlikely of places: space.

Animation, Movies

‘Elio’ Footage Navigates Loneliness with a Heartfelt Cosmic Adventure

May 28, 2025May 28, 2025 Michael Lee

Pixar has always been a story-first studio. They prioritize strong narratives, character development, and emotional impact over animation. As such, their films resonate on a deeply human level, no matter how fantastical the setting or plot. This approach fits perfectly with Elio, a film about an 11-year-old Latinx boy who struggles with the anxieties of loneliness and embarks on a journey of connection in an intergalactic world.

Animation, Movies, Trailers

‘Elio’ Trailer Reveals What Happens When Universe Finally Calls Back

May 27, 2025May 27, 2025 Michael Lee

Disney and Pixar have released the final trailer for Elio. We’ll have a lot of coverage about the film in the coming weeks leading up to its release. So, expect behind-the-scenes insights, interviews with the creative team, and deep dives into the story, characters, and visual design.

Animation, Interview

‘Elio’ Directors Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian on Reimagining Sci-Fi

May 27, 2025May 28, 2025 Michael Lee

Pixar’s Elio is a bold, imaginative adventure about a young boy who’s never quite felt at home on Earth, until his wish to be abducted comes true. Suddenly named humanity’s ambassador to an alien civilization, Elio embarks on a visually stunning, emotionally rich journey through space that explores identity, family, and belonging.

Animation, Movies

‘Elio’ Trailer Teases Finding Friendship Among the Stars

March 19, 2025March 19, 2025 Michael Lee

Disney has released a new trailer for Pixar’s Elio, an intergalactic tale about a young outcast who dreams of finding a friend up in the stars. Directed by Madeline Sharafian (Burrow Sparkshort), Domee Shi (Bao short, Turning Red), and Adrian Molina (co-screenwriter/co-director of Coco), the upcoming film marks the studio’s return to space-age adventures, a first since Wall-E.

Animation, Movies

NOC Exclusive: Creating Panda Mei in BTS ‘Turning Red’ Clip

May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 Michael Lee

Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red was a smashing hit on the studio’s exclusive streaming platform. I know I’m guilty of watching it more than a couple of times since its release. But now, the animated film is ready for its home entertainment release. And to celebrate its recent digital platform launch and its 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 3, The Nerds of Color partnered up with Disney and Pixar to share an exclusive one-minute behind-the-scenes featurette about Panda Mei.

Animation, Movies, Reviews

‘Turning Red’ Finds Heart and Humor in the Messiness of Growing Up

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Michael Lee

Coming-of-age films are defined by what it means for their young characters to grow up. And, like the experience itself, no one story about growing up is the same as the next. It takes a special kind of film to capture the growing pains of a young person as they transition into adulthood. Turning Red, Pixar’s heartfelt and hilarious film, examines that journey through the lens of a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl who finds out that growing up may be a smelly beast — literally.

Animation, Movies

‘Turning Red’ Cast Gets Real about Friendships, Concerts, and Growing Pains

March 4, 2022March 4, 2022 Michael Lee

Unlike some of the one-dimensional female friendship and coming of age films of the past, Disney•Pixar’s Turning Red takes an honest look at the connections we have with our friends. What’s more, the film does it through the lens of a Chinese Canadian 13-year-old.

Animation, Movies, Music

Billie Eilish and Finneas Release Original Song for ‘Turning Red’

February 26, 2022February 28, 2022 Michael Lee

Disney•Pixar has released their first new single, “Nobody Like U,” and an accompanying lyric video for Turning Red. was written by sibling musical duo Billie Eilish and Finneas; the song is reminiscent of the boy bands of the early 2000s in terms of musical stylings and lyrics.

Animation, Movies

Pixar’s First Animated Boy Band will Steal Hearts and Bring Nostalgia in ‘Turning Red’

February 8, 2022February 4, 2022 Michael Lee

The late ’90s and early 2000s pop culture scene were full of jelly bracelets, Tamagotchis, music CDs, flip phones, and, of course, boy bands. And Pixar’s Turning Red captures the spirit of that time by weaving in nostalgia with cultural specificity and a profoundly resonating coming-of-age story.

Animation, Interview, Movies

Domee Shi Talks Blending Real-Life Stories And Anime In ‘Turning Red’

February 7, 2022March 8, 2022 Michael Lee

In just a few short weeks from now, Disney+ subscribers will see how messy growing up can be in Pixar’s Turning Red. Based loosely on director Domee Shi‘s life, the film follows Mei Lee (Roseling Cheng), a confident 13-year-old girl struggling to balance her life as a dutiful daughter to her mother (Sandra Oh) and the chaos of her youth. And things get more complicated when she finds out that if she gets too excited or stressed, she turns into a giant red panda.

Animation, Movies

‘Turning Red’ Blazes a Trail for Female Animators and Storytellers

February 7, 2022February 4, 2022 Michael Lee

Pixar has changed the way we see animated films since they released Toy Story, their first theatrical feature, in 1996. But, while they have made great strides to change the visual and narrative language of animated cinema, the studio has also affirmed its commitment to be more inclusive and deliver content that reflects the world we live in today. That’s why shorts like Sanjay’s Super Team and films like Coco and Soul are crucial because those films feature people of color in lead roles as real people with real stories that authentically reflect their lives and not cliched characters.

Animation, Movies1 Comment

‘Turning Red’ Reimagines the Coming-of-Age Story Through Cultural Specificity

February 7, 2022February 4, 2022 Michael Lee

Pixar’s Turning Red is a film unlike any other. Directed by Domee Shi, the film centers on Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl torn between being the dutiful daughter to her mother (Sandra Oh) and navigating the chaos of adolescence. But her life gets turned upside-down when she discovers she turns into a giant red panda if she gets too excited.

Animation, Movies

Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’ to Debut Exclusively on Disney+

January 7, 2022January 11, 2022 Michael Lee

There was plenty of excitement surrounding Domee Shi‘s Turning Red as it would have marked the turn of a Pixar film to be released in a theater. It was also the studio’s first film to be directed by a woman. However, because of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, Turning Red will make its debut on Disney+ on March 11, 2021, instead of the traditional theatrical release like initially planned.

Animation, Movies

Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’ Promises Teenage Angst and Red Panda Transformations

November 17, 2021November 19, 2021 Michael Lee

Disney•Pixar has released the latest trailer for their forthcoming animated feature Turning Red. From the mind of Academy Award-winner Domee Shi, the coming-of-age film follows the teenage Mei (voice of Rosalie Chiang) who goes through a unique kind of growing pain that’s different from any other teenager. Anytime Mei exhibits a strong emotion, she turns into a giant red panda. So, think of a cuter and cuddlier version of how Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk.

Animation, Movies

‘Turning Red’ Features Pixar’s First Asian-Led Film

July 13, 2021July 13, 2021 Mike Manalo

Turning Red is a big deal. It’s the first time a full-length Pixar film has featured an Asian protagonist and primarily centers on Asian characters. It’s also the first Pixar film to be fully directed solo by a woman, and the first by a woman of color, with the brilliant Domee Shi, who brought us the now-classic Oscar-winning Bao. And that’s not even the half of it!

Animation, Movies2 Comments

Right Here, Right ‘Bao’

November 6, 2018November 6, 2018 Julie Kang

Oakland and the surrounding East Bay Area is a welcoming, casual town. The standard uniform of jeans and a hoodie is a ticket to pretty much anywhere: a Warriors game, a UC Berkeley lecture hall (as a student or even as the professor), a Michelin-star restaurant, R&B paint night at the Complex. The few exceptions are three-fold: the Piedmont School District, an available slice of sweet potato pie at Lois the Pie Queen after 10:00 AM, and Pixar Animation Studios.

I have lived in the East Bay for more than twelve years, and I have never gotten closer than peering through the iron gates while driving past to get my son to badminton practice. Until now.

To celebrate the upcoming in-home release of Bao and Incredibles 2, Pixar opened their gates to The Nerds of Color as well as other media outlets for dinner and interview opportunities with their creators.

Continue reading “Right Here, Right ‘Bao’”