Turning Red is Disney/Pixar's first Asian-led film, with actors who many audience members have heard and seen on film and television before.
Disney/Pixar's latest project Turning Red follows Meilin Lee as she tries to navigate growing up in the early 2000s. After a rough night's sleep, Meilin transforms into a giant red panda. Her mother reveals that this is a family trait, and all the women in her family have been in her situation. Now Meilin has to figure out how to be a normal teenager all while controlling her abilities. The film is not only headed by an all-female creative team but is also Pixar's first Asian-led movie.
Turning Red is full of young actors making their Disney debuts, but other cast members have been in major leading roles on television and in film. Some have even worked under the Disney umbrella before.
Rosalie Chiang is still in the early stages of her acting career, but her star is rising. Chiang plays Meilin Lee, the main character, in Turning Red. Until now, Chiang has played leading and side character roles in small productions like Clique Wars, a school-based comedy that ran for two seasons on LunchBoxTV on YouTube.
She also stared in a USC thesis film titled Soiled. Turning Red is Chiang's first credited voice acting role and first role with Disney Pixar.
Sandra Oh is best known for her five-time Emmy nominated role as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy, but in Turning Red, Oh plays Ming, the overprotective mother of Meilin. Ming is often the cause of Meilin's red panda transformations.
Oh has worked with Disney several times throughout her career, including roles on camera and in the recording booth. Oh has voiced characters in American Drag Jake Long, The Proud Family, and, most recently, Raya and the Last Dragon.
Another young actor making their Disney Pixar debut is Ava Morse. Morse will play Miriam, one of Meilin's best friends. Meilin's friends are a central part of the film as they stick by her side while she tries to balance turning into a red panda every time she gets excited.
Fans of 20th Century Fox films may recognize Morse's voice as Ava, a character from Ron's Gone Wrong. This will be Morse's first major voice acting role in her young career.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan currently stars in the Netflix series Never Have I Ever as the show's main character Devi. In Turning Red, Ramakrishnan takes on the role of Priya. Priya is calmer than her other friends, and in the trailer, she is seen shying away from her friends' freak out over 4*Town.
Despite being more subdued than her other friends, Priya still supports Meilin in her panda transformation and new life journey. Even though this is Ramakrishnan's first role with Disney, she has done voice work before, as Zipp Storm in My Little Pony.
James Hong has had a long career dating back to 1954. Hong has lent his voice to several characters, but most notably, he plays Mr. Ping in the various installments of the Kung Fu Panda movies and television shows.
Hong has worked with Disney on various television shows, including Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja and Star Wars Rebels. He also plays O-Sensei in Batman: Soul of the Dragon. Mr. Gao is one of Meilin's neighbors, whom she sees daily.
In Turning Red, Jordan Fisher plays Robaire, a member of Meilin's favorite boyband, 4*Town. Fisher has been working with Disney for several years between roles on the Disney Channel and lending his voice to various soundtracks in the Disney Parks and Moana.
Beyond Disney, Jordan Fisher has played several roles on television and in films, including Bart Allen on CW's The Flash. In the show, he is the son of Barry Allen, who has traveled through time to aid his father in saving the world. He also starred in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You as John Ambrose, Lara Jean's former crush.
Finneas O'Connell is best known for his appearances in sister Billie Eilish's music videos and songwriting skills. In Turning Red, O'Connell plays Jesse, a member of 4*Town. This is not O'Connell's first acting gig. In 2015 O'Connell had a four-episode stint on Glee.
While this is his first prominent voice acting role on the big screen, O'Connell has done voice work before for the video game Fallout 4. The Turning Red soundtrack will feature songs from 4*Town, all written by O'Connell and Billie Eilish.
Marvel fans will recognize the voice of Meilin's grandma in Turning Red. That is because she is voiced by Wai Ching Ho, who played Madame Gao in Daredevil, The Defenders, and Iron Fist. This will be Wai Ching Ho's first appearance in a Disney/Pixar film. Her other voice work is limited to a credit in Grand Theft Auto.
However, her on-screen work extends to 1990, and this is not the first time she is playing a grandmother either. Wai Ching Ho played Le-Wei, one of Awkwafina's grandmothers, in Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and stood out even among some of the best characters in the show.
Those streaming Turning Red may not recognize Anne-Marie's speaking voice, but they may know her singing voice, especially those in the UK. Anne Marie is best known as a singer-songwriter. She has worked with artists such as Little Mix, Niall Horan, and Nick Jonas.
This is Anne-Marie's first time working with Disney/Pixar and is her first role as an actor. Anne-Marie's music has appeared on soundtracks in the past, including the soundtrack for Happiest Season. Listeners of hers are likely very excited about her role in the new movie.
Orion Lee plays Jin, Meilin's dad in the film. Jin is seen in the trailer as the one who lets it slip that Meilin's parents have been expecting her to turn into a red panda as she grows up. This forces her mother to tell Meilin about their family's special ability and makes her mother even more overprotective. Orion Lee has worked on Disney-owned projects before.
In 2017, he was Canady's First Order Monitor in Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. He also gave a highly regarded performance as King-Lu in 2019's First Cow. Lee has been featured as a voice actor in a few video games in the past, but this is his first major voice acting role to date, so he is bringing his talents to a large audience in a new and exciting way.
