Domee Shi: Diversity among Oscar Animation Noms Is “What Universal Stories Look Like”
Shi’s debut animated feature earned her a second Oscar nomination, after her 2018 Pixar short Bao.
“Four or five years ago, I couldn’t have imagined being here — directing a feature, nominated against Guillermo del Toro and other amazing animation directors,” says Shi. “I learned so much from this experience. I’ve definitely grown in terms of my confidence as a storyteller, as a filmmaker.”
For Shi, this also has served as reminder of the importance of varied stories and to “celebrate” those from diverse filmmakers: “Storytelling, especially in animation, is a powerful medium in delivering messages to wide audience.”
Set in Toronto’s Chinatown in the early 2000s, Turning Red follows Mei (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old who transforms into a giant red panda when she gets emotional, as she tries to break free from her overbearing mom (Sandra Oh).
“The message that a lot of immigrant kids got is just to be small, move smoothly through life, not to make a ruckus,” says Shi. “Hopefully kids who watch it, parents too, feel empowered to take up space, to be big and loud, to let their inner red pandas out and to be proud of all the things that make them different.”
Shi takes pride in sharing her heritage in her stories and has leaned into a complicated relationship with her mother for inspiration. “It was such a roller coaster of emotion. I felt like that makes such good entertainment,” she says, describing how the dynamic between Mei and her mother at one point fighting, at another being BFFs “felt so much like my own experience. I was driven crazy by my mom, but at the same time I wanted to make her proud and wanted her to shine her light and her adoration and pride onto me.”
She adds: “I think we’re good now. I think I got it out of my system, a short and a feature. That’s enough family therapy.”
Shi was named a creative vp at Pixar in 2022, leading new experiences. “I’ve been working with new directors that I’m really excited about,” she says. “I’m trying my hardest to be a champion for new voices at the studio and of those with diverse backgrounds. Now that the door is open for filmmakers like me, I’ll hold it open for the next generation.”