People are loving all of the Toronto Easter eggs hidden in new Turning Red movie
Canadian filmmaker Domee Shi's love letter to Toronto, Turning Red, dropped on streaming service Disney+ on Friday, and Toronto natives have been flocking to computer screens and digital devices to soak in all of the local landmarks and references jam-packed into the 100 minutes of fun.
The lead-up to the release of the first full-length Disney animated film set in the 416 has been exciting in its own right, teasers and trailers tantalizing Toronto with tastes of the city as it appeared in 2002.
This means that in this Toronto, SkyDome is still SkyDome, the condos are few, and the streetcars still have that old-school analog feel. But there's so much more to love about this movie, many of them small Easter eggs hidden away that only locals are noticing.
Some are more obvious, like the inclusion of Daisy Mart convenience stores and TTC vehicles, but others are a bit more on the obscure side, like our distinctive public garbage cans with three openings, and the design of school buildings.
The character Tyler, who starts off as a bully but eventually befriends protagonist Mei, wears a #15 basketball jersey, a reference to early 2000s Toronto Raptors legend Vince Carter.
One of the things I loved about Turning Red was how TORONTO it was. Chinatown, the TTC, the Skydome & Tyler wearing a Vince Carter jersey the whole movie. 2000s vibes! pic.twitter.com/ZDoONHNOo0
— rainier croft (@rainiercroft) March 14, 2022
Blue Jays fans also got an Easter egg in the form of the team's namesake bird perched in front of the SkyDome.
Shout out to Disney for referencing The Skydome + Blue Jays in #TurningRed pic.twitter.com/h5UAdzzNQ8
— James Beaverman (@jamesbeaverman) March 14, 2022
Though most were already aware that the movie was set two decades ago, one viewer only figured it out when they caught a glimpse of the old paper bills that have since gone out of circulation.
……And then in the very next scene the date is shown BUT I DEDUCED IT FROM THE FIVE DOLLAR BILL
— birch beer crush and a caramel log bar (@3bagsofmilk) March 13, 2022
RIP the TTC Metropass, you are missed by many, even if Pixar didn't bother licensing your real logo.
a thread of Toronto references in #TurningRed. At least the ones I caught. first, the Metropass. clearly either pixar didn't want to pay for the TTC logo or TTC didn't want to clear it.
— in the beanmouth of madness 🌻 (@supership79) March 13, 2022
there may be spoilers for turning red pic.twitter.com/VjGTu6WHWt
Even the Toronto District School Board chimed in, noticing an educational facility with a familiar name.
Spotted - Lester B. Pearson. 👀🍏 #TurningRed
— Toronto District School Board (@tdsb) March 13, 2022
Not all of the Easter eggs were historically accurate, however, as one commenter noted that the "6" graffiti shown in the film wouldn't have been a known nickname for the city two decades ago.
I don't think "The Six" was a thing yet in 2002.
— Monica Roddey (@MicaR) March 13, 2022
It wasn't an Easter egg within the film, but those who watched a 'making of' documentary got a taste of a passed-on title for the movie, a nod to the 1988 Hayao Miyazaki classic 'My Neighbor Totoro.'
Watching the documentary on the making of Turning Red and I can't stop laughing at this unused title. pic.twitter.com/csdqnzufoN
— Jim Foronda 🔜 Sauseomecon (@JimForonda) March 13, 2022
For those who couldn't get enough, there could even be more computer-animated Toronto in the works, with director Domee Shi reportedly interested in a sequel.
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