Out of everything, symbolism played the biggest part in Kum's decisions. "A lot of Chinese culture uses symbolism when it comes to colour and that was the main thing that informed the makeup for me," she said. "Every colour we used had a reason and a meaning within the Chinese culture, as well as how it worked aesthetically."
The primary colours [are] also redolent in animation and early Disney, made very Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck colours. I quite like that cross-cultural reference.
That's why you'll see a lot of red in the film — red symbolises good luck and is an important colour for the Chinese culture. "They're also primary colours. There's the white face powder, and then there are the slightly bluish eyebrows. There's the yellow forehead and the red lips and cheeks and markings on the forehead, which is a decorative element."
There's also a nod to early Disney animations in Kum's colour choices: "The primary colours also being very redolent in animation and early Disney, made very Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck colours. I quite like that cross-cultural reference between something being very essentialist and also something being very modern and very retro at the same time."