4*TOWN (stylized as 4★Town) is the fictional boy band featured in the Disney•Pixar feature film, Turning Red.
Members
Robaire (leadership)
Originally from Toronto, Robaire is the Leader of 4★Town for a reason. He can sing, he can dance, and he will eventually have a successful solo career, but until then, he's content to jam on the tour bus with his four best friends. He is adored by Mei.
Aaron T.
Aaron T. is the fast-talking prankster of the boy band, so some could see him as an energetic person. He is usually the one in charge of breaking any tension between the group. While Aaron Z., is shy and apathetic, Aaron T. is seen to be a very extroverted and fun-loving person. He loves pulling pranks on the other members. He is adored by Miriam.
Aaron Z.
Aaron Z. is the sporty one of the boy band and is barely shown to be stressed. Aaron Z. is seen as the strongest dancer in the group and is stoic. Other than his stoic nature, Aaron Z. is also the most bashful of 4★Town and is labeled the shy one of the group. He is a foil to Aaron T., who is not shy about showing his true feelings, while Aaron Z. is. It is possible that Aaron Z. is protective of Aaron T., as seen when Aaron T. is stuck to his wings during the attack of Ming’s panda. Aaron Z. is shown to have a worried look on his face, even after catching him and placing him safely on the ground with the help of Robaire. He is adored by Tyler.
Tae Young
The youngest member of 4★Town. A lover of animals, Tae Young is dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation and has personally fostered injured doves between tours. He is adored by Abby.
Jesse
The oldest member of 4★Town, Jesse was in art school pursuing a degree in ceramics before the band took off. When fame starts getting to his head, throwing clay on his potter’s wheel and spending time with his two kids brings him back down to earth. He is adored by Priya.
Role in the Film
4★Town plays a huge role in the film and they are stated to be the figurative "glue" between Mei and her friends. They seem to be very popular in Toronto (or Ontario for that matter) due to the number of people at the SkyDome for the concert. Robaire seems to be the most popular amongst fans because he is the lead singer and can speak French, along with Tae Young for being able to heal animals and Jesse for going to art school, Aaron T. and Aaron Z. aren't as popular for unknown reasons, although Tyler is a huge fan of Aaron Z. and Miriam is a huge fan of Aaron T.
Trivia
- Despite the name of the group saying 4★Town, there are 5 people in the group, which Ming has questioned in the film. Domee Shi, the film director, says this is because four is a very unlucky number in Chinese culture. There were four of them, but then a fifth member joined (presumably Tae Young or Aaron Z. but revealed to be Aaron T. in the 4*TOWN 4*REAL manga) and they didn't change the logo because it would be too expensive, so they refused to change the name to 5★Town.
- Domee Shi has stated that she "like[s] to think that in 4★Town canon they were all born on the fourth of a different month..."
- This makes 4★Town a parallel to Mei's friend group, which also started off with four members but eventually gained a fifth. This is further supported with each of them admiring a different member of 4★Town.
- Their songs include "Nobody Like U", "U Know What's Up", and "1 True Love".
- The songs "Girl I Love Your Jeans (Remix)", "There 4 U Girl”, ”Girl, It's Got To Be U”, and ”U And Me” are mentioned in the film, but are not featured anywhere.
- 4★Town was previously teased in Pixar's 2021 animated film, Luca where a record by 4★Town appears in Giulia's bedroom under her phonograph as a reference to Pixar's next film, Turning Red. However, the name was adapted as "4 Villaggi" in Italian.
- 4★Town has an official website.
- On 4★Town's Meet the Band section of the site, Robaire, Jesse, Tae Young, Aaron T. and Aaron Z. are given colored backgrounds, these background being: green, blue, bronze, olive and brown/magenta respectively.
- These are also their respective shoe colors in their classic orange 4★Town costumes as seen on the cover of Tween Beat Magazine, various Turning Red promotional images, and 4★Town Album Covers.
- These colors can been seen on their respective mics during the concert.
- These are also arguably their eye colors; Robaire having olive-green eyes, Jesse having blue eyes, and Tae Young, Aaron T. and Aaron Z. all having various shades of brown eyes.
- According to Domee Shi, the band 4★Town has a style of boy band clothes and accessories from the classic 90s.
- Aaron Z. is Tyler's favorite 4★Town member. Tyler wears a fitness headband in a similar manner to Aaron Z. and plays basketball, which Aaron Z. presumably plays as well.
- Tyler and Aaron Z. are both Afro-Asian-Canadian, this is confirmed because they're both described as being "Blasian".
- Jesse is Priya's favorite 4★Town member. Priya has the same bangs as Jesse, showing her bias towards him amongst his fellow band members.
- Domee Shi says that Harry Potter was an inspiration for 4★Town. She explains that "[her] 4★Town was Harry Potter".
- Tae Young's favorite animal (or bird) is the dove, since he grew up taking care of them when their wings or feet get injured. Rather than being associated with young love as it is in the West, the Chinese association of the dove is with long life and fidelity, as doves pair for life. It is also revered for taking tender care of its young.
- Finneas O'Connell, the voice of Jesse and composer for the songs, is Billie Eilish's older brother.
- Domee Shi told the Los Angeles Times that the film was inspired by her own teenage stimulation with boy bands.
- Their concerts are truly epic, featuring high-flying theatrics, lights, and pyrotechnics.
- 4★Town fans around the world refer to themselves as "4★Townies".
- 4★Town is inspired off of different boy bands: BIGBANG, 2 PM, BTS, Da-ice, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, New Kids On The Block, TXT, New Edition, One Direction, A-Ha, Boyzone, OneRepublic, O-Town, 98 Degrees and NCT.
- Ironically, a Backstreet Boys song plays in the teaser trailer.
- Jesse is the oldest of 4★Town and is a father of two kids. Tae Young is the youngest of the band members.
- A poster of 4*Town can be seen in Riley's bedroom in Inside Out 2.[1]
Gallery
Promotional
Concept art
Screenshots
| v - eCharacters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main Characters | Meilin Lee • Ming Lee | |
| Supporting Characters | Jin Lee • Abby Park • Miriam Mendelsohn • Priya Mangal | |
| Minor Characters | 4★Town: Robaire, Tae Young, Jesse, Aaron T. & Aaron Z. • Tyler Nguyen-Baker • Devon • Mr. Kieslowski • Sun Yee • Wu • Helen • Ping • Lily • Chen • Mr. Gao • Carter Murphy-Mayhew • Goth Girl• Stacy Frick • Lauren • Malik | |