Turning Red

STUDY GUIDE

Content written by Patricia Juri.

Designed by Ankoor Patel, Camille Gwise ,Keith Zwolfer and Qilu Zhou

All SFFILM Education materials are developed in alignment with California

educational standards for media literacy. SFFILM Education welcomes
feedback and questions on all printed study materials.

More info at sffilm.org/education

Index 02 Teaching the Film
03 Presenter Bios
04 Discussion Questions
06 Activities
07 Animation Guide
08 Common Core Standards
10 Media Literary Resources
About the Film Subject Areas
Disney+’s and Pixar’s Turning Red introduces Mei Lee • Arts/Media
(voice of Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old
torn between staying with her mother’s dutiful daughter • Asian Studies
and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly • Drama/Acting
overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far
from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. • English Language Arts
And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body • Peer/Youth Issues
weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is
• Women/Gender Studies
practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda!
Directed by Academy Award® winner Domee Shi (Pixar
short Bao) and produced by Lindsey Collins. Recommended Grades: 4 – 12

Teaching the Film

Teaching this film provides an opportunity to explore
a wide range of topics that face young people today.
The socioemotional elements of the film address many
different rites of passage that people can experience, from
anatomical change to emotional wellness. This film provides
an opportunity to discuss many questions that often are
unsaid and can be challenging for many. Using the guide
with the film can help adults and older role models guide
the discussions many young people want to have, but are
unsure how to approach. The prompts show support for
the challenging roles and changes that pre-teens and teens
face heading into adulthood. Use this guide in class, or
home, as an opportunity to introduce human development
stages and lessons, healthy coping strategy conversations,
and comparative studies about biology. The lessons
can also be tailored for younger groups to include cross
species comparisons of stages of life between animals,
and all will greatly appreciate a deeper dive into the lessons
about friendship, skill building, and teaching safe ways to
communicate with friends and family.

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Presenter Bios
DOMEE SHI (Directed by/Story by/Screenplay by) began as
a story intern at Pixar Animation Studios in June 2011, and
was soon hired as a story artist on the Academy Award®-
winning feature film “Inside Out.” Since then, she has worked
on the feature films “The Good Dinosaur,” “Incredibles 2”
and the Academy Award®-winning “Toy Story 4.” In 2015 she
began pitching ideas for short films, and soon was green lit
to write and direct “Bao” which won the Academy Award®
for best animated short film. In her role as a creative VP, Shi
is involved in key creative decision-making at the studio and
consults on films in both development and production.

Shi graduated from the animation program at Sheridan

College where she was fueled by her love of anime/manga,
Disney, and Asian cinema influences that can be seen in her
work to this day.

Shi was born in Chongqing, China and resided in Toronto, Canada

most of her life. She currently lives in Oakland, Calif., and notes
that her love of animation is only rivaled by her love of cats.

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Discussion Questions
Post-Screening • How does the main character change physically? How
does she change mentally?
• What grade do you think the group of friends are in the • What are some things you saw from the movie that
film? What makes you say so? showed the character OUT of control?
• Do the students each have their own style? What style do • What were some things she could do to be in control of her
you think is the best and why? feelings that you know about?
• Who is your favorite band or what is your favorite song? • What are some of the pressures that you think pre teens
• How does music make you feel when you want to express and teenagers have? Name 3.
your feelings? How does music help you feel calm? How • What are some ways you can manage your stress at this age?
does music make you feel powerful? • What can you do to help your friends when they are
• What about the movie surprised you? Why? overwhelmed and stressed?
• If you could write an alternate part of the movie, what • When Mei feels stressed, she finds that she can calm
would you write? Create a paragraph changing one down when she focuses on something else. For her, when
portion and how would that affect the rest of the movie? she focuses on math, she can calm down. What things
• Which character are you most alike? Why? can you think about that calm you down when you are
overwhelmed? Draw a picture.
Socioemotional Lessons • What roles do the family members play compared to the
friends? How are the family members supportive? How
• Why do you think the creator chose for Mei’s “out of are her friends supportive?
control” character to be a Red Panda? • When Mei feels embarrassed by her family’s behavior,
• Describe the steps you see Mei going through physically she has trouble explaining that and it is stressful for her
when she is about to “change”.Use sequence words in and her family. What advice would you give to Mei to
your sentences: First, Then, Next, After, Finally. help her explain to her family that she would like more
• What character would you choose to represent you when independence?
you feel overwhelmed and stressed? Why? • What are some choices that Mei made that you think could
• What are things that you want to hear when you need some have been handled differently? What other options do you
support? What things can you say to others when you see think would have had a better outcome?
them needing support?
• What does it mean to be your own person?
• How does the main character show her power?
• How do the friends show their support for each other?
What do you do to show support for your friends?
• What are some responsibilities that you have at home?
• How is the main character different at home and at
school? How are you different at home and school?
• How does it feel when your family doesn’t know your
friends very well? Have you ever had a problem with your
family not liking a friend, and what did you do about it?
• How could the main character help herself calm down
when her Mom embarrassed her?

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Discussion Questions
Cultural Studies

• What rituals do you see that are celebrated in the story?

Research one that you find interesting and create a comic
strip illustrating the information from your research.
• What are some traditions you know about that help people
honor family ancestors?
• What are recipes that your family makes that remind you of
home? Who makes the food in your family? Find out the
recipe and write it down.

Science

• Red Panda’s are unique animals. Research the species, and

find out five things about them.
• Draw a comic strip of the life cycle of the Red Panda.
• Red Panda’s live in a specific habitat. Research where they
live, and draw a picture of it. Label the parts of it to show
what the Red Panda needs to survive.

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Activities
Draw a comic strip of the life cycle of the Red Fold your paper in ½. Draw a picture of you, and then
Panda. draw a picture of the animal version of you that you
identify with when you are feeling embarrassed/
Red Panda’s live in a specific habitat. Research overwhelmed on the other ½ of the paper. Then
where they live, and draw a picture of it. Label the write a letter to yourself explaining some of the ways
parts of it to show what the Red Panda needs to that create the reactive version of you, and how you
survive. can use your toolbox and power to help yourself
regain your sense of peace and feel more in control.

Create a “Tool Box” of things that you can do in Research age appropriate positive role-models that
order to help deal with stressful situations. Think of encourage body acceptance and a healthy lifestyle.
physical things you like to do, relaxation tools, and What are 5 things kids can do to help keep their
social tools you can do alone or with others, and mind and body healthy during the transition from
create a drawing of a toolbox with things that you childhood to adulthood?
use to help yourself feel in control when things are
stressful. Examples:

Physical tools
• Drawing
• Dance it out
• Organize your Room

Relaxation tools
• Listen to music
• Bath or shower
• Brushing hair

Social tools
• Team sports
• Texting a friend
• Having a meal with someone

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What is Animation? History of Animation
Animation is a process used to create motion pictures The world’s most famous animator, Walt Disney, began
through the combination of still images (e.g., digital graphics, making short animated cartoons based on children’s stories
photographs of drawings, photographs of objects, etc.) which, in 1923. In 1928 he introduced Mickey Mouse in the first
when played in sequence, create the illusion of movement. animated sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie, which became
All television cartoons, for example, are animations, and an immediate sensation. Throughout the next decade, Disney
are made up of thousands of still images (drawn by hand would add such elements as carefully synchronized music
or on a computer) that are played sequentially, along with a (The Skeleton Dance, 1929), Technicolor (Flowers and Trees,
soundtrack, to tell a story. 1932), and the illusion of depth with his multi-plane camera
(The Old Mill, 1937), a device that allowed for animated cells
to be photographed against a three-dimensional background.
Although not the first animated feature, Disney’s Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) was the first to use up-to-
the-minute techniques and the first to receive widespread
TYPES OF ANIMATION release. The film’s success can be attributed in part to
Disney’s willingness to use animation to create a profound
dramatic experience. He strove for photographic realism in
• Classic animation films such as Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi
(e.g., Disney’s The Lion King, most TV (1942). The success of television cartoons led to the virtual
cartoons) disappearance of animated shorts produced for theatrical
• Rotoscope release. Animated featurelength films, however, flourished,
(e.g., Star Wars lightsabers) especially after the release of Disney’s The Little Mermaid
(1989), regarded by many as the studio’s best animated
• Flip books feature in decades. Other Disney blockbusters followed,
• 3D animation including Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The
(e.g., Pixar’s Toy Story, Wall-E, Up) Lion King (1994) and Lilo & Stitch (2002). The development
of computer animation was another great advancement in
• Stereoscopic 3D the form and resulted in feature films of astounding visual
(e.g., Avatar) sumptuousness. In 1995, Toy Story was the first film to use
• Cut-out / Silhouette animation only computer generated imagery (CGI). In 2001 the Academy
(e.g., South Park) of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences added a new Academy
Award for Best Animated Feature Film. The first recipient of
• Claymation the award was Shrek (2001).
(e.g., Nick Park’s Wallace and Gromit)
• Puppet animation
(e.g., Tim Burton’s The Nightmare
Before Christmas, Coraline)

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Common Core Standards
Standards Grades 3–8 4th Grade Standards
COMPREHENSION AND COLLABORATION CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.B
Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details,
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1
quotations, or other information and examples related to the
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
topic.
(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners
on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.D
expressing their own clearly.
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to
inform about or explain the topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.2
Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3
read aloud or information presented in diverse media and
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear
event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3
convey ideas and information clearly.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.A
event sequences.
Introduce a topic and group related information together;
include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.A
Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3
narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
unfolds naturally.
events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear
event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.B
Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.A
events or show the responses of characters to situations.
Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or
characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.B
Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and
feelings to develop experiences and events or show the
response of characters to situations.

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Common Core Standards (Cont.)
Grades 6–8
CRAFT AND STRUCTURE RESEARCH TO BUILD AND PRESENT KNOWLEDGE:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.7
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects
used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of
related to history/social studies. the subject under investigation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.2
Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration
comparatively, causally). of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or
technical processes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.2.B
or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions,
particular facts). concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.2.C
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and
clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.2.D
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to
inform about or explain the topic.

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Media Literacy Resources
MEDIUM PURPOSE
ALL MEDIA IS CONSTRUCTED All Media Messages Are Constructed for a Reason.
• What is the message, how is it delivered and in what • Why was the message constructed?
format? • Who benefits from dissemination of the message? How?
• What technologies are used to present the message? • To what extent does the message achieve its purpose?
• What visual and auditory elements comprise the media • What effect does the message have on the audience it
content? reaches, if any?
• What expectations do you bring to the content, given its
medium and format?

AUTHOR
All Media Is Constructed by Someone.
• Who is delivering the message?
• Who originally constructed the message?
• What expectations do you have of the content, given its
author(s)?

CONTENT
Media Is A Language For Information.
• What is the subject of the media message?
• What information, values, emotions or ideas are conveyed
by the media content?
• What tools does the author employ to engage the viewer
and evoke a response?
• To what extent did the content meet your expectations,
given the format/author?

AUDIENCE
All Media Messages Reach an Audience.
• Who receives the message?
• For whom is the message intended?
• What is the public reaction to the media content and/or its
message?
• What is your reaction to the media content and/or its
message?
• How might others perceive this message differently? Why?

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