What was left out of the story about the red panda?
‘Red’, the latest Pixar film, has been quite a surprise since it arrived on Disney + last February. The story, a comig-of-age from the Disney factory was a great success with the public and critics (despite having negative initial evaluations saying that it was a film for a small audience).
To celebrate the digital release of the film, Pixar has released three deleted scenes that will please all fans who have captured this story about Meilin, or Mei, and her red panda.
The first scene is called ‘The debate’in which you see the protagonist vying for class president against her rival, Tyler. The scene boils down to more of the same hilarious bickering we had throughout the film, while also showing more of the fun dynamic of Meilin’s group of friends. The director Domee Shi commented that this scene was deleted because it complicated the plot too much. Although it was also a funny scene, there were other very similar ones throughout the film with Tyler and Meilin that finally achieved the same effect that this debate plot would have.
The second scene is named after ‘4*Town Dilemma’, and is probably the most different of the deleted scenes, as it changes the context of the entire movie. The scene is between Mei and one of her friends looking at the children as they sit on the bleachers. Just like in the movie, she struggles to salvage her relationships with her family as she tries to get tickets to 4*Town. The difference between this scene and what ended up in the movie is the context. Shi explains that the original dilemma was that Meilin was fighting to be a fun or party panda, and not the simpler mission of choosing to be a human or a panda that is what is seen in the film. They also get the tickets at the end of this scene, which is different from what you see in the movie, where the whole story focused on Mei earning money with her friends to pay for them. Since this scene takes place in the middle of the plot, the way this deleted scene plays out would have solved certain problems too soon.
The final deleted scene is called ‘Tame the panda’ is an additional fragment of Mei and her mother working on emotional control. It’s a really endearing scene of her mother desperately trying to help and bond with her daughter. The scene is also full of fun exercises. Shi talked about wanting to introduce the “Asian parent-child dynamic” with this movie when talking about this scene.
Despite its initially cold reception, ‘Red’ has been one of Pixar’s most significant and moving films to date. The first feature by Shi (creator of the short film ‘Bao’) captures the passage from childhood to puberty, and what she means for girls. Very few films have dared to talk about this topic, and with this comedy, the feelings and changes that occur at that stage have been explored, such as what it means to talk about menstruation or sexual awakening, all of it personified in that great red panda that emerges at certain times. The story talks about changes, family relationships and how to be true to yourself as you grow up.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
