Meet the Cast of ‘Turning Red’, Pixar’s First Asian-Led Movie

Pixar’s first movie Asian-led movie, Turning Red is set for release on March 11. Here, we break down all the main cast members of the coming-of-age movie

This article was originally published on January 24, 2022 and was updated on March 7, 2022.

Pixar’s upcoming animated feature film, Turning Red is breaking a lot of ground. It’s the first Pixar film to have a predominantly Asian cast, the first to be directed solely by a woman and the first to have an all-woman leadership team.

Domee Shi–from the award-winning short film Bao—will be making her highly-anticipated directorial debut. The coming-of-age comedy follows 13-year-old Meilin ‘Mei’ Lee, a Chinese Canadian who’s on the verge of experiencing adolescence. She’s struggling with staying as a dutiful daughter and welcoming the chaos (and beauty) of becoming a teenager. One day, she suddenly turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets too emotional.

Ahead of the movie’s release on Disney+ on March 11, we break down the main cast members and the characters they’re playing.

Don’t miss: Director Domee Shi on Why Boy Bands and Positive Female Friendships Matter in ‘Turning Red’

Above The poster for Turning Red (Photo: Pixar)

1. Rosalie Chiang

Newcomer and young actress Rosalie Chiang will be lending her voice as the titular character of Meilin ‘Mei’ Lee, a 13-year-old girl who suddenly transforms into a giant red panda whenever she gets too emotional.

So far Chiang has only starred in two short films, Soiled and The Interns in 2018. She also played Ashley in the 2017 TV series, Clique Wars.

2. Sandra Oh

Golden Globes winning actress, Sandra Oh will be playing Ming Lee, Mei’s overprotective and strict mother.

Oh is best known for Grey’s Anatomy, where she received multiple Emmy nominations for—the first for an actress of Asian descent. She’s also known for Killing Eve for which she received a Golden Globe award. Oh has two Golden Globe awards for the two series—the first actress of Asian descent to achieve that.

3. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Canadian actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is playing Priya, one of Mei’s friends. She is described as deadpan compared to Mei’s two other friends even if she’s excited or happy.

Ramakrishnan is best known for her breakout role as Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix series, Never Have I Ever. Turning Red is her first feature film.

4. Ava Morse

Ava Morse will play Miriam, another one of Mei’s friends. The young actress has lent her voice before in Ron’s Gone Wrong as Ava.

Elsewhere, she’s starred in several short films such as Meeting Meave and Democracy in the Diver’s Seat. She also starred in several TV series such as Chicago P.D. and Somebody Somewhere.

5. Hyein Park

Hyein Park plays Abby, the last member of Mei’s best friend squad. Park is actually a comic artist and story artist at Pixar, so Turning Red is her voice acting debut.

In the art department, she’s worked on several animated films including 22 vs. Earth, Soul, Toy Story 4 and Bao. For Turning Red, she also worked in the animation department as a story artist.

6. Orion Lee

Theatre, film and TV actor Orion Lee is playing Jin Lee, Mei’s father. Besides his work at prestigious theatres like the National Theatre of Scotland and the West End, Lee has 41 acting credits to his name.

He’s played Po in the TV series Warrior, Tang Wen Lei in Chimerica and Jin Weijun in Informer among many others.

7. Wai Ching Ho

Wai Ching Ho is a veteran film, TV and theatre actress from Hong Kong. In Turning Red, she will be playing Mei’s grandmother.

She’s most known for her role as Madame Gao from the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows, Daredevil, Iron Fist and The Defenders.

8. Tristan Allerick Chen

Young actor Tristan Allerick Chen is taking on the role of Tyler, Mei’s classmate. The actor has lent his voice in Ron’s Gone Wrong and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

9. Addie Chandler

Addie Chandler is lending his voice as Devon, Mei’s secret crush. Candler has previously done voice acting work for several TV series such as Barbie Dreamtopia and Harvey Beaks.

10. Jordan Fisher

Jordan Fisher is playing one of the members of Pixar’s first-ever boy band, 4Town.

The actor, singer, dancer and musician has starred in The Secret Life of an American Teenager, Liv and Maddie, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and Work It.

Fisher also portrayed John Laurens/Philip Hamilton in the award-winning musical, Hamilton.

11. Grayson Villanueva

Grayson Villanueva is also playing another member of 4Town. The singer, music producer and vocal arranger have worked with musical artists such as Janelle Monáe and Keala Settle.

12. Josh Levi

Singer, actor and dancer, Josh Levi is another member of 4Town. He’s best known for his recurring role in Friday Night Lights and even joined The X Factor.

13. Topher Ngo

Playing another member of 4Town is Topher Ngo. The artist has been featured in Kollaboration, which showcases some of the top Asian American artists in Los Angeles.

14. Finneas O’Connell

Rounding up the last member of 4Town is singer-songwriter, record producer and actor, Finneas O’Connell or Finneas. Together with Billie Eilish, Finneas worked on the fictional songs of the band, naturally lending his voice as one of them.

Finneas has eight Grammy Awards under his belt and when it comes to acting, he’s best known for Glee and Modern Family.

Turning Red will be released on March 11, exclusively on Disney+.