“KPop Demon Hunters” won the Academy Award for best animated feature film on Sunday, capping a culturally defining run that has placed the musical-action movie atop both box-office and music charts.
Netflix’s big blockbuster follows HUNTR/X, a Korean girl group that battles otherworldly demons, a rival boy band and their lead singer’s own shame. Its choppy animation style, which combines 2D anime aesthetics with 3D CGI stylizations, underscores the high-octane action. The soundtrack, led by the Grammy-winning hit “Golden,” landed eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Alongside all the demon-slaying and choreography is a creative tale of self-acceptance that blends Korean mythology and K-pop idol culture.
In her acceptance speech, director Maggie Kang apologized to “those of you who look like me” that it took so long for them to be represented on the screen.
“This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere,” she said.
The win further demonstrates the global influence of South Korean pop culture. The film’s fantastical world, where the only force standing between evil spirits and humanity is one snack-loving vocal trio, inspired many children’s Halloween costumes in the United States. The HUNTR/X singers — Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — gained hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, performed at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and appeared alongside Bad Bunny on the “Saturday Night Live” season premiere.
Arden Cho, who provided the speaking voice for Rumi, was named one of The Associated Press’ Breakthrough Entertainers of 2025.
The film’s victory came as little surprise to those following awards season. The other nominees — “Arco,” “Elio,” “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” and “Zootopia 2” — had racked up few prizes at the shows leading up to the Oscars. “KPop Demon Hunters” won big at many of the precursors, including the Producers Guild Awards and the Golden Globes.
The recognition continues voters’ celebration of original animated stories that don’t adapt existing intellectual property. Recent winners include Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” and the Latvian film “Flow.”
Kang has said she wanted to fully immerse viewers in its Korean setting rather than explain certain elements for Western audiences. By “throwing people into the deep end of a culture,” she previously told the AP, it is easier to break down barriers. “If you don’t shine a light on it, it just becomes more easily accepted,” she said.
