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16 cgw a p r i l • m ay • j u n e 2 0 2 2 more cartoon-like feel. "But we merged it into a 3D world, with a bal- ance. That's because you just can't take concepts or tricks used in 2D animation and plug it in. It doesn't quite play," he says. That's because 3D is hyper-realistic and very detailed by nature — the computer is really good at drawing very precise frames on the screen. "So, you end up naturally gravitating toward these realistic moments with really subtle acting and animation," Hartline says. "Finding a way for the 2D world to fit in without it feeling like it dies or goes too still on the screen, and the character feels dead almost, was very tricky for us." As a result, the animation team spent a lot of time in pre-production conducting a multitude of tests to find the right balance of 3D melded with 2D style to make the combination of styles work. CŸract Cœ‹¡n ‚ Anim‹¡n Like Mei, each of her "ride or die" besties are distinct, with their own personality. In addition to those characters, there is Panda Mei, which symbolizes all of Mei's intense feelings as she turns into a gi- ant animal; she feels cute, but also gives the vibe that she is messy and doesn't have it all together in this very unusual form. Artists made Panda Mei, who plays a prominent role in the film, round and chunky as well. "We have to cra every inch of her in ev- ery pose. It's very time-consuming, and she is very hairy. There's hair everywhere, so any kind of touching and interaction was difficult — and she grabs her tail oen for comfort," says Kihm. "That's a very expensive thing to do in the computer." According to Kihm, Panda Mei was the most difficult character to animate, taking about a year to build her and ensure everything was working in how they needed her to move. The character has a number of fat rolls that had to be constructed, and the movement does not come free, she adds. Panda Mei's fur is ultra-fluffy but also clumpy in areas to show that she's not perfectly groomed. Her whiskers are uneven and crin- kled. And to give the vibe that she is a magical red panda, she has a little swirl on each arm. She also exhibits red panda-like behaviors in the way she walks, sits, and so forth. "Mei Panda needed to feel visually trapped in this body that she's not comfortable in, and we needed to make her look like she doesn't actually belong in the house. So we did these early tests for scale to make sure that she's actually too big for her home," says Liu. Panda Mei's ears graze the ceiling, and she can't fit through the doorway. Besides creating a big, furry panda for the movie, the group knew that Shi and animation were going to want the ability to push Panda Mei's expressions to the extreme. But how? The solution was found in something called Profile Mover, which was just coming together within Pixar but had not made it into feature production yet. Feinberg, however, made a critical decision and decided it was worth the risk to try the brand-new technology that had not yet been proven and see if it could be used for Turning Red to help push Panda Mei's expressions to the extent Shi wanted. As Feinberg explains, something that might take 20 or 30 con- trols to move a body part, now could be done with five controls using Profile Mover. Instead of the artist finessing the points, the computer solves for the points. "It doesn't mean it's easy, but it 4Town For Mei, the boy band 4Town represents a new, alluring world that is the total opposite of her mom and her home life, a world that she's been pushing away until the red panda arrives and brings her passions to the surface. In fact, Billy Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell, wrote three original songs for the film, and Finneas actually sings one in the film as 4Town band member Jesse. Even so, Mei's crush is Robaire, the main vocalist. The film's color palette was inspired by Japanese anime.