It’s the second Pixar film directed by a woman after Brave by Brenda Chapman until she was replaced by Mark Andrews. They both also focus on adolescent mother-daughter relationships - and people turning into bears. So that’s kind of niche. although Turning Red is set in 2002 Toronto rather than Vaguely Medieval Scotland.
(The setting didn’t make me feel super old. The Twilight joke is a few years early, but hey.)
It’s funny and sweet with a bit of Pixar heartache, and the power of friendship given as much room as family, and it rings some changes on the Pixar formula. I’d say it’s totally kid-friendly like most Pixar films, unless you plan to avoid the talk about periods for a while.
There are some anime and comic stylings (extreme closeup!) mixed in with the typically confident Pixar style, and maybe I’m projecting but I see some Aardman particularly in Mei’s wide mouth and particularly chunky teeth, due to their being 3D unlike the Ghibli influences. Meanwhile 4*Town look like Animoji avatars in their round-faced doe-eyed perfection.
Toronto resident MightyGodKing notes that while universal, the specifics of the boy band plot may also have their roots in city history with the Backstreet Boys’ star-making 1990s MuchMusic concert. Billie Eilish and FINNEAS wrote the songs making 4*Town a more affectionate takeoff of the style than the likes of DuJour in Josie And The Pussycats, while Ludwig Göransson provides the score.
Closest resemblance I can think of is the original Teen Wolf, but a lot less slapdash.
And the urban fantasy tag for the origin, ancient magic proving to be an... inconvenience.
The making-of feature Embrace The Panda adds a lot too.
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