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| “ | The number one rule in my family: Honor your parents. They're the supreme beings who gave you life, who sweated and sacrificed so much to put a roof over your head and food on your plate, an epic amount of food. The least you can do in return is every single thing they ask. Of course, some people are like, "Be careful". Honoring your parents sounds great, but if you take it too far, well, you might forget to honor yourself. Luckily, I don't have that problem. I'm Meilin Lee. And ever since I turned 13, I've been doin' my own thing, makin' my own moves; 24/7/365. I wear what I want, say what I want, and I will not hesitate to do a spontaneous cartwheel if I feel so moved! | „ |
| ~ Mei Lee's introduction in the opening scene. |
| “ | I'm NOT your little Mei-Mei anymore! I LIED, Mom! (Ming: WHAT?!) It was my idea to hustle the panda! MY idea to go to Tyler's party! It was all ME! I like boys! I like loud music! I like GYRATING! I'M 13! DEAL WITH IT! | „ |
| ~ Mei standing up to her mother, Ming. |
| “ | Sometimes I miss how things were, but nothing stays the same forever. We've all got an inner beast. We've all got a messy, loud, weird part of ourselves hidden away. And a lot of us never let it out. But I did. How about you? | „ |
| ~ Mei's last words for her narration at the end of the movie |
Meilin Lee, also known as Mei or Mei-Mei, is the main protagonist of Pixar's 25th full-length animated feature film Turning Red.
She is a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl, who, due to a hereditary curse, turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets into a state of strong emotion. She is the daughter of Jin and Ming Lee, the granddaughter of Wu, the grandniece of Chen and Ping, the first cousin once removed of Lily and Helen and the second cousin of Vivian.
She is voiced by Rosalie Chiang in her first major role.
Appearance
In Mei's human form, she is Asian with short hair and reddish eyes. She originally had black hair, but after she began changing into a red panda, it became red. She also wears glasses and a green hair clip, as well a pink shirt that’s often covered by a red sweater, dark red leggings and a blue skirt.
In Mei's red panda form, she is 8-feet-tall with red and brown fur and a striped tail, as well as white markings on her face, as well as white triangular ears. She retains her reddish eyes.
Biography
In Toronto, Canada in April 2002, Mei lives with her parents Jin and Ming and is a student prodigy at her school Lester B. Pearson Middle School. Mei and her friends, Miriam, Priya and Abby, are fans of a boy band called 4*Town. However, Ming disapproves of Mei's interests and her crush on a convenience store clerk named Devon and expects perfection from Mei. One day after having a nightmare about the red panda statues in her family's Chinese temple coming to life, Mei wakes up and finds that she has transformed into a giant red panda, but goes back to normal after calming down.
At first, Mei hides her transformation from her parents, but Ming finds out after Mei transforms at school after getting embarrassed from watching her getting into a fight with a security guard in front of the rest of her math class after trying to deliver pads to Mei after believing that Mei was experiencing her first period.
When Mei flees the school and returns home, her parents tell her that every female member of their family has been granted with the transformation on account of an ancestor named Sun Yee and it can only be sealed by a ritual on the night of the Red Moon (which is a month's time on May 25), where the Red Panda spirit will be placed in a talisman. Ming wishes to keep Mei at home until that day, but changes her mind after Mei tells her that she can control her transformation when she concentrates on her friends (who accept her transformations), but Ming keeps a close eye on her.
Mei later learns that 4*Town are doing a concert in Toronto, but Ming refuses to let her go to it. Mei begins using her transformations to raise money to buy tickets for her and her friends to go to the concert and ends up becoming the most popular student at school. However, Mei discovers that the concert takes place on the same day as her ritual and takes her anger out on the school bully Tyler after he insults her, causing the other students to fear Mei. Ming, having discovered Mei's recent activities, confronts Mei's friends over supposedly taking advantage of her. Mei is unable to defend her friends due to being desperate to retain her mother's approval and is afraid to stand up to her, which disappoints them.
Mei goes with Ming to the family temple where her grandmother Wu, grandaunts Chen and Ping, and first cousins once removed, Lily and Helen, prepare to perform the ritual. However, Mei decides to keep her panda after Jin encourages her to be herself by embracing it and leaves to go to the Skydome to attend the concert, with Ming's talisman shattering in the process. When she arrives at the concert, she reconciles with her friends, and it is revealed that Tyler is a fan of 4*Town as well. However, when the concert begins, Ming (in her red panda form, which is much larger than Mei's) arrives and confronts Mei over rejecting the ritual, only to be accidentally knocked out by Mei. Soon after, Wu, Chen, Ping, Helen, and Lily arrive in their red panda forms and help Mei to prepare to perform the ritual to reseal Ming's panda form.
Due to singing from Mei's friends and 4*Town, the second part of the ritual is complete and Mei and the other women are sent to the celestial plane where all, but Mei's, red panda form are sealed in their new talismans. Mei reconciles with Ming and states that she wishes to keep her red panda form as she likes herself for who she is. Mei also helps Ming reconcile with Wu (who Ming accidentally scarred after lashing out in her red panda form as a teenager after Wu disapproved of her relationship with Jin).
Afterwards, Mei regains her popularity and balances her family's temple duties with spending time with her friends (now consisting of a reformed Tyler).
Personality
| “ | I'm changing, Mom. I'm finally figuring out who I am. But I'm scared it'll take me away from you. | „ |
| ~ Mei Lee to Ming. |
Mei is a fiery, optimistic teenage girl who loves her family and her friends dearly. However, she is at odds with her mother, since she is torn between being her mother's dutiful daughter and taking charge of her own life. Mei also has a vicious temper when she's in her panda form, like when she charges at the picture of Sun Yee when she realizes that she has to live with her panda power and attacks Tyler when he insults her family and her culture. Throughout the film, Mei is afraid to stand up to her mother due to her responsibilities, but grows stronger as the story progresses and is more able to stand up for herself.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Red Panda Physiology: Meilin Lee has a gift from her ancestor Sun Yee, who was given the ability to transform into a giant Red Panda by the gods. Because of this, Meilin will transform into a giant Red Panda whenever she gets too emotional. In this form, Meilin will get Superhuman abilities that are beyond normal human abilities.
- Transformation: The transformation is entirely empathic; Meilin will transform if she gets too emotional. Meilin can turn back into her standard form if she calms down and will not convert if she is confident. Meilin can also contain her Red Panda form in an object in a special ritual.
- Superhuman Strength: When Meilin is in her Red Panda form, she can exert physical strength beyond that of an average human. she was able to pick her friends with ease and could throw a dodge ball with a high velocity enough to break a window and make it flame. She was also able to overpower her family and was able to knock out her mother.
- Superhuman Durability: Meilin, in her Red Panda form, can deal more damage than an average human could. She was able to survive hitting her stomach on a brick wall after leaping from a building and was also able to survive a 282 ft fall.
- Superhuman Speed: Meilin, in her Red Panda form, can run approximately 45 mph and get from her home to the Toronto sky dome relatively fast.
- Superhuman Leaping: Meilin, in her Red Panda form, was also able to jump from building to building and jump incredibly high and dodge her mother in her mother's Red Panda form.
- Typhogenesis: Whenever Meilin transforms, she generates a pink toxic smoke; the amount of smoke depends on how emotional she is at the time of transformation.
- Transformation: The transformation is entirely empathic; Meilin will transform if she gets too emotional. Meilin can turn back into her standard form if she calms down and will not convert if she is confident. Meilin can also contain her Red Panda form in an object in a special ritual.
Abilities
- High Intelligence: Meilin has a high-level intelligence, is a straight A student, can solve problems, knows multiple subjects, and comprehends and makes complex plans.
- Multilingualism: Aside from English, Meilin can also speak fluently in French, and has some knowledge on Mandarin.
Trivia
- Due to her being 13 in Turning Red, which takes place in April and May 2002, this would mean that Mei was born in either late 1988 to early 1989.
- She like the film, is based on director Domee Shi's life when she was 13. She had an overprotective mother too, and they were at odds with each other.
- Mei's virtual pet Robaire Jr is based on the Japanese toy Tamagotchi, which was popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
- According to an early draft for the film, Mei was meant to have a cousin named Leo, who could also turn into a red panda.
- Mei is one of the very few heroines to scream into a pillow to let off steam, along with Lilo Pelekai and Nani from the Lilo & Stitch franchise, Wendy Wu from Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, Eva Nine in The Search for WondLa, Ruby Gillman from Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (which takes inspiration from Turning Red), and Princess Ellian in Spellbound.
- When Mei attacks Tyler for insulting her family and culture, it's reminiscent of Ralphie Parker fighting Scut Farkus in A Christmas Story and Teddy DuChamp lunging at Milo Pressman in Stand By Me.
- According to the official Pixar website, Mei's red panda form is eight-feet tall.[1]
External Links
- Mei Lee on the Pixar Wiki
- Mei Lee on the Disney Wiki
- Mei Lee on the Turning Red Wiki
- Mei Lee on the Near Pure Good Wiki
 Heroes
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Lee Family Lester B. Pearson Middle School Other | ||
