Teens in the 2000s were obsessed with boy bands. Hell, with groups like BTS, boy bands are still a hot commodity for the young folks. So, it’s no surprise that boy bands play a pivotal role in the upcoming Pixar film, “Turning Red.”
As seen in the new trailer for “Turning Red,” the film about a teen girl who turns into a giant red panda when she experiences any type of major emotion features a boy band at the center of the film. However, the group 4*town is created solely for the film, with superstars Billie Eilish and Finneas providing the music for the fictional boy band.
“We needed our character Mei to be obsessed with something that her mom would not approve of,” said director Domee Shi. “Boy bands were the first step into the world of boys for a lot of girls that age. The guys were all super pretty, polished, soft and loving, and they had of way of bringing girls and their besties together. Plus, I thought it’d be really cool to create an animated boy band.”
Producer Lindsey Collins added, “When we first started talking about Billie Eilish and Finneas—back before they’d won a billion Grammys—we could see then how they had their finger on the pulse. We were big fans. We met with them and pitched this crazy idea of a boy band, asking if they’d be interested in writing and producing the songs. They were!”
“Turning Red” hits theaters on March 11, 2022. You can watch the new trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” introduces Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda!