Quotes

Dialogue

Meilin: Besties, assemble! Miriam! Miriam: Huh? Hey! Meilin: Priya! Priya: Yo. Meilin: Abby! Abby: [angrily shouting to other students in Korean; in English] Yeah! What's up, Mei?! Meilin: Ready to change the world? Miriam: So ready! Priya: I was born to do this. Abby: LET'S BURN THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND!

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Ming: Sun Yee, revered ancestor, guardian of the red pandas. We humbly thank you for protecting and guiding us. Especially Mei-Mei. Meilin: May we continue to serve and honor you and this community. Both: Always.

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TV Announcer: You've heard their hits, you've seen their moves, and now you get to experience them live! The worldwide pop sensation 4-Town will be kicking off their North American tour! Tickets on sale now! Meilin: [gasps in excitement] Oh, my gosh! Ming: Who are these hip-hoppers, and why are they called 4-Town if there are five of them? Meilin: Uh, I don't know. Some of the kids at school like them. Ming: You mean Miriam? That girl is odd. Jin: Dinner's ready.

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Meilin: What are you doing? [following her mother] No, no, no, no, no, no! No, no, no, no, no, no! Tyler: [laughs smugly] Oh, snap! Meilin: Mom, no! Ming: [points to Devon, fiercely] You! What have you done to my Mei-Mei?! Devon: Uh, who? Tyler: Meilin Lee, right here! [points to Mei, standing next to him] Ming: I should report you to the police. How old are you? 30? Devon: I'm 17. Ming: Oh, see, see? This is what happens when you don't wear sunblock and do drugs all day! She's just a sweet, innocent child. How dare you take advantage of her! [takes out Meilin's drawings and throws them on the counter in slow-motion] Meilin: Mom! NOOOOOOOOOO!! [echoes] Devon: What?! Tyler: [laughs] What a weirdo! [mocks her by kissing the air] Ming: The Daisy Mart has lost a loyal customer today. [leaves the store with her daughter as everyone continues laughing; sighs exasperatedly] Thank goodness I was here. That degenerate won't come near you again. Now, is there anything else I should know about, M

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Panda Meilin: [traumatized] This isn't happening, this isn't happening! [whimpers in panic, sniffs the scent of her panda form and gags and starts to sob] WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP! Ming: [knocking on the bathroom door] Mei-Mei, is everything okay? Panda Meilin: [panicking] DON'T COME IN HERE! Ming: Mei-Mei, what's going on honey? Are you sick? Is it a fever? A stomach ache? Chills? Constipation? Panda Meilin: No! Ming: Wait. Is it… that? [Jin stops in his tracks, swallows something in his mouth and backs away slowly] Did the-- Did the red peony bloom? Panda Meilin: No! Maybe? Ming: [gasps in horror] But it's too soon. Don't worry, Mei-Mei. I'll get everything you need. Mommy's here! Jin. Jin! IT'S HAPPENING! Panda Meilin: [after Meilin accidentally steps the toilet on her foot; angrily] NO, IT'S NOT! WILL YOU JUST GET OUT?! [she covers her mouth] Ming: Excuse me? Panda Meilin: I didn't mean that. I'm a gross red monster! [sobs] Stop it! Stop talking! [slaps herself] Ming: [clears thro

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Ming: [pulling up at the middle school, dropping her daughter off] I know it feels strange, Mei-Mei, but I promise, nobody will notice a thing. Meilin: [monotone] Thank you for your concern, Mother. But I'll be fine. Ming: Well, here's your lunch. I packed extra snacks. And herbal tea. For cramps. It helps relax your… Meilin: [panicky] I got it! Thank you! Bye!

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Classmate: What's with her? Miriam: What's with your face? [to Meilin as she buries her head on her desk] What is with you? You're being weird. Meilin: [hesitantly] I'm just really excited about math.

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Ming: [sighs deeply] As you know, our ancestor, Sun Yee, had a mystical connection with red pandas. [opens the chest and takes out a small scroll] In fact, she loved them so much…that she asked the gods to turn her into one. [opens the scroll, revealing a story] It was wartime. The men were all gone. Sun Yee was desperate for a way to protect herself and her daughters. Then one night, during a red moon, the gods granted her wish. They gave her the ability to harness her emotions, to transform into a powerful mystical beast. She was able to fend off bandits, protect her village, and save her family from ruin. Sun Yee passed this gift to her daughters, for when they came of age. [back to reality] And they passed it to theirs. But over time, our family chose to come to a new world. And what was a blessing became… [smiles sheepishly] an inconvenience. [bites her lower lip] Panda Meilin: [looks at the tapestry of Sun Yee; shocked] Are... you... [with her eyes glowing red; outraged] SERIOUS?

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Ming: [worried] This is awful. What are we gonna do? Jin: Don't worry. We'll get through this. Ming: No one can see her like this. I never wanted this for her. Did you see how she was in the temple? Her eyes… Meilin: Please… just… go away. Panda Meilin: No! Why? Why? Miriam: Mei, it's us. Open up. Meilin: Crud, no. Guys, what are you doing? Go away! Priya: Are you okay? Tap if you can hear us. Abby: One for yes, two for no! Miriam: We were so worried. We thought you died of embarrassment. Priya: You need more pads? I brought extra. Abby: Forget that. 4-Town's coming to Toronto! Panda Meilin: [opens up the curtains] What? Panda Meilin: Hey! It's okay, everybody be quiet! Everybody, it's just me! Shut up! It's okay, it's me! It's Mei! Calm down, all right? I'm gonna let go and you're gonna be chill. Got that?

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Ming: How is this possible?! What happened to your panda? Meilin: It's easy. When I start to get emotional, all I do is imagine the people I love most in the whole world. Which is you guys. Ming: Oh. Oh, Mei-Mei. Meilin: So, now that that's settled, I just have one teeny-tiny favor to ask. Ming: [defiantly] No. Absolutely not. Meilin: What?! But this is once in a lifetime! Ming: Mei-Mei, it's one thing to stay calm at home or school, but a concert? You'll get whipped up into a frenzy and panda all over the place. Meilin: I won't, I won't! I promise! You saw me keep it in! Jin: Ming, maybe we should trust her. Ming: It's them I don't trust! Look at those glittery delinquents with their… [shudders in disgust] Gyrations. Why on earth do you want to go so badly? Meilin: [imagines herself and her friends at the concert while chugging soda, and Robaire proposing to her; back to reality] Like I said, I just want to broaden my musical horizons. Ming: This isn't music, this is filth! And it's n

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Meilin: That presentation was bomb.com! I cited all my sources, I had sparklers... [throws a dodge ball and grunts] and she still said no! Priya: [dodging dodge balls] My parents said I could go when I'm 30. Abby: [hitting other dodge balls with the ones she holds] Mine called it stripper music! What's wrong with that?! [catches a dodge ball with her teeth and growls] Miriam: Mine said yes, but I have to buy the ticket. Who the heck's got that kind of cash? Meilin: I know my mom's worried, but sometimes, she's just so... so... Miriam: Wacko?

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Grandma Wu: Mei-Mei, can I have a word with you? Meilin: Uh, sure. What's up? Grandma Wu: [takes a folded cloth out behind her back and unfolds it, revealing a piece of red panda fur] I found this. Strange for a girl who hasn't let her panda out. Meilin: It's, uh… [chuckles nervously] It's not mine. Grandma Wu: Mei-Mei, I know what you're doing. I know how hard it is to keep the beast in. It feels so good to let it out. So free. But each time you do, the stronger it gets. And then you'll be bound to it forever, and the ritual will fail. Meilin: Has that ever happened? Grandma Wu: It cannot happen. [sighs] Your mother and I were close once, but the red panda took that away. I couldn't bear to see that happen to you. So, no more panda. You are your mother's whole world, Mei-Mei. I know you'll do what's right.

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Tyler: You want your money? Then get your butt down here now! Panda Meilin: Forget your money, and forget you! Miriam: Mei! Let's just go. Panda Meilin: [growls in anger] Tyler: What about our deal?! Panda Meilin: SHOVE YOUR DEAL! Tyler: Fine, get out of here! Go back to your psycho Mom and your creepy temple, you freak! [Panda Meilin growls furiously, having to have heard that, and jumps off the roof and attacks him] Oops! Miriam: Mei, no! Panda Meilin: Take it back! Don't talk about my family like THAT! Miriam: [shocked] Mei, you're hurting him! Panda Meilin: [screams in frustration] I HATE YOU!!! Ming: [off-screen] Mei-Mei, STOP! [showing up] What is going on here?! Tyler: [sobbing; sickness] I'm sorry. Just get off of me, please. Tyler's Mom: [weeping] I cannot believe you would let your daughter do this! This is a civil and a society. And we see this! Tyler's Dad: Do you understand what she did to my boy? We have invited people to have good fun. Ming: I am so sorry. She's never do

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Meilin: [as Jin enters her room] Hey, Dad. I-- I'm almost ready. Jin: [shows her the recorded footage of her in her panda form and her friends having fun] Did you make this? Meilin: Here, I'll erase it. [Jin pulls the camcorder away] What? We were just being stupid. The panda's dangerous, outta control. Jin: Huh. You sound like your mother. What has she told about her panda? Meilin: [sighs] Nothing. She won't talk about it. Jin: It was quite destructive. [chuckles] And big. She almost took out half the temple. Meilin: You... you saw it? Jin: Only once. She and your grandma had a terrible fight. Meilin: Over what? Jin: [points to himself] Your grandma didn't approve of me but, you should've seen your mom. She was... incredible. Meilin: But I'm a monster. Jin: [sighs] People have all kinds of sides to them, Mei, and some sides are messy. The point isn't to push the bad stuff away. It's to... make room for it, live with it.

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Abby: Mei! You're here! Miriam: Mei! What are you doing here? Meilin: I couldn't do it. The panda's a part of me, and you guys are too. Miriam: Mei, you threw us under the bus. Meilin: I know and I'm sorry. I've been, like, obsessed with my mom's approval my whole life. I couldn't take losing it, but losing you guys feels even worse. Miriam: [coldly] Well, too bad. 'Cause you did.

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Miriam: Your mom must've gone nuclear. Meilin: Who cares? What's she gonna do, ground me?

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Toronto! Who knows what's up?

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Jin: Mei! Meilin: Dad? Grandma Wu: We have to save your mother! Chen: She's gone loco! Jin: Mei, we have to the ritual again! Meilin: What happened?! She's HUGE! Jin: I told you, she was big! Meilin: THAT BIG?! Mingzilla: Mei-Mei!

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Mingzilla: THIS ISN'T YOU! Meilin: [savagely] This IS ME! [angrily bites Mingzilla's paw as she poofs into her panda form] Jin: Mei, are you okay? Panda Meilin: [angrily] I'm not your little Mei-Mei anymore! I lied, Mom! Mingzilla: [shocked] What?! Panda Meilin: It was my idea to hustle the panda. My idea to go to Tyler's party! It was all ME! I like boys, I like loud music, I like gyrating! [her eyes turn red] I'M 13, DEAL WITH IT! Grandma Wu: The ritual. [claps her hands] Everyone in position!

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Meilin: [fighting Mingzilla while poofing into her red panda form and her human self] All I wanted... was to go to the CONCERT!!! Mingzilla: I never went to concerts! I put my family first! I tried to be a good daughter! Meilin: [growls lividly] WELL, SORRY, I'M NOT PERFECT! SORRY, I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH! AND SORRY, I'LL NEVER BE LIKE YOU! [flies directly at her and headbutts her between the eyes, knocking her out, unconscious]

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Grandma Wu: Sun Yee, give me strength. [takes off her panda bracelet and throws it on the ground, breaking it, poofs into her panda form, and rushes over to help her granddaughter] Pull, Mei-Mei! Panda Meilin: Grandma? Panda Grandma Wu: I am not losing my daughter! [to the aunties] Don't just stand there! Panda Chen: Make room for your elders, Mei-Mei! Panda Meilin: What? Panda Ping: We're with you! Panda Meilin: What are you doing?! What if you can't turn back?! Panda Helen: Your mom needs us! Panda Lily: She's family! Panda Grandma Wu: Less talking, more pulling!

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Young Ming: [sobbing hysterically] I'm sorry... It's all my fault. Meilin: [kneels down] What happened? Young Ming: I... I hurt her! Meilin: Who? Young Ming: My mom! I got so angry, and I... and I lost control! I'm just so sick of being perfect! I'm never gonna be good enough for her... or anyone! Meilin: I know it feels that way. Like, all the time. But it isn't true.

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Ming: [sadly sighs as Grandma Wu hugs her] I'm sorry. Grandma Wu: Shh. You don't have to apologize. I'm your mother. [to Meilin; sighs] May Sun Yee guide you and keep your safe. One at a time, ladies. And quickly. Chen: That's it? Mei-Mei's keeping the panda? Helen: It's her life. Now move.

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Ming: No! Mei-Mei, please. Just come with me. [holds out her hand, begging her daughter to come along] Meilin: [shakes head in refusal] I'm changing, Mom. I'm finally figuring out who I am, but... [gasps softly; sadly] I'm scared it'll take me away from you. Ming: Me, too. I see you, Mei-Mei. You try to make everyone happy, but are so hard on yourself. And if I taught you that... [short pause] I'm sorry. So, don't hold back... for anyone. The farther you go, the prouder I'll be.

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Meilin: [with her panda ears and tail] Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! Ming: [stops her] Hold on. You're not going out like that, are you? Meilin: [scoffs] My panda, my choice, Mom. [chuckles before hugging her, remembering her not to go through their fight again] I'll be back before dinner, okay? Ming: [sighs] Fine. Oh, um... You're welcome to join us. Miriam: [gasps] For Mr. Lee's cooking? [in unison with Priya] Uh, yeah! Priya: [in unison with Miriam] We are so there. Ming: Don't load up on junk! Meilin: Thanks for covering for me, Dad! Jin: Have fun!