RECENTLY, Pixar director Domee Shi revealed in an interview with Billboard Japan that she created 4★TOWN, a five-member group in her recently released animated feature Turning Red, based on K-pop groups BIGBANG and 2PM as she is a huge fan of them.
Shi’s Turning Red is the first Pixar film to be solely directed by a woman. She also co-wrote the screenplay with Julia Cho. This is the second animation which features Asian lead characters, after the hit 2009 film Up.
The fantasy comedy is produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and features the voices of Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. It was released on Disney+ on March 11.
The film is centered around Meilin ‘Mei’ Lee, a 13-year-old, who discovers that she has turned into a giant red panda and this happens whenever she is too excited and stressed. She later learns that her ancestors have a history with the animal.
The story is set in Toronto, which is also the first film to take place in Canada.
