MeiMirabel

MeiMirabel is the femslash ship between Meilin Lee and Mirabel Madrigal from the Turning Red and Encanto fandoms.

Canon
Meilin and Mirabel never met each other. Both characters are from different Disney films. Mirabel is from Encanto and Meilin from Turning Red. Both of them are the protagonists of their respective animated features from Disney Animation and Pixar. Both movies were released in the same year, 2022 (Encanto in theaters, while Turning Red on Disney+.

Fanon
Fans started shipping the two characters after realizing just how similar the two of them were. Fans quickly recognized both of them changed how Disney heroines can be depicted. Both of their stories center around them as young girls of color dealing with some form of family conflict. Mirabel is the only member of her family to not have a special "gift," yet she's destined to save them all from a looming threat. Meanwhile, Mei gains the ability to turn into a giant red panda due to a centuries-long family curse, while also having to deal with her strict mother. While both films have their differences, their depictions of generational trauma have caused fans to draw similarities, both literally and figuratively.11

This led to fans producing works where the two meet and become close through these similarities. For example, on Twitter, user CaveHag posted two drawings of Mirabel and Mei together. The first image is of Mirabel with a drawing of herself and Mei with a red panda plush toy. The second image shows Mei "poofing" into her red panda form and giving Mirabel a big hug, thanking her. The caption "Art Trade" was added, elevating the newfound fictional friendship that the two characters have discovered through each other's creations.

Like this fan art shows, fans explore the possibility of healing that this bond can give to the two characters. Since they are both similar and have dealt with generational trauma, they can take comfort in sharing each other's pain and expressing themselves openly. Also, due to the fact that they're both almost the same age, fans have also explored the possibilities of the two of them meeting and becoming close friends.

Most fans ship them as friends, but some have also shipped them romantically. Sometimes, they are also shown forming a friendship with Luca Paguro.

Fandom
FAN FICTION