Turning Red’s influences were widely varied, but the manga and anime series Fruits Basket impacted it in a way that Turning Red would have been much different without it. Disney +’s Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red recounted not only the process of making Turning Red and the ideas that inspired it but also the evident influences in the way the characters presented themselves and the themes of the stories. Pixar’s Turning Red director Domee Shi explained in Embrace the Panda how they paid homage to anime throughout the movie, especially in the characters’ expressions and acting.
A popular manga released between 1998 and 2006, Fruits Basket followed teenager Tohru Honda as she meets the Sohma family, quickly learning that they all secretly transform into animals when under high emotions as they are possessed by the spirits of the Chinese zodiac. The manga was first adapted into an anime in 2001, but the anime story only covered part of what was explored in the manga. Another anime adaptation was released between 2019 and 2021, recounting the whole story of Tohru and the Sohmas as appeared in Natsuki Takaya’s manga. Fruits Basket’s themes are mirrored by Turning Red’s, with one volume even appearing in Embrace the Panda.
Every Idea Turning Red Borrows From Fruits Basket
Mei’s red panda transformation in Turning Red mirrors Fruits Basket’s transformations of the Sohmas not only in the way they happen but also for how connected both types of transformations are to the underlying mythologies. Just like Mei transforms into the giant red panda when unable to keep calm as she feels strong emotions, Yuki, Shigure, and Kyo also transform into a rat, dog, and cat respectively when under overpowering emotions. In addition, both Mei’s transformation and the Sohmas’ metamorphoses are guided by underlying mythologies that regulate how and why they mutate, which are often seen by the characters as curses in both Turning Red and Fruits Basket’s cases.
Turning Red’s coming-of-age aspect is also heavily present in Fruits Basket, as audiences meet the Sohmas through Tohru, who changes and grows up as she spends time with the Sohmas. However, while many coming-of-age animes could have inspired Turning Red’s growing pains themes, Turning Red’s red panda mythology and how Mei’s family kept it hidden parallels much of what happened to the Sohmas in relation to the zodiac spirits possessing them, especially as the anime becomes darker when the spirits’ leader Akito’s involvement is made more evident as Fruits Basket goes on. All the elements shared by both make Fruits Basket a crucial inspiration for the path Turning Red takes.
Why Turning Red Is Good For Fruits Basket
2001’s Fruits Basket had a short life because of frequent disagreements between the manga’s creator and director Akitaro Daichi. 2019’s Fruits Basket adapted the manga in its entirety, even leading to the prequel film Fruits Basket: Prelude being released in 2022, and manga sequels to Natsuki Takaya’s work. Turning Red’s positive reviews showed how audiences mostly interacted positively with the Pixar movie and considering the similar themes, they could easily enjoy Fruits Basket, guaranteeing it a wider pool of potential fans. If that were the case, the similarities between Turning Red and Fruits Basket would benefit the works and their fans, getting them more stories to consume and savor.
