“Turning Red'” Characters To Appear at Disney California Adventure During Lunar New Year Celebration

Fans of Pixar Animation Studios’ Turning Red will have the opportunity to meet both Meilin and her mother, Ming, as part of the Lunar New Year festivities at Disney California Adventure.

What’s Happening:

  • Two new characters are making their Disneyland Resort debut as Disney California Adventure celebrates Lunar New Year, January 23rd through February 18th, 2024.
  • Both Meilin Lee  and her mother, Ming Lee, from the Pixar Animation Studios film, Turning Red, will be on scene for park guests to meet and greet.
  • Exuberant, ambitious, and overachieving, Chinese-Canadian Meilin Lee is a middle school force of nature. With her posse of loyal besties, Mei excels at school and obsesses over their fave boy band, 4*Town. At home with her mom, Mei is the dutiful and driven future keeper of the ancestral family temple. But when ancient magic turns Mei into a giant red panda, a gulf opens up between Mei and her mom, and forces a reckoning between Mei’s two selves: the obedient daughter and spirited teenager.
  • Elegantly turned out and poised at all times, Ming is the devoted keeper of the Lee Family Temple in Toronto’s Chinatown. Ming takes her duties as spiritual leader and local entrepreneur quite seriously, but the role she prizes most is that of mother to her precious only daughter, Meilin. Fierce, stubborn, funny, controlling, and even infuriating, Ming is—as Mei would put it—"A lot”, but her deep love for her family is always apparent.
  • Based on the released art, you’ll be able to meet the mother-daughter duo in the San Francisco area of the park near Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. Also, this is not the Red Panda Mei that we’ve seen announced previously and is highly touted to appear during Pixar Fest later this year, Mei seems to be mostly human in this form, sporting only her tail and fluffy ears.
  • A tribute to Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean traditions, the limited-time Lunar New Year celebration rings in the Year of the Dragon with Asian-inspired food and beverages, vibrant décor, special character appearances and Mushu leading the way in “Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession.”
  • It is unclear at this time if Ming or mostly human Meilin will return for Pixar Fest when it kicks off in April of this year, but will definitely be there for meeting and greeting during the Lunar New Year Celebration January 23rd – February 18th.
  • As a reminder, both a park reservation and valid admission are required for park entry at the Disneyland Resort. If you would like to book a trip to see the Lee family during Lunar New Year at Disneyland Resort or any of the rest of the celebration at the parks, we suggest reaching out to our friends at Mouse Fan Travel.

Laughing Place recommends MouseFanTravel.com for all your Disneyland Resort travel planning
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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.