Makers of the Disney Pixar movie ‘Turning Red’ is finally streaming on Disney+. The movie, which Walt Disney called a “love letter to Toronto and Canada’ caters to a multitude of ethnicities and communities. Directed by the Oscar-winning director Domee Shi of ‘Bao’ fame, the film features the first-ever animated turban-wearing Sikh character.
Known for its intricate details, the film features a Sikh man as a school guard. He features a navy blue turban and a ‘kada’ on his wrist. A kada is one of the five important elements of the Sikh religion and for Shi, who is of Canadian ethnicity, to do proper research and do justice to her characters has brought her much praise.
Among many to take to Twitter to shower praise on the character, was the Metropolitan Police Sikh Association. They tweeted, “The first Turbaned Sikh animated character to be featured in #pixar #TurningRedMovie #turban #sikh”.
The movie not only marks the debut of a Punjabi character, it also features Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Priya, an Indo-Canadian girl who is also one of the best friends of the main character Mei Lee, a 13-year-old girl who turns into a red monster every time she feels strong emotions. The character of her overprotective mother is voiced by Canadian Hollywood star Sandra Oh.
