A bit of boyband magic might be headed to Disneyland. This week, a casting call surfaced on Disney’s website, looking for performers to portray some of Turning Red‘s cast “for upcoming special events at Disneyland Resort.” The casting descriptions cover a number of characters from Turning Red, including the friends of Meilin Lee, as well as the five members of the film’s fictional boyband, 4*Town.
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While it is unclear at this point what events these Turning Red castings could be for, fans of the 2022 film will definitely love the possibility of seeing the characters in real life in the park. Interestingly, the casting call does not feature a call for Meilin Lee herself, possibly hinting that she will appear in a costume version of her giant red panda self.
Who Are 4*Town?
Jordan Fisher, Josh Levi, Finneas, Topher Ngo, and Grayson Villanueva all lent their voices to 4*Town in Turning Red. The band’s original songs in the film were penned by Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, withย the group creatively being inspired byย the likes of the Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC, and Westlife, as well as contemporary K-Pop fandom.
“I feel like boy bands are often ridiculed by media, as most things that teen girls are obsessed with are,” director Domee Shiย explained during a virtual press conference for the film earlier this year. “And with this movie, we really wanted to pay tribute to this cultural phenomenon and not just make fun of it. We make fun of it a little bit, but we also honor it as well. So many girls’ and boys’ lives were shaped by their very first musical obsessions, and boy bands represent, for many girls, their first foray into adolescence, into music, fashion, pop culture. They offer a safe, soft, and non-threatening introduction to subjects like love and relationships.”
Will There Be a Turning Red Sequel?
While a Turning Red sequel has yet yet to be announced by Disney and Pixar, the film’s success on Disney+ definitely helps the cause. According to director and co-writer Domee Shi and producer Lindsey Collins, the possibility is definitely there.
“We are open, but we haven’t talked about it,” Shi explained in an interview with ComicBook.com last year. “But yeah, it’s an invitation at the end for more stories.”
“Hopefully, at the end of a movie, you’ve fallen so in love with the characters that you have a hard time letting them go,” Collins echoed. “I mean, as the filmmakers, not even as the audience, I feel that way. I love these characters. I never got tired of them. I was always like, ‘I’d go hang out with those characters again.’ I want to see what they’re up to. So, yeah. Who knows?”
What do you think of the Turning Red characters possibly heading to Disneyland? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!