Released in 2022, Turning Red is one of the best coming-of-age stories that Pixar has ever told.
Every character is relatable, realistic, and yet so full of personality.
Not much has been confirmed about the heights and ages of Turning Red’s characters, but fans have taken a guess at this information based on context clues.
Meilin Lee (aka Mei) is 13 years old at the beginning of Turning Red. She is an average height for her age at 4’8″ (142.2 cm), but her 8″ (243.8 cm) red panda form is far from average.
Ming Lee (Mei’s mother) is 35 years old and 5’6″ (167.6 cm). Her panda form is significantly taller than Mei’s at 262’5.6″ (8000 cm).
Mei’s friends – Miriam Mendelsohn, Priya Mangal, and Abby Park – are all the same age as Mei at 13 years old but differ in height. They stand at 5″ (152.4 cm), 4’8″ (142.2 cm), and 4’6″ (137.2 cm), respectively.
Turning Red is a coming-of-age comedy set in Toronto in the early 2000s.
It follows Meilin Lee as a family curse disrupts her teenage life before it has barely begun.
Turning Red Characters Heights and Ages Chart
Listed below are the heights in feet and cm and the ages of Turning Red’s main characters.
| Character | Height | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Meilin Lee | 4’8″ (142.2 cm) | 13 |
| Ming Lee | 5’6″ (167.6 cm) | 35 |
| Miriam Mendelsohn | 5″ (152.4 cm) | 13 |
| Priya Mangal | 4’8″ (142.2 cm) | 13 |
| Abby Park | 4’6″ (137.2 cm) | 13 |
| Tyler Nguyen-Baker | 4’7″ (139.7 cm) | 13 |
| Jin Lee | 5’5″ (165.1 cm) | 37 |
| Robaire | 5’4″ (161.6 cm) | 21 |
| Jesse | 5’2″ (157.5 cm) | 25 |
| Tae Young | 5’3″ (160 cm) | 18 |
| Aaron Z. | 5’3″ (160 cm) | 21 |
| Aaron T. | 5’1″ (154.9 cm) | 20 |
Read more: Luca Height, Age And Birthday Guide
Meilin Lee
As she proudly states within the few minutes of Turning Red, Meilin Lee (better known as Mei) has recently turned 13 years old.
When she is in her human form, Mei is an average height for her age at 4’8″ (142.2 cm).
However, once she turns into a big red panda, Mei is 8″ (243.8 cm). Which is the shortest panda height in the film, but is still a big difference from Mei’s human height.
Though Mei is confident (boarding on cocky) before her panda powers are triggered, she is extremely intelligent and caring.
A lot of Mei’s internal conflict comes from wanting to be the daughter that her mother wants her to be while also expressing her individuality with her friends.
When she turns into a panda, Mei becomes much more self-conscious and unable to control her emotions – the perfect metaphor for puberty.
Luckily, Mei has surrounded herself with 3 of the best friends she could wish for and finds a way to cope with the changes she is going through.
Even if that means changing her relationship with her mum to become the person she wants to be.
Ming Lee
Ming Lee’s age has not been officially confirmed, though fans think she is around 35 years old based on cultural references in the film.
As a panda, Ming is nearly as tall as Toronto’s concert arena, making her roughly 262’5.6″ (8000 cm).
As a human, Ming stands proudly, never slouches, and almost always wears heels, appearing much taller than her actual 5’6″ (167.6 cm) height.
In a way, Ming is the antagonist of Turning Red.
Not that she is evil or power-hungry. But instead, she is a rigid and overbearing authority to Mei, which gives Mei the perfect reason to rebel.
This is due mainly to her own upbringing and her deep-set anxiety about her own panda hurting those she loves.
But what Ming doesn’t realize is that her anxiety and coping mechanisms are not healthy or sustainable, causing her to eventually snap.
Above all else, Ming loves her family deeply.
So much so that she is willing to change her ways when it becomes clear how much she has hurt Mei with her overwhelming expectations.
Miriam Mendelsohn
As she is in the same year as Mei, it is safe to assume that Miriam Mendelsohn is also 13 years old.
Miriam is very different in appearance compared to Mei.
From her 5″ (152.4 cm) height to her tomboy fashion, mainly consisting of a range of green clothes and her signature Canadian tuque hat.
Miriam is Mei’s best friend in the whole world… which is unfortunate as she is also the one friend of Mei’s that Ming dislikes. Mostly because she thinks Miriam is a bad influence on Mei.
The actual truth could not be more different.
Whenever Mei struggles to keep up with Ming’s expectations, Miriam is there to remind her that she is loved just as she is.
No matter what, Miriam does her best to support Mei and make her smile with her goofy personality.
Priya Mangal
Priya Mangal is shown to be in the same classes as Mei and Miriam, making her around 13 years old.
Both Priya and Mei appear to be the same height (4’8″ (142.2 cm)). But because Priya slouches more than Mei, she seems smaller.
Priya is much more laid back than the rest of her friendship group, appearing quite cold. But she has a lot of love for her friends and stories about vampires or werewolves.
Priya likes to embody the gothic vibes of her favorite books. Though she cannot help her excitement for 4* Town (a cheesy boy band that completely counteracts Priya’s usual interests).
Like her friends, Priya is fairly mature for a 13 year old. She is not embarrassed to offer Mei sanitary products or deodorant when she notices Mei not acting like her usual self.
Priya is also very supportive of Mei when she reveals her panda form, ensuring her that it is a super cool power to have.
Abby Park
Like her friends, Abby Park is 13 years old but is considerably shorter than her friends. She is roughly 4’6″ (137.2 cm), making her the shortest character in Turning Red.
But do not be fooled by Abby’s height. She more than makes up for her lack of physical ability with her feisty, protective personality.
Abby seems to be constantly hyper and full of energy, often making her seem hot-headed or aggressive.
She would never hurt her friends (unless they specifically ask for it), but Abby is fiercely loyal.
She will quickly snap at anyone who wrongs her friends, even herself if she makes a mistake.
Abby is so loyal that she is willing to give Mei her 4* Town ticket despite desperately wanting to see the band live for herself.
Tyler Nguyen-Baker
Despite acting way more immature than Mei and her friends, Tyler Nguyen-Baker is the same age as Mei at 13 years old.
Tyler is slightly shorter than Mei at roughly 4’7″ (139.7 cm), though his voluminous curly hair makes him appear to be the same height as Mei.
At first, Tyler is set up to be the antagonist of Turning Red, teasing Mei whenever he can. He particularly likes to make fun of Mei’s mother and how overbearing she is.
Plenty of other people laugh at Mei when Ming embarrasses her. Yet it is Tyler’s purposely provocative comments that really upset her.
Until Tyler convinces Mei to come to his party in her panda form, Tyler seems to be mean just for the sake of it.
But it quickly becomes clear that he cares deeply about what other people think of him.
That is why it is such a shock when Mei finds Tyler at the 4* Town concert.
She is so overjoyed at Tyler finally expressing his true self that Mei invites Tyler to join their friend group.
Jin Lee
Jin Lee (Mei’s Dad) is around 37 years old, judging by his clothing choices.
He is slightly shorter than Ming at 5’5″ (165.1 cm), but he appears much shorter as Ming wears heels.
Jin could not be more different from Ming in both looks and personality. Yet he is vital in helping balance out Ming’s flaws.
Though he doesn’t often talk on screen, Jin’s love for his family is clear. Especially when Mei and Ming’s relationship becomes fraught.
Jin is more than aware of both the dangers and the benefits of Mei’s panda. He explains to Mei Ming’s anxieties about being a panda when Ming can’t express them herself.
But he doesn’t force Mei to make the same choices as Ming. He instead shows her that she has the option to live how she wants to.
Robaire
Robaire’s height is hard to pinpoint because he is often set apart from the rest of his band (4* Town) as the band’s lead singer.
Based on the few instances the band is together on screen, Robaire appears to be 5’4″ (161.6 cm) and is one of the more mature members of the group at roughly 21 years old.
Not only is Robaire the lead singer of a world-famous band, but he is also Mei’s favorite member. As such, more is known about him than the other 4* Town members.
Robaire is very charismatic, carrying a lot of 4* Town’s social credit as he woos his fans. Though he does not let his ego get the better of him.
When Ming crashes the 4* Town concert, Robaire does his best to protect his band members and the audience instead of running away.
Jesse
Jesse may not appear much older than the other 4*Town boys, but he is confirmed to be the oldest of the group at 25 ish years old.
In the band’s promotional work shown throughout Turning Red, Jesse is a little shorter than Robaire. He is roughly 5’2″ (157.5 cm).
As Jesse is the oldest member of 4*Town, he already has a family (2 children) and has already been to college. Perhaps this maturity is why he is Priya’s favorite band member.
He is one of the more artistic members of the group, studying ceramics in school. Though he now expresses his art through 4* Town’s music.
Tae Young
As his name suggests, Tae Young is the youngest member of 4* Town at roughly 18 years old.
Tae has more of a baby face than the other band members, but he is one of the tallest at an estimated 5’3″ (160 cm).
According to the official 4* Town website, Tae young has the kindest heart in the band and is the most innocent. Which is reflective of his younger age.
Tae is a big lover of wildlife, even going as far as to help wounded doves and foster them back to health in his spare time.
Aaron Z.
Aaron Z. seems to be the same height as Tae at 5’3″ (160 cm) but is thought to be older at 21 years old.
This estimate is partly due to Aaron’s more mature face and love for athletics, making him slightly more muscular than the other members of 4* Town.
As the sporty member of the group, Aaron puts all of his energy into being the best dancer he can be, playing a big part in the band’s choreography.
Aaron’s stoic personality means that he can often come across as shy, so he lets his dance moves speak for him instead.
Aaron T.
Though Tae Young is confirmed to be the youngest member of 4* Town, Aaron T seems to be a very similar age as Tae at roughly 20 years old.
Aaron is noticeably the shortest member in the band, standing at 5’1″ (154.9 cm).
They may share a first name, but Aaron T. could not be more different from Aaron Z.
Aaron T. is extremely outgoing and goofy, acting as the comedic personality of the band.
He is also the only one in the band who wears a hat, much like Miriam.
The fact that he wears the hat backward makes him seem more childish than his fellow band members.