Mar 16, 2026
3 min read
"Kpop Demon Hunters" ends the award season on a high note
"Kpop Demon Hunters" tops the awards season
The Netflix movie, which follows two fictional K-pop bands, HUNTR/X and Saya Boyz, took home Oscars Sunday for best animated feature and best song.
Co-director/writer Maggie Kang and producer Michelle Wong became the first Koreans to win the animated feature category.They received the award alongside co-director Chris Appelhans.
"Golden" also became the first Kpop song to win an Oscar.
"To all the fans who brought us here and everyone who looks like me, I'm sorry it took so long to see us in a movie like this. But it's here, and that means the next generation won't have to yearn for it," Kang said in her speech about making a movie where other Koreans can see themselves. "This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere."
Appelhans also spoke about the power of music and storytelling to "connect us as people across cultures and borders."
"So I just want to take a moment to all the young filmmakers, artists, musicians in every corner of the world.tell your story, sing with your voice,” Aplins said."I promise you the world is waiting."
The film rocked awards season, taking home two Golden Globes (for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song in a Motion Picture) and two wins at the Critics' Choice Awards.History was also made at the Grammy Awards, and K-pop won its first ever win at the coveted music show.
The animated blockbuster, produced by Sony Animation and released by Netflix in June, gave the streaming platform its first No. 1 box office title when it opened in theaters last year.Its soundtrack became Billboard's highest-charting soundtrack of 2025, and hit songs from the film (such as "Golden" and "Your Idol") topped the U.S. Spotify chart.
The plot follows HUNTR/X members Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) who must use their music to save demons from the human world.
Fan passion for "KPop Demon Hunters" was so widespread that the characters from the film became popular choices for Halloween costumes.And the vocalists behind the characters' singing voices – including HUNTR/X singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami – have gained a huge fan base.
Netflix announced last week that a sequel is in the works.
