Quote:
"[In Turning Red] I wanted Mei to go through a magical puberty transformation, and I couldn't get the image of a red panda out of my head because it's so cute and funny, especially if you blow it up to, like, eight feet tall. There's something about the color, too. Red represents your period. It represents being angry, being embarrassed or being very lustful for someone."
-- Domee Shi

Source:
Barnes, Brooks. "Animated to achieve more." New York Times, March 9, 2022.