Disney's "Turning Red" Is A Love Letter To Canada — Here Are 13 Of My Favourite References

An animated Canada is the best Canada.

Disney and Pixar just released Turning Red on Disney+. Not only is it a story about growing up and dealing with your emotions, but it's also a love letter to Canada, with the story taking place in Toronto.

Pixar

There are at least 13 references to Canada and Toronto throughout the film — so I went through and tried to catch them all. Here's what I found:

1. The CN Tower

Pixar

The first big nod to Toronto is the iconic CN Tower. The tower plays pretty prominently throughout the movie, in various establishing scenes. Look at it! Look how good it looks — and may I dare say, better animated? Sure, I said it.

2. SkyDome

Pixar

And you can't talk about the CN Tower without mentioning the SkyDome. Yes, in this house we call it the SKYDOME. This movie is set in 2002, so of course boy band 4*Town will have their concert there. It also becomes the location of a major plot point later in the movie.

3. The Old TTC Streetcars

Pixar

If you've ever been to Toronto, you'll remember the iconic streetcars. Recently, the old fleet has been replaced by sprawling, fancy new streetcars. Because it's 2002 in Turning Red, we get to revisit the old streetcars in all of their nostalgic glory. We even get to see a copy of Mei Lee's (the 13-year-old main character) Metropass, although it doesn't really look like the ones we know and love.

4. Daisy Mart

Pixar

I'm sure Daisy Mart is a Toronto-specific convenience store, but we visit the store often in the first part of the movie. It's where Mei Lee's crush works and where the big red panda starts to ruminate. 

5. Sandra Oh

Pixar, Axelle / FilmMagic

Of course we can't talk about Turning Red without talking about the iconic Canadian creatives that brought it all together — starting with Sandra Oh, who voices Ming Lee, Mei Lee's mother.

6. Domee Shi

Axelle / FilmMagic

Turning Red is directed by Chinese Canadian Domee Shi. She was born in China and immigrated to Canada at the age of 2. She's an alum of Sheridan College's animation program, which then helped her score an internship at Pixar, where she became the company's first female director for her short film Bao.

7. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Pixar, Axelle / FilmMagic

Mississauga's own Maitreyi Ramakrishnan voices Priya, one of Mei Lee's best friends. She's best known as Devi in Netflix's Never Have I Ever, but in Turning Red she plays a more subdued, monotone type of character with perfect comedic timing. Shoutout Meadowvale!

8. Timbits

Instagram: @disneystudioscanada

Of course a film about Canada has to include Timbits. The iconic Canadian treat from Tim Horton's is only seen once but is a subtle nod to remind viewers that we're still in Canada, baby.

9. Lester B Pearson Elementary School

Pixar, Google Maps

Lester B Pearson Elementary School is an actual school located in North York, Ontario. Although the actual school doesn't look like that, it's still a fun Easter egg if you're from the GTA.

10. Toque

Pixar

For my American friends, this is a toque. Not a hat, not a beanie. A toque! And they use the word "toque" when Mei Lee's trying to cover up her new hair colour after turning into a giant red panda.

11. Canadian Money

Pixar

Canadian money is known the world over as a super-colourful currency, and that's exactly what it is in Turning Red. I want (animated) money, that's what I want.

12. Blue Jay

Pixar

Blink and you'll miss the animated blue jay near the end of the film. Although I'm pretty sure other countries have blue jays, I take this one as a nod to the Toronto Blue Jays.

13. Maple Leaves

Instagram: @disneystudioscanada

And of course, everyone loves a maple leaf. The symbol from the flag makes a few appearances in Turning Red — how many can you spot?

Did I miss any? Leave a comment below!

Turning Red is streaming now on Disney+.

youtube.com