Tag: Netflix animation

Films

K-Pop Demon Hunters Wins Big at Critics’ Choice Awards, Strengthening Oscar Buzz

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Netflix’s animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters marked a major milestone in its awards-season journey after clinching two prestigious honours at the 31st Critics’ Choice Awards, held on January 4 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. The film was named Best Animated Feature, standing out in a competitive category that included titles such as Zootopia 2, Elio, In Your Dreams, and Arco.

Adding to the night’s success, the film also won Best Original Song for Golden, a track that has quickly become one of the most talked-about pieces from the movie’s soundtrack. With two wins, K-Pop Demon Hunters emerged as one of the ceremony’s notable successes, significantly strengthening its standing as an awards-season frontrunner.

The Critics’ Choice Awards, presented by the Critics’ Choice Association — representing nearly 600 film and television critics across North America — are widely regarded as an early indicator of Academy Awards momentum. Strong performances at this stage often translate into further recognition during the Oscars race.

Beyond cinema, the film’s influence has extended into the music industry. Golden has secured multiple Grammy nominations, including the coveted Song of the Year category. The track is also nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Song Written for Visual Media, and Best Remixed Recording. Additionally, the film’s soundtrack album is competing for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, bringing the project’s total Grammy nominations to five.

With major wins at the Critics’ Choice Awards and growing traction at the Grammys, K-Pop Demon Hunters is increasingly being viewed as a rare cross-industry success. The film highlights the expanding global reach of Korean-inspired animation and pop culture, proving its ability to resonate with audiences and critics alike across multiple creative platforms.

Films

KPop Demon Hunters: Netflix Hit Redefines Female Superheroes Through K-pop and Korean Mythology

Tanisha Cardozo

Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters isn’t just a film—it’s a genre-defying cultural explosion. Co-directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, this animated superhero movie has taken the platform by storm, becoming the second most popular English-language film on Netflix, while simultaneously earning critical acclaim and charting on Billboard.

The film follows Huntr/x, a fictional K-pop girl group who double as demon-fighting superheroes. Armed with magical musical powers and real-world sass, the girls take on ancient evil with a blend of pop performance and supernatural flair. Alongside them—or sometimes against them—are the Saja Boys, a rival male idol group with secrets and powers of their own.

What makes KPop Demon Hunters truly groundbreaking, however, is its unapologetically raw portrayal of its female leads. “They eat messily, they burp, they make weird faces,” says director Maggie Kang. “I wanted to break away from the polished, idealized female characters we usually see in animation.”

Kang took a hands-on, physical approach to directing. She often had her animation team act out scenes to capture authentic emotion, comedic timing, and real human gestures. When scenes didn’t quite land, Kang would step in and demonstrate the facial expressions herself—sometimes contorting her face to extreme degrees to convey a particular feeling.
“Even when you draw, you want to feel the expressions,” Kang told Q host Gill Deacon.

More than just a stylistic tour de force, KPop Demon Hunters roots itself in deep Korean heritage. The film’s opening sequence—depicting generations of Korean musicians fighting supernatural forces—draws heavily from Korean shamanism and folklore. Kang’s own upbringing between Toronto and summers in Seoul shaped the narrative, blending diasporic identity with mythological storytelling.

“When we grounded the mythology into Korean shamanism, it opened up this opportunity to feature different eras of Korea and show how Korean music evolved through the ages,” she explained.

The fictional group’s impact isn’t limited to the screen. Huntr/x’s track “Golden” hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200, while the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack soared to No. 2 on the Billboard 200—making it the top-charting soundtrack of 2025.

“I didn’t think this kind of reaction was even possible,” Kang said. “It’s incredible.”

With voice performances from Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Lee Byung-hun, the film has a dynamic and diverse ensemble that brings the world of Huntr/x vividly to life.

Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters is proof that authentic cultural storytelling—blended with universal themes, bold creativity, and the magnetic rivalry between Huntr/x and the Saja Boys—can break every mold, entertain, and inspire.