8 Moments In Pixar's 'Turning Red' Movie That Only Canadians Will Truly Understand
Hands up if you love Canada? Then you'll probably be obsessed with Pixar's latest film Turning Red — which is teeming with hidden references and jokes that only people who come from the Great White North will truly understand.
The film hits Disney Plus on March 11 and is all about a young girl, Meilin Lee, who lives in Toronto. Whenever she feels a strong surge of emotion, she starts to turn into a giant red panda, which she learns is an ancestral family trait.
Canadian pride is on full display in the new film, and there are so many iconic Toronto landmarks to spot, too.
So without further ado, here are eight references we spotted in the movie that only Canadians will understand.
Sneaking Timbits at breakfast
Meilin's parents with Timbits in 'Turning Red'.
Everyone in Canada is familiar with these mini donuts from Tim Horton's we lovingly call Timbits. Growing up, it was a nice treat when mom or dad would bring them home with their daily coffee. Mei's dad tries to sneak Timbits at breakfast while her mom smacks his hand and scolds, "No sugar."
Using the term "hosers"
When Mei and her mom get angry at some hooligans messing around near their temple, Mei yells back at them, "You good for nothing hosers." Hoser is Canadian slang for referring to someone as a foolish person or of limited intelligence, and anyone who didn't grow up in Canada wouldn't really understand. Not that it's wildly used anymore.
Céline Dion is the queen
"Who do they think they are, Céline Dion?" Mei's mom exclaims in reference to a boy band with which Mei and her teenage friends are obsessed. She uses a sassy hand motion to portray the singer's depth and range. So much love for the Canadian icon!
Convenience store snacks
Characters spend time at the local Daisy Mart convenience store and once inside you can spot maple syrup and Ketchup chips stocked on the shelves. Bottles of maple syrup are hidden in multiple scenes throughout the film. Without seeing it, we can likely assume they have bags of milk in the fridge.
Maple leaf print everything
A child with their notebook, and parents in the yard.
The maple leaf makes its first obvious appearance on Mei's pajama t-shirt. She then wears a red maple leaf hat to school, and later on, she and her friends take photos in front of a giant maple leaf flag. You'll also spot our country's flag waving from city buildings, and in sticker form on Mei's instrument case. What can we say? Canadians like to rep our red and white.
Colourful dollar bills and loonies
"[We're going to] squeeze every last loonie out of those kids," is stated by Mei at a point in her story. If you're not from the Great White North, a "loonie" is a term that refers to our one-dollar coin. There are a few times throughout the movie where you can spot colourful five-dollar bills and shiny coins with a loon on them. If you're not Canadian you may not realize how accurate the look of this cartoon money is.
Hockey posters with red and blue jerseys
Canadians love the good ol' hockey game and a number of hockey posters appear in the background of various scenes. The most obvious one is on an office wall showing the year 1980, featuring two players wearing a red and blue jersey. We may not recall, but if your parents are fans they may remember that 1980 was the year team Canada hockey returned to the winter Olympics.
Beavers and loons
You may be wondering why certain animals such as beavers, moose, and loon birds appear during the film. Mei's school football team are the beavers, Canada's national animal. You'll also spot a classmate wearing a "Loons Unlimited" t-shirt, and Mei's mom has a bobblehead of a moose on her car's dashboard, all animals native to Canada. In downtown Toronto, you can't miss a blue jay bird flying near the SkyDome (now called the Roger's Centre), since this is the stadium where the Toronto Blue Jays team plays.
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