There is so much fans loved about “Turning Red” — the boyband nostalgia, wholesome teen friendships, the honest take on the awkwardness of puberty, and the list continues. In Mei’s loyal group of quirky friends, it’s hard to miss Abby Park, the fun-loving and chaotic Korean-Canadian friend beloved for her passion and theatrics. Her character was such a fan favorite that fans have made hundreds of Tiktok pages solely dedicated to Abby content. Among that content is a viral Tiktok theory by @marmayeesa2022 that Abby is Boo from Pixar’s “Monster’s Inc.,” and it’s a pretty convincing theory.
Signs Abby From “Turning Red” Is Boo From “Monsters Inc.”
The TikTok video shows a picture of Abby excitedly hugging Mei in her red panda form because of how fluffy she is. The theorist points out that Boo also loved how fluffy Sulley was, even showing another image of Boo hugging Sulley in the same way Abby hugged Mei. On Twitter, many remarked that Abby looked like a slightly older version of Boo, and that the reason she loved the red panda so much is because it subconsciously reminds her of Sulley. Fans also noticed that Abby’s clothing give a subtle nod to Pixar’s “Monsters Inc.”, since the flowers on her purple dungarees resemble the design on Boo’s door.
So my #TurningRed head canon is that Abby is an older Boo from Monsters Inc, and the reason she loves Mei’s Red Panda is it subconsciously reminds her of Sully.
— Matt Gaudio (@Matt_Gaudio) March 15, 2022
This theory, which now has a whole 7-minute Youtube explainer dedicated to it, is wildly convincing, especially for fans who believe in the Pixar Theory. The theory, authored by Jon Negroni, claims all Pixar films exist in the same universe and are connected, which would mean Boo exists in “Turning Red.”
According to Negroni’s theory (which has not been updated to include Pixar releases after 2012), after Sulley leaves Boo in the original “Monsters Inc.” she spends her whole life trying to find him, and in doing so ends up mastering the door technique the monsters use throughout the movie, which allows her to time travel. After finding Sulley, she goes back in time to Ancient Scotland, where she lives out the rest of her life as the witch from “Brave.” The witch has a wood carving of Sulley, is obsessed with bears, and uses the door technique to change her entire house. Fans who’ve indulged this theory also wonder if they’ve seen the character in the Toy Story movies or in Finding Nemo. In Abby’s case, she wears the same colors and similar accessories to Boo, has similar facial features, and similar reactions of excitement when seeing large, fluffy things.
Proof Abby From “Turning Red” Is NOT Boo From “Monsters Inc.”
While many Pixar fans were excited about the convincing possibility that Abby is being Boo, it unfortunately isn’t true. Boo’s real name is Mary Gibbs, and although many believe her to be of Asian descent, the 2-year-old is Hispanic, according to her file shown in “Monster’s Inc.” Also, if you don’t subscribe to the Pixar Theory, the timeline for Boo and Abby is way off, seeing as Abby is a teenager in 2002, and Boo is 2 years old in 2001.
Regardless of this theory not being true, the comfort and nostalgia felt through Abby’s character were definitely a highlight for fans!