Jimin is widely popular and highly influential around the world, and for most people, even those who know nothing about K-pop or BTS, the mention of BTS, K-pop, or South Korea immediately brings Jimin to mind [refer here]. In fact, even media outlets, both international and South Korean, will always use Jimin's images or Jimin-centered footage when reporting on any BTS-related news [refer here and here]. Well-known global artists get inspiration from him for their artwork [read here], and apart from constantly being recognized and receiving affection from A-list celebrities in Hollywood [read here and here], his first-ever self-written, composed, and produced song 'Friends' has already been featured in a Marvel movie as a soundtrack [read here] making it only the second time in history that a Korean song is included in a Hollywood blockbuster movie, following the featuring of Psy's 'Hangover' in Black Panther. There is no end to just how widespread his popularity and influence, and as per speculations from fans, it seems that Jimin has found himself involved in yet another major Hollywood movie release, which is yet another major achievement to his name.

To put it into context, Pixar has a new movie titled 'Turning Red.' Notably, Pixar Animation Studios, or simply Pixar, is an American computer animation studio based in Emeryville, California, and is widely known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. The company is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is worth mentioning that Disney has produced 21 of the top 50 highest-grossing movies of all time, and revenues from the year 2020 placed it as the 4th largest movie studio company in the world [refer here].

Turning Red is a coming-of-age tale directed by Domee Shi about a young Chinese-Canadian girl, Mei-Lee, who morphs into a red panda whenever she gets too excited or stressed. The 13-year old girl is thus struggling on what path to take: should she remain calm and obedient or allow herself to experience the thrill that a young life/teenage life brings (which could see her turn into a red panda almost all the time). This film is widely being praised for being the company's first film ever to be led by Asians.

As such, Jimin being involved in any way in a movie from such a big company and in a ground-breaking film where it is the first time that Asians are leading both the production and cast is a big deal.

In this movie, there is a fictional boy group called 4*Town, consisting of 5 members. The group is one of the biggest artists to ever exist and also happens to be Mei's favorite band. The five members of the group each thrive in their individuality with distinctive characteristics, and the maknae (youngest member) of the group, Tae Young, is where the excitement comes in. Fans who have seen clips of the movie are convinced that this character is definitely inspired by Jimin. They nitpicked little details such as Jimin's mannerisms of caring for birds and other animals, his crooked tooth, the way he moves, how poses for photos, his kindness, and his overall look from the hair to the faces he makes. Everything seems to be perfectly aligned with Jimin as they know him. 

It has become such a hot topic on social media that POPSUGAR posted a feature article titled, “Did BTS’s Jimin Inspire Turning Red’s Tae Young? Is BTS’s Jimin in Pixar’s “Turning Red”? Fans Think So". The article further mentions that “Fans are pretty convinced the character (Tae Young) is based on Jimin.”

Here are some of the comparisons from fans.

On Tiktok, the video clip has accumulated over 1.7 million views and over 266k likes in just two days. Some other videos specifically pointing out the resemblance between Jimin and Tae Young have accumulated over 200k and 140k views. The comment section in all these videos is also filled with people convinced that Tae Young is definitely Jimin, and some even say they will watch the film just because of the Jimin reference.

Jimin's influence is undeniable and unmatched, and with all the times he is linked to Hollywood celebrities and films and the attention he receives from bigshots in the film industry, fans are convinced that it would be no surprise if he made an appearance in a Hollywood movie soon.

It is always a moment of joy and pride for Jimin's fans whenever he is acknowledged and featured in such major projects because he is highly talented and the best human being, and he deserves all the good things in life.