The Pixar film Turning Red has generated a lot of buzz since its release, with a majority of the conversation revolving around the film's unabashed way of presenting young adulthood and puberty. The main character, Meilin (Mei), is 13-years-old and working on finding herself, which only becomes more complicated when she suddenly starts transforming into a giant red panda.
While young teenagers in the real world don't typically transform into an animal when they go through puberty, the struggles that Mei faced were relatable to any viewer who went through that age transition. In addition, the movie is set in 2002, which is around the time that a lot of adult viewers were experiencing these adjustments. Many Redditors felt that the movie perfectly depicted what it was like to become a young adult during the turn of the century, creating a sort of time capsule for 2002 in animated form.
Tamagotchis
Tamagotchis were digital pets that could be found in many childrens' pockets and backpacks in the 90s and 2000s. They required feeding, attention, and love in order to thrive, keeping their owners entertained for hours, almost like a real pet.
Redditor Augusgus was excited to see the inclusion of Tamagotchis in the film, stating that the "small references" really made the movie relatable. The Tamagotchi also served the purpose of creating a link between Mei and her mother. Turning Red is a movie about growing up, and Mei's mother struggled to get on board with her daughter's many changes. However, when she has her own Tamagotchi (encasing her panda), it serves as an indicator that Mei's mother is ready to change alongside her.
Sticker Earrings
Mei can sometimes be seen wearing sticker earrings. In the 90s and 2000s, these could be bought by the sheet and were great for those, like Mei, whose parents may have been too strict to let them get their ears pierced. They would come in different colors and sizes; mostly squares, diamonds, and stars.
Augugus pointed out the "sticker earrings," which Mei often wore when she was away from her parents. They created an easy way for her to express her style without leaving a mark that her mother would notice. The little star sticker earrings also made it to Mei's Funko Pop; a cute touch.
2000s Animation
In recent years, a lot of Pixar movies have followed a similar art style that is pretty easily recognized. For Turning Red, however, Disney subverted their usual tropes, instead designing characters that look fairly different than others in the Disney Pixar universe.
The style in Turning Red pays tribute to Asian animation and drawing styles. However, Redditor Sisiwakanamaru noticed that the style also seemed to resemble cartoons from the 90s and early 2000s, such as those that would be found on Cartoon Network. The resulting effect is a period movie that felt like it genuinely belonged in 2002.
Pre-Teen Fantasies
Every pre-teen has fantasies, but the nature of these daydreams may differ between decades. In Turning Red, Mei fantasizes about things like meeting the members of her favorite boy band and falling in love with boys clad in bucket hats and shell necklaces.
Redditor Salamat_engot felt that this was "peak 2000s pre-teen fantasy daydreaming." For them and other viewers who could relate, watching Mei fantasize in this way was equal parts cringey and nostalgically comical.
Mei's Drawings
Doodling is timeless, with bored teenagers of every age able to relate to the mindless scrawling in a notebook while a teacher drones on and on. However, teens of the 2000s didn't have as many outlets for their creativity as teens might have today, so the sketches might look a little different.
While today's teenagers might turn to TikTok to ogle at some cute boys their age, Mei could only turn to her own imagination and her notebook. Redditor Captainnoueveau hilariously stated that they felt "very attacked" by Mei's drawings since their art looked "exactly like that in the early 2000s." Mei's art may have given audiences some second-hand embarrassment, but they were part of what made Turning Red so relatable.
1990s and 2000s Music
Music is a huge form of expression for teenagers of any generation. Mei and her friends spend a lot of time thinking about the fictional boy band known as 4Town, but Turning Red features some real-life 2000s music as well.
During the scene where Panda Mei entertains her classmates at a birthday party in order to make some extra cash, the popular song "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child can be heard. Reddit user Macaluso felt that this song choice was "absolutely incredible," stating that the touch made the film even more accurate to the decade.
Old Style Cell Phones
Cell phones have certainly come a long way over the years. What is now an advanced piece of technology that can be used for virtually anything was once a brick that must be painstakingly maneuvered just to type out a text. A variety of these phones are shown in Turning Red as the students text about Mei's panda form. From flip phones to small bricks that resemble the old Nokia phones, this technology perfectly exemplifies the 2000s.
User SpeedTop7866 was one of the few Redditors that felt that Turning Red went a little overboard with the references to the early 2000s, however, they felt that the "flip phones," and related technology were good additions to represent the setting, with the film needing little more than that to make it nostalgic.
Boy Bands
In the 90s and 2000s, boy bands were all the rage. Groups like Backstreet Boys and NSYNC had teenagers begging their parents to buy them the latest CD, and few bedrooms could be seen without boy band posters adorning the walls. The boys that made up these groups were some of the first loves for many who were teenagers in this era.
Turning Red not only perfectly captured the deeply passionate hype that surrounded these groups, but the songs sang by Mei's favorite band, 4Town, sound just like something that would have been on the radio in 2002. Redditor Sisiwakanamaru said that they "appreciate the music," stating that it really took them right back to 2002.
Sneaking Out
Since Turning Red is a movie about teen angst, it's no surprise it features a little sneaking around. Mei knows that her mother wouldn't approve of her raising money to go to a 4Town concert, so she goes to parties, makes and sells merchandise, and lives a whole secret life, right under her mother's nose.
For Redditor Slickromeo, this brought up the fact that being sneaky was "much easier to do back in 2002 because there weren't smartphones," explaining that everyone didn't have GPS on them at all times. While sneaking out and disobeying parents isn't encouraged, the way that Mei was able to get away with it reminded audiences of a simpler time.
2000s Style Comedy
Just like anything else, comedy evolves and changes over time. Today, a sort of self-deprecating and sarcastic humor is typically appreciated in all types of media. In the 2000s, however, comedy was loud, silly, and full of slap-stick interactions.
Redditor Cheesus_ pointed out that the comedy in Turning Red brought to mind the "early 2000s" versions of SpongeBob and Family Guy. The wacky, slightly nonsensical delivery of jokes may have taken aback some viewers who have grown used to the self-aware comedy style of today, but it perfectly succeeded in making many viewers nostalgic.