KPop Demon Hunters Wins Two Oscars for Best Animated Feature & Best Original Song
The show made history at the 98th Academy Awards.
Netflix's Kpop Demon Hunters, an animated series that captivated audiences with its vibrant and eclectic style, has claimed two Academy Awards. On March 15, the show won Best Animated Feature Film, along with the Best Original Song award for its track Golden.
In the Best Animated Feature Film category, the show went up against Arco, Elio, Little Amélie or The Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2. For Best Original Song, it faced Dear Me from Diane Warren: Relentless, I Lied to You from Sinners, Sweet Dreams of Joy from Viva Verdi!, and Train Dreams from the eponymous film.
The show, created by Netflix in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation, was directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, and produced by Michelle L.M. Wong. Golden, the song performed by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, earlier became the first Korean song to win a Grammy award. EJAE, who performed the vocals for Rumi, spoke at the ceremony:
"Thank you so much to the Academy. Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop. Now everyone is singing our song, and in all of the Korean lyrics. I'm so proud."
Director Maggie Kang shared her emotions during the acceptance speech (via Variety):
"Thank you to the Academy and to all fans who got us here, and for those of you who look like me." The director continued: I'm so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this. But it is here. And that means that the next generations don’t have to go longing. This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere."
Watch the show team's talk to the press after winning the awards:
We have covered the show's behind-the-scenes moments several times before. For example, take a look at how Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks animated Rumi, crafted the show's VFX, and designed stylized yet authentic Seoul and check out fun reference videos from Daniel Ceballos and Eric Stinnissen, Senior Animators at Sony Imageworks:
Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Cartoon Brew
Last year, the Best Animated Feature award was taken by Flow, the animated fantasy adventure film directed by Gints Zilbalodis and created entirely within Blender. The film became the first Latvian film to be nominated and win an Oscar, as well as the first international submission to win in this category.
Don't forget to subscribe to our Newsletter and join our 80 Level Talent platform, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, and Instagram, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
