The 4*Town boy band from Pixar’s 2022 “Turning Red” animated movie. (Courtesy of Disney/Pixar)
Fans of NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys may soon be in for a real treat when the boy band from Pixar’s “Turning Red” makes the jump from animated movie heartthrobs to theme park performers at the Disneyland resort.
Disney Live Entertainment is seeking performers to play the 4*Town boy band from the 2022 Pixar animated film for upcoming “special events” at the Disneyland resort, according to the Disney Auditions website.
“Turning Red” tells the story of an exuberant, ambitious and overachieving 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl who turns into a giant red panda when she gets too excited. The coming-of-age story set in the early 2000s follows Mei Lee and her girlfriends as they set out on a determined quest to attend a 4*Town concert at Toronto’s SkyDome.
The Disney casting call is also looking for performers to portray Mei’s teenage girlfriends Miriam, Abby and Priya as well as her supportive and doting father Jin Lee.
Noticeably missing from the Disney Auditions job postings are Mei and her mother Ming — who both turn into giant red pandas in the film thanks to ancient magic.
“They may be cast internally or appear in their red panda forms, meaning resemblance to the character wouldn’t matter,” according to WDW News Today.
The Disney Auditions job posting describes 4*Town as the dreamiest chart-toppers of the early 2000s who “keep it real by staying humble and always being true to their fans.”
Robaire is the cheerful band leader who will one day launch his own solo career. Tae Young is the “Cute One” and an animal lover. Art school student Jesse is the “Artistic One” and a father of two. Shy and stoic “Lone Wolf” Aaron Z is the band’s best dancer and choreographer. Fast-talking Aaron T is the fun-loving prankster who helps break the tension when life on the road gets too intense.
Disney Live Entertainment did not reveal where the nine “Turning Red” characters will appear at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure or Downtown Disney. The sheer number of characters suggests the “special event” will be more than your ordinary meet-and-greet photo opportunity. There are plenty of options where Disneyland could stage a “Turning Red” show.
Disney Live Entertainment has shown a willingness to think outside the box with the limited-run “Rogers: The Musical” that turned an inside joke in the “Hawkeye” Disney+ series into a 35-minute one-act Broadway-style musical in DCA’s Hyperion Theater.
The dream scenario would be a recreation of 4*Town’s truly epic stadium concert show featuring high-flying theatrics, lights, fog, vapor geysers and pyrotechnics. The empty Hyperion would be the perfect venue for a 4*Town reunion show.
No matter how fun that sounds, it’s probably unlikely to happen.
Disney Live Entertainment isn’t looking for actors or singers to portray 4*Town — just lookalikes who might be able to dance. The $20 per hour wage is also below what Disney typically pays for union stage actors.
That suggests the boy band will be lip-synching — gasp! — to hit songs like “Nobody Like U,” “1 True Love” and “U Know What’s Up” if Disneyland decides to put 4*Town into live concert mode.
In that scenario, a 20-minute show on DCA’s Hollywood Backlot Stage in front of the massive video wall would be a perfect fit.
Another option would be to toss 4*Town up on the Tomorrowland Stage near the Galactic Grill, the Palisades Stage along the Paradise Bay waterfront or on a few floats somewhere along the DCA parade route.
Disneyland could just trot out the “Turning Red” characters one by one in DCA’s Paradise Gardens for meet-and-greet photo ops — but that would be a lot of work for a “special event.”
Originally published at Brady MacDonald