The Netflix animated film 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' set a new milestone for K-content by winning the Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.
At the awards ceremony held on the 15th local time at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' achieved the remarkable feat of being named the final winner, surpassing major works such as 'Zootopia 2' and 'Elio'.
Director Maggie Kang, the first Korean director to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, also captured global attention with her acceptance speech. Kang expressed, "I apologize for taking a long time to present a film with protagonists that resemble us," and added, "The next generation will not have to wait any longer, and I dedicate this honor to all Koreans around the world," which deeply moved many.
This work, co-directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, features a unique worldview centered around K-pop. The narrative dynamically portrays the girl group 'HuntRix' battling the evil boy group 'Lion Boys', and set an unprecedented record as the most-watched Netflix film immediately after its release in June last year.
The Academy Award win is seen as a result that was already anticipated. Following its sweep of the Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song in January, it won the Grammy Award for Best Song for Visual Media last month, marking the first time for the K-pop genre. The main track 'Golden' topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 8 consecutive weeks, perfectly proving its popularity.
Film industry experts analyze that the Oscar entry of 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' is a representative case proving the powerful global impact of the combination of K-pop and animation. As the work has been recognized for its artistic value on the highest authority stage, positive ripples are expected to affect the entire K-content industry in the future.
