In case you haven’t noticed, Disney’s latest animated film, “Turning Red,” is one of the biggest movies right now.
It’s based in Toronto, Ontario Canada and is packed full of Canadian Easter Eggs, Canadian Symbols and other fun Canadian references.
*Spoiler Alert:
Now if you haven’t yet seen the movie, you may want to hold off on reading because there may be a few spoilers.
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Obvious Canadian References
Canada Flag
Canada’s flag makes several appearances. Some obvious and some not so obvious.
How many of these did you spot?
These were easy to spot, the two Canadian flags on the outside of the school.
The small Canadian flag stuck just outside the classroom door.
Again, this Canadian flag was hard to miss.
Canadian Food & Snacks
Timbits
These famous Canadian snacks show up at least twice in Disney’s “Turning Red.” Most people spotted them inside Mai Mai’s home, but did you get the second reference?
Timbits for breakfast
Did you notice the Timbits at Tyler’s Party?
Ketchup-flavored Potato Chips
Fun Fact: Canada is the only place in the world where you will find ketchup-flavored potato chips. In “Turning Red,” these show up in a red Pringles’-like container labeled as “Potato Crisps.”
These show up again at Tyler’s party, but also at the Daisy Mart.
Not only will you spot the potato chips, but a few other treats that look very similar to other Canadian favorites. The Snackies look a lot like Smarties.
Bagged Milk
Milk used to come in heavy glass bottles and in 1967, Canada started using plastic bags instead.
You’ll see 2 different references to bagged milk. The larger bags in the refrigerator section. The second is an ad on the store window for small bags of milk.
Maple Syrup
A movie based in Canada needs to show Canadian syrup, and “Turning Red,” did.
Fun Fact:
Glass bottles of maple syrup in the shape of maple leaves can be found on the top shelf at the Daisy Mart.
Famous Canadian Symbols & References
Maple Leaf Appearances
The LOVE Canada shirt with the maple leaf.
If you missed this one, then you may want to watch “Turning Red” again. Canada’s famous maple leaf symbol is found on Mai Mai’s shirt she wears to bed.
Did you spot Canada’s famous maple leaf on Mai Mai’s knitted tuque?
Canadian Moose
The Moose is another Canadian symbol that is classic Canada. This reference was a fun one.
The Canadian Moose bobblehead can be found in Ming’s car dashboard.
Canada’s National Animal = The North American Beaver
The beaver has been an important part of Canada’s history and was a big part in the fur trade.
Mai Mai’s school mascot is the beaver. It shows up in a few different places. How many did you find?
Just inside the school, there’s a huge sign.
This same school logo with the beaver mascot is found on their gym shirts.
The Beaver Football poster hung inside the school.
In the display case, there are at least two different pieces of Native Canadian artwork portraying the beaver.
Canadian Hockey References
Hockey references show up several times through “Turning Red.” How many of these did you notice?
Poster on the wall behind the counter in the Daisy Mart.
Two Canadian hockey references showed up in the shot with Mai Mai’s math teacher.
1980 Winter Games Hockey Poster and the little stuffed bear on the shelf with the Toronto Maple Leaf’s mascot, Carlton.
More Fun “Turning Red” Canadian References
Canada’s National Indigenous Peoples History Month
Fun Fact:
Every June, Canadians celebrate National Indigenous Peoples History. There’s even a National Indigenous Peoples Day that is celebrated on June 21st. This special day often falls on the summer solstice, which is a special occasion to many of the indigenous people.
This day and this month is for all Canadians to celebrate and recognize Native Canadian culture, accomplishments and unique heritage.
There are three different aboriginal groups in Canada – First Nation, Inuit and Métis.
Turning Red’s National Indigenous Peoples History Month Easter Egg
In “Turning Red,” the marque outside of Mai Mai’s school mentions Canada’s Indigenous Peoples History Month.
Interestingly, the movie takes place in May, rather than June, which the school marque seems to allude to.
Canadian Money
References to Canada’s brightly colored bills and two-toned coins also made an appearance in “Turning Red.”
The Loonie is Canada’s $1 coin.
The Toonie is Canada’s $2 coin. It’s called a toonie to match the sound of the loonie.
Ontario, Canada References
The CN Tower or Canada’s National Tower
It’s hard to miss the CN Tower in the cityscape views during the movie.
More than 1.5 million visitors come each year to check out one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
The CN Tower is struck by lightning an average of 75 times per year. To prevent damage, long copper strips run down the length of the tower to grounding rods that are buried below ground.
The Ontario License Plate
Not only is the license plate spot on and includes Ontario’s motto, “Yours to Discover,” did you spot the sneaky maple leaf as the car’s hood/bonnet ornament?
The SkyDome
The SkyDome arena is a classic reference to Toronto, but it’s now called the Rogers Centre. It was SkyDome until 2005.
Old TTC Streetcars
TTC stands for Toronto Transit Commission and the streetcars featured in “Turning Red,” are the older CLRV (Canadian Light Rail Vehicle) models that were phased out and eventually retired in 2019.
What did I miss?
If you caught some Canadian references in Disney’s “Turning Red” that I missed, please let me know in the comments.
Love all things Canada? Love Fun Facts and Trivia?
