Turning Red Abby Is Boo From Monsters Inc Theory Debunked By Director
Turning Red director Domee Shi has refuted a popular fan theory about the film's character Abby. Turning Red, which debuted exclusively on the streaming platform Disney+ on February 21, is the latest animated project from Pixar. The film is set in Toronto in 2002 and follows a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl named Mei (Rosalie Chiang) who discovers that a family curse will cause her to transform into a giant red panda whenever she experiences strong emotion. One of the ways that Mei combats this tendency is to focus on the love of her close-knit group of friends, all of whom are obsessed with the fictional boy band 4*Town.
A standout character from this group of friends is Abby, a Korean-Canadian character voiced by Hyein Park. She is notable for her frequent energetic outbursts, her particular obsession with 4*Town member Tae Young, and her love of how fuzzy Mei's red panda form is. She typically wears a pink ensemble with a matching headband and her hair styled in short bangs across her forehead. This has led many online to notice her resemblance to Boo, the young girl from Monsters Inc. who befriends the monster Sully and leads to the monster universe being run on laughter rather than screams. Boo is also depicted with bold dark bangs and a pink T-shirt, lending credence to the popular theory that Boo grew up to become the Turning Red character.
During an interview with ComicBookMovie, Shi was asked point-blank about the fan theory. She fully shut down the rumors, confirming that Abby is not intended to be a grown-up Boo. However, she enjoys the theory and doesn't wish to stifle fan creativity, especially when it leads to people "embracing that Boo is Korean." Read the full quote below:
Oh yeah, I saw that. I saw that TikTok. I don't want to spoil people's conspiracy theory, rabbit hole investigations, because that's always super fun, but Abby is not an older Boo, unfortunately. You know, they could be related. I can see the similarity with the hair. I also like the idea that people are embracing that Boo is Korean. That's cool. I support that!
This theory wasn't entirely out of bounds given the way that Pixar's universe tends to be interconnected. In addition to most Pixar projects featuring a variety of recurring Easter eggs like the Pizza Planet truck, the Luxo ball, and the number A113, the films tend to be packed with references to other Pixar projects, including Monsters Inc. itself, which featured a Nemo toy in Boo's bedroom. Indeed, Shi's movie is already guilty of this, as Turning Red features a hidden reference to Lightyear, the upcoming Pixar film that is due in theaters in June.
While Shi has, unfortunately, put the kibosh on this particular theory, that doesn't mean there isn't more sneaky hidden material to plumb from Turning Red. Like every Pixar project, there are many detailed layers of thematic meaning, character insight, and inter-film continuity left to explore. Ironically, the popularity of this theory most likely means that, should Abby appear again in a sequel or short film, she will likely be surrounded by intentional references to Boo next time.
Source: ComicBookMovie
Source: Screenrant
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