“KPop Demon Hunters” has just made Oscar history.
The animated phenomenon, about a group of pop stars who also keep the world safe from immortal evil, is the first non-Disney or Pixar animated feature to pick up two Academy Awards. Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the movie grabbed the Best Animated Feature trophy, along with the Best Original Song Oscar for “Golden,” with music and lyrics by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park. The film was produced by Sony Pictures Animation, animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks and released by Netflix.
Since debuting on Netflix on June 20, 2025, the movie has become the most-watched original title in Netflix history, with more than 500 million views as of December 24, 2025. It was also the most-streamed movie of 2025.
The soundtrack was a similar smash, becoming the first soundtrack to have four songs in the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. It was certified double platinum.
By the time the Academy Awards rolled around, wins for “KPop Demon Hunters” were something of a foregone conclusion. It had won Best Animated Feature and Best Original song at both the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes. It swept the Annies and won the Best Song Written for a Visual Medium award at the Grammys.
And the phenomenon has no signs of slowing down. Beyond the Oscars, there will be more flashy consumer products partnerships rolled out, including with Nerf and Lego, and earlier this week Netflix officially announced that production on a sequel was underway, with Kang and Appelhans returning to direct. Additional installments in the “KPop Demon Hunters” universe, like a short film meant to bridge material between the original and sequel, plus a potential television series, are also in the works.
Netflix previously won the Best Animated Feature award for Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio.”
