The 2022 Disney/Pixar movie Turning Red tells a charming story about a young girl who becomes a red panda whenever she gets angry and who idolizes the boy band 4*TOWN. The band is one of the most popular parts of Turning Red and fans are interested in why they got their name since it stands out so much. Watching Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang) and her friends obsess over these singers and attend one of their concerts makes Turning Red a fun and relatable watch.
There are many Disney/Pixar movies with great soundtracks, and Turning Red features some catchy original songs "U Know What's Up," "1 True Love," and "Nobody Like U" written by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell (who also played Jesse, one of the 4*TOWN band members). There's a lot to know about why the band in Turning Red got the name 4*TOWN.
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Turning Red's 4*TOWN Band Name, Explained
The boy band in Turning Red is called 4*TOWN because of a hilarious joke in the original movie script. In an interview with Thrillist, director Domee Shi explained:
"In the very first version of the movie, we had this scene between Mei and Ming, her mom, where Ming is not understanding her daughter. She's saying, 'Why do they call it 4*TOWN if there's five of them?' And it was such a funny joke that justified us keeping the boy band in the movie, but then their role got bigger and bigger, and then it just made sense to have Mei's goal for the movie to get to the 4*TOWN concert."
Shi continued, "That 4*TOWN would be the stakes of the movie just felt so 13, and we were so excited by the idea to make our own boy band." The 4*TOWN members are so funny and unforgettable that they definitely rival the most popular characters in Pixar movies. Shi added:
"I think it's like O-Town and b4-4 merged together with *NSYNC to create 4*TOWN."
Unlike the saddest Pixar movies, Turning Red is a fun, optimistic, and uplifting story about a teenage girl's desire to find herself while still staying close to her family. Mei Lee's love for 4*TOWN is relatable as many people remember being huge fans of boy bands back in high school.
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Turning Red Director |
Doree Shi |
|---|---|
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Writers |
Story by Domee Shi, Julia Cho, Sarah Streicher Screenplay by Julia Cho, Domee Shi |
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Cast Members |
Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Ava Morse, Orion Lee, Hyein Park, Wai Ching Ho |
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Release Date |
February 9th, 2024 (United States) |
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Runtime |
100 minutes |
|
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
95% |
Domee Shi explained more about 4*TOWN an interview with Slate. She said that Mei Lee's mother Ming doesn't like the band because in Chinese culture, four is considered an unlucky number. Shi said, "So wouldn’t it be funny if she just saw her daughter covered in fours? But I like to think that in 4*Town canon they were all born on the fourth of a different month or something."
Who Are The Members Of 4*TOWN In Turning Red?
- Jesse (Finneas O'Connell)
- Tae Young (Grayson Villanueva)
- Aaron T. (Topher Ngo)
- Aaron Z. (Josh Levi)
- Robaire (Jordan Fisher)
What Is Turning Red About?
Turning Red follows 13-year-old Mei Lee who turns into a red panda when emotional and who learns that this is part of her ancestry. The main storyline sees Mei Lee and her friends hoping to see their favorite band 4*TOWN in concert. Since Mei Lee's mother Ming doesn't think that is a good idea, they try to find the money on their own.
While some have been critical of Disney and Pixar's animation style, there's no doubt that Turning Red tells a moving story in a visually appealing way. Without the boy band 4*TOWN, Turning Red would still be an important coming-of-age story about family, friendship, and self-identity. 4*TOWN makes Turning Red a more nostalgic and engaging movie since everyone remembers feeling the same way about a singer or band in high school, even if they didn't listen to boy bands.
Just like Riley's emotional father in Inside Out, Mei Lee's mother Ming goes on a compelling journey to understand her daughter better and realize that they have more in common than they might have originally thought. Fans have wondered why the band in Turning Red is called 4*TOWN because Mei Lee is a kind and smart character who goes on a journey that everyone can relate to, and music is a big part of how she finds out who she is.
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