‘KPop Demon Hunters’ makes Oscars history after dominating awards season
“Kpop Demon Hunters” ends awards season with a bang.
The Netflix film, which follows two fictional K-pop groups, HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, won the Academy Award for best animated feature on Sunday.
Co-director and screenwriter Maggie Kang and Producer Michelle Wong became the first person of South Korean descent to win in the animated feature film category. They accepted the award with co-director Chris Appelhans.
“To all the fans who brought us here and everyone who looks like me, sorry it took us so long to see ourselves in a film like this. But it’s here, and that means the next generations don’t have to wait,” Kang said in his acceptance speech about making a film in which other Koreans could see themselves. “This is for Korea and for Koreans around the world.”
Appelhans also spoke about the power of music and storytelling to “connect us as humans across cultures and borders.”
“I just want to take a moment to say to all the young filmmakers, artists and musicians around the world: tell your story, sing with your voice,” Appelhans said. “I promise you the world is waiting.”
The film swept awards season, winning two Golden Globes (for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song in a Motion Picture) and two wins at the Critics’ Choice Awards. He also made history at the Grammy Awards, giving the K-pop genre its first-ever win at the coveted music show.
The animated blockbuster, produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released by Netflix in June, gave the streaming platform its first No. 1 title at the box office when it hit theaters last year. Its score became Billboard’s top-charting soundtrack of 2025, and the film’s hit songs – such as “Golden” and “Your Idol” – also topped the Spotify charts in the United States.
Its plot follows HUNTR/X members Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), who must keep demons out of the human world through their music.
Fan fervor around “KPop Demon Hunters” was so widespread that the film’s characters became popular choices for Halloween costumes. And the singers behind the characters’ voices – including HUNTR/X singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami – have gained huge fan bases.
