Fans of Pixar's latest hit, "Turning Red," have a lot to love about the film, from its heartwarming family and friendship story to its portrayal of pre-social media girlhood and adorable giant red panda. One of the things that got music fans hooked on the film was the fictional boy band 4*Town, a favorite of Mae Lee and her friends. Their obsession with this group and their life's mission to attend their concerts is a testament to a time when friendship was determined by whether you chose *NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys (or, if you're a K-pop fan, your current love for BTS, NCT, or ATEEZ ), it reminds me of the days when it was decided.

Although the boy group was created for the film as a tribute to 00s boy groups, 4*Town has three original songs (two of which have 00s "U" in the title), a fan name (4*Townies), and an official website (opens in new tab) has earned them a large fan base (of course). Here's everything we know about the inspiration behind the band, the voice, and the Grammy-winning producer.

As a tribute to the boy band culture of the 00s, 4*Town draws inspiration from some of the most popular groups of that era. Its name is a specific reference to *NSYNC and borrows the star of the group's name. Other great groups of the time Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, B2K, and the Toronto-based group b4-4.

Surprisingly, the group was featured in the film when May's mother, Min, asked, "Why do you call them 4*Town when there are five of them?" The joke was when she asked. Director Shi told Thrillist (open in new tab) that "it was a very funny joke that justified having a boy band in the film."

The joke was also used to justify the use of a boy band in the film.

Also in an interview with Slate (opens in new tab), director See explained that it was very important that the film take boy bands and their role in teen girls' childhoods seriously. For many girls, their first boy band crush is adolescence. As a film about teenage girls, the film's goal is not to save the world. Nor is it to save the princess. It's about going to your first boy band concert and becoming a woman with them as you watch."

Like the bands of the 2000s, 4*Town's members Jesse, Teyon, Robair, Aaron T., and Aaron Z., in the order of the images above, each have their own unique characteristics. Lead singer Robair (voiced by Jordan Fisher) speaks French and, as director Dommy See told Slate (open in new tab), he is "the guy who will be doing a solo career after the boy band breaks up." Taeyeon (Grayson Villanueva) is a cute animal lover, and this character is a tribute to the K-pop boy band. Many fans (including the author) have noted his resemblance to BTS's Jimin. Aaron T. (Topher Ngo) is a goofball. Aaron Z. (Josh Levy) is sporty. In the film, Jesse (Phineas) is portrayed as a tall guy in art school, but Shea also says he is "too old to be in a band, has two kids, and is probably the guy who drives them around and buys them beer."

Jordan Fisher (Robair) is best known for his role as John Ambrose in To All The Boys I Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You, multiple TV musicals and Broadway's Hamilton He has also appeared in Dear Evan Hansen. Josh Levy (Aaron Z) has a recurring role on the football series "Friday Night Lights" and was a finalist on Season 3 of The X Factor. Grayson Villanueva (Tae Yeung) has also competed in the television singing competition, The CW's 2019 Christmas Caroler Challenge, and Topher Ngo (Aaron T.) is a singer and stage actor primarily in Los Angeles.

Rounding out the group as Jesse is Phineas O'Connell (stage name Phineas), who also produces original music with his musical partner and sister Billie Eilish. He is also known for his recurring role in the final season of Glee.

In an interview with The Wrap (opens in new tab), musicians Jordan Fisher, Josh Levy, Topher Ngo, and Grayson Villanueva revealed that they were able to record in the studio together. They also drew on their past performance experience, with Ngo and Villanueva in an a cappella group and Fischer and Levi in the music industry. Ngo said, "It was like we met in the studio for the first time, and it was magical to find our sound and meld together in that moment."

The musical brains behind the hits "Nobody Like U," the love ballad "1 True Love," and the confidence-boosting "U Know What's Up" are none other than Grammy-winning duo Billy Eilish and Phineas. They have collaborated on Eilish's albums "When We All Fall Asleep," "Where Do We Go," and "Happier than Ever," as well as on other projects, including an Oscar-nominated song in the latest Bond film "No Time to Die" She has also worked on other projects, including the Oscar-nominated song for the latest Bond film "No Time to Die. In a Disney feature, Eilish said, "The songwriting was literally the most fun I've ever had."