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KPop Demon Hunters

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KPop Demon Hunters
On a platform, members of Huntrix (from left to right: Mira, Rumi, and Zoey) as Demon Hunters, stand on a stage holding combat weapons with a larger digital banner showing them in their normal outfits promoting the band's world tour appearing behind them. The skyline of Seoul, including the N Seoul Tower, is seen in the background.
Release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
  • Danya Jimenez[1]
  • Hannah McMechan[1]
  • Maggie Kang[1]
  • Chris Appelhans[1]
Story byMaggie Kang[1]
Produced byMichelle Wong[2]
Starring
Edited byNathan Schauf[3]
Music byMarcelo Zarvos[1]
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix[1]
Release date
  • June 20, 2025 (2025-06-20)
Running time
100 minutes[5]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

KPop Demon Hunters is a 2025 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released by Netflix. It was directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans from a screenplay they co-wrote with the writing team of Danya Jimenez and Hannah McMechan, based on a story conceived by Kang. The film stars the voices of Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Lee Byung-hun. It follows a K-pop girl group, Huntr/x,[a] who lead double lives as demon hunters; they face off against a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, whose members are secretly demons.

KPop Demon Hunters originated from Kang's desire to create a story inspired by her Korean heritage, drawing on elements of mythology, demonology, and K-pop to craft a visually distinct and culturally rooted film. The film was reported to be in production at Sony Pictures Animation by March 2021, with the full creative team attached. The film was animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks and was stylistically influenced by concert lighting, editorial photography, and music videos as well as anime and Korean dramas. The soundtrack features original songs by several talents, and a score composed by Marcelo Zarvos.

KPop Demon Hunters was released on June 20, 2025, on Netflix to critical acclaim, with praise for its animation, visual style, voice acting, story, humor, emotional weight, and music. The film's soundtrack album also saw major success, reaching top ten positions on multiple music and streaming charts.

Plot

Long ago, demons preyed on humans, feeding their souls to their ruler Gwi-Ma. Eventually, three women became demon hunters and sealed the demons away with a magical barrier called the Honmoon. Their legacy persisted throughout the generations, with each new trio using their singing voices to maintain the Honmoon, working to eventually strengthen it into the Golden Honmoon – a final seal that would banish demons permanently.

In the present, the K-pop girl group Huntr/x – comprised of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey – is a demon-hunting group under the guidance of Celine, a previous hunter who raised Rumi. After completing their world tour, Huntr/x release and prepare for the first live performance of a new single, "Golden", until Rumi begins losing her voice due to her secret demon heritage, which only Celine knows. As a child, Celine told Rumi that turning the Honmoon gold would erase her demon marks.

In the demon realm, Gwi-Ma grows enraged at his minions' failures. A demon named Jinu proposes a new strategy to form a K-pop boy group, the Saja Boys, to steal Huntr/x's fans and weaken the Honmoon, in exchange for Gwi-Ma erasing his memories from when he was a human. Huntr/x encounter the Saja Boys and quickly discover their true nature. Jinu discovers Rumi's demon nature as they fight, but helps hide it from her bandmates.

Meeting privately, Jinu tells Rumi that feelings of shame and sorrow enslave demons through voices from Gwi-Ma. He reveals that around 400 years earlier, Gwi-Ma granted him a beautiful voice that helped him and his family emerge from poverty, but then condemned him to the demon realm; Jinu now lives with guilt over his family's demise.

As the Idol Awards approach, Huntr/x rush to produce a new song, "Takedown", to expose the Saja Boys while their popularity skyrockets. Mira grows suspicious of Rumi when she questions if "Takedown" is too hateful toward demons. Torn between her identities, Rumi proposes a plan to Jinu: if he helps Huntr/x win the Idol Awards and strengthen the Honmoon, he could freely stay in the human world.

As the Honmoon weakens and more souls are stolen by demons, Mira tells Rumi to prioritize saving lives over rewriting "Takedown." Rumi confides in Jinu that her shame over her heritage weakened her voice, but talking with him healed it. Jinu confirms he no longer hears voices thanks to Rumi and agrees to sabotage the Saja Boys. Gwi-Ma then summons Jinu, reminding him of their deal and the truth that he abandoned his family, and threatens to bring back the tormenting voices unless he obeys him.

At the Idol Awards, the Saja Boys fail to appear, and Huntr/x perform "Golden" to promote unity over hatred. However, impostor demons sent by Jinu split Mira and Zoey from Rumi, then pose as them to trick Rumi into performing "Takedown", during which they reveal her demon marks. She flees the stage and runs into the real Mira and Zoey, who feel betrayed upon learning of her heritage and collusion with Jinu. Rumi confronts Jinu for tricking her, and he admits to lying about his past.

Gwi-Ma casts a trance over Mira, Zoey, and the public, drawing them to the Saja Boys' final performance designed to shatter the Honmoon and unleash him. Rumi meets with Celine and asks her to end her life. Celine refuses and offers to conceal the events, but Rumi lashes out at Celine for never fully loving her before leaving.

Rumi interrupts the Saja Boys' performance with a new song addressing shame and fear, breaking Gwi-Ma's trance. Reunited, Huntr/x fight back and free the crowd. A repentant Jinu sacrifices himself to save Rumi from Gwi-Ma, transferring his restored soul to her; the empowered Huntr/x defeat Gwi-Ma and the Saja Boys, ultimately sealing the demons and creating a new Honmoon.

Afterward, Rumi, no longer ashamed of her marks, reconciles with Mira and Zoey, and they later meet with their fans in public.

Voice cast

Production

Development

In March 2021, a film with the working title K-Pop: Demon Hunters was announced to be underway at Sony Pictures Animation. Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans would direct with writing duo Hannah McMechan and Danya Jimenez writing the script and Aron Warner and Michelle L. M. Wong serving as producers.[4][19][2] Mingjue Helen Chen and Ami Thompson were also announced as production designer and art director, respectively.[4]

It was conceived by Kang who wanted to make a film "set in Korean culture"; she "delved into mythology and demonology for something that could be visually unique" compared to "mainstream media".[20] She also called the film her "love letter to K-Pop" and her "Korean roots".[4] On character design, Kang highlighted wanting to differentiate from "Marvel female superheroes that were just sexy and cool and badass" and instead have "girls who had potbellies and burped and were crass and silly and fun" leading to the creation of "something that encompassed all of those elements".[21] She was also influenced by "how Bong Joon Ho juggles so many different tones in his films to where they feel very animated".[20] Appelhans came on board later on after Kang told him her initial ideas for the film; he planned to take a long break after having directed Wish Dragon (2021).[20] He stated that he "always wanted to do a film about the power of music – to unite, bring joy, build community."[4] Kang explained that when developing the history of the demon hunters they decided to play into "the shaman women from Korean culture" as historically these women would "sing and dance to protect their village and their communities".[22]

The three members of Huntr/x were modeled after K-pop girl groups like Itzy, Blackpink, and Twice. Kang commented that 2NE1 and Blackpink provided an early reference.[23] The character of Mira was inspired by Korean model Ahn So-yeon.[24] The Saja Boys were inspired by Korean boy bands such as Tomorrow X Together, BTS, Stray Kids, Ateez, BigBang, and Monsta X.[25] Korean actor and singer Cha Eun-woo was a key influence for Jinu, the group's leader.[26] Jinu is the only Saja Boy who "has a real name" while "the rest of the band members have names that are more descriptive of K-pop archetypes".[27] Baek Byung-yeul of The Korea Times stated the styling of both groups connects to "the past and the present of Korea" – the members of Huntr/x "wear 'norigae' pendants integrated into modern K-pop fashion, while Saja Boys perform in black hanbok and traditional horsehair hats for their song 'Your Idol,' evoking the image of the jeoseung saja, the Korean equivalent of the grim reaper".[9] Additionally, the weapons Huntr/x wields are rooted in "traditional Korean objects".[9] Kang highlighted the visual journey in the character design such as the Saja Boys starting in a "bubble gum pop, very saccharine, super sweet look" and shifting darker until they "look like the iconic Grim Reaper with the hat".[28] Appelhans commented that one of the design challenges were the costumes since they also acted as "plot points", noting that the gold outfits worn during the "Golden" song symbolize "their kind of MacGuffin of a dream" where Huntr/x aspire for perfection and being "beyond reproach".[28] However, at the second act's end, the ideal is visually represented as broken as "Rumi is standing there" with the dream "literally and physically in tatters".[28]

A Korean folk painting of the Tiger and the Magpie

Hanh Nguyen, for Salon, highlighted that Jinu's pet tiger and magpie – which the creative team call Derpy and Sussy respectively – are based on minhwa, "a style of Korean folk art popular during the [Joseon period], with the Hojak-do genre specializing in images of tigers, magpies and pine trees"; the depiction of these animals together changed over time "to become more satirical by the 17th century".[12] Park Han-sol of The Korea Times wrote that minhwa was often "whimsical" with "mischievous details" and depictions of tiger and magpie delivered "a playful jab at those in power".[29] She commented that the film's gag of the magpie stealing the tiger's hat "feels like an affectionate nod to the long-running visual joke".[29] Story artist Radford Sechrist explained that "Derpy's bright blue hue" possibly originated with production designer Helen Mingjue Chen wanting to give "the tiger a more magical feel" and confirmed that Sussy has "six eyes total, three on each side".[12] Kang commented that Derpy was initially conceived as a "fun character" without a clear role, however, they did not want him to be just "a sidekick".[12] The team was inspired by a painting by Chen of "a statue of a tiger turning into a real tiger" next to an open shirt Jinu which led to the idea of Derpy being Jinu's pet, eventually becoming "a mailbox basically" to help the characters communicate "and then the bird tagged along".[12] Kang also stated that while the animals "live between these two worlds", they are not demons and it is left mysterious.[30]

Casting

In April 2025, Ji-young Yoo was revealed to star in the film as Zoey.[31][32] The rest of the cast was announced later that month.[1]

Animation

The film was animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks in both its Vancouver and Montreal facilities with Josh Beveridge as the head of character animation.[20] Appelhans highlighted inspiration was drawn from "music videos, editorial photography, K-dramas, concert lighting, a touch of anime".[20] Kang explained that after watching Sony's Spider-Verse films, which are animated in a "hybrid 2D-3D style", it was decided to "pull away from every 2D element in our movie" and "[take] a lot of inspiration from faces and the look and feel of anime" with the aim of doing "a CG version of it".[20] Beveridge similarly noted the inspiration of "2D aesthetics but with three-dimensional language" and that the film should have a "very bold graphic look".[20] Beveridge also highlighted shifting the characters' faces to reflect the film's tone such "high-glamour moments" where "they need to feel like pop stars in an animated world", "animated aggro" which has "faces with a lot more line work, a lot more angularity", and "hyper-ridiculous" moments referred to as "Chibi, or demi-Chibi", with characters having "super-cute and exaggerated features".[20] Kang emphasized the crew's effort to authentically represent Korean identity through character animation, such as "mouth shapes and eye shapes that were very Korean".[28] Although the characters speak English, Kang explained that the animators designed "mouth shapes that you would only make as a Korean person, with our Korean language".[28]

Music

Main article: KPop Demon Hunters (soundtrack)

When comparing the songs of Huntr/x and the Saja Boys, Appelhans explained they "wanted the Saja Boys' songs to be super catchy, but slightly hollow, like there's no real soul underneath" which contrasts with the "emotionally vulnerable and honest" Huntr/x songs – "the idea was that the surface-level part of your heart might be obsessed with the boys, but the deeper part is moved by the girls".[23] The film's original songs were written by Danny Chung, Ido, Vince, Kush, Ejae, Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Lindgren, Mark Sonnenblick, and Daniel Rojas; and produced by Teddy Park, 24, Ido, Dominsuk, Andrews, Kirk, Lindgren, and Ian Eisendrath. Marcelo Zarvos composed the score. The soundtrack also features the voices of Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, Andrew Choi, Kevin Woo, samUIL Lee, Neckwav, and Lea Salonga. The soundtrack was released on June 20, 2025; the lead single "Takedown" is performed by Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung of Twice.[32][33][34]

In the United States, the soundtrack album holds the highest debut on the Billboard 200 chart for soundtracks released in 2025 and is the first soundtrack of 2025 to reach the top ten.[35] The album is also the highest-charting animated film's soundtrack album on the chart since Metro Boomin's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) at number seven, as well as the first Netflix soundtrack to reach number one on the Top Soundtracks in around two years.[36] The BBC highlighted that Huntr/x and the Saja Boys – with "Golden" and "Your Idol" respectively – topped the US Spotify chart with Huntr/x hitting "number two on the chart, surpassing Blackpink as the highest-charting female K-pop group", and the Saja Boys becoming "the highest charting male K-pop group in US Spotify history", surpassing BTS.[37] "Golden", the album's second single, eventually reached number one on the Billboard Global 200,[38] and in South Korea, "Golden" became the third song to achieve a 2025 perfect all-kill on the charts.[39]

Release

When the film was first announced in March 2021, a release timetable was not set.[4] Later on that same month, the film was listed to have a release type of theatrical.[19] In April 2022, it was reported that Netflix registered a filing for the film.[40][41] The film was confirmed to be coming to the streamer in February 2023, in a Business Insider interview with Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman.[42] In June 2024, the film was announced to be released in 2025.[43] In April 2025, it was revealed by an animator that the film would be released in June, while later that month, it was announced for a release date of June 20, 2025.[1] In addition to streaming on Netflix, KPop Demon Hunters had a limited theatrical release at select cinemas in California and New York. Billboard noted this release was "just enough to satisfy the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' highly specific eligibility requirements".[44] On July 29, 2025, Netflix announced that KPop Demon Hunters had become the platform's "most watched original animated film of all time".[45][46]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 56 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Animated with infectious energy and vibrant colors, KPop Demon Hunters is jaunty family entertainment with a terrific soundtrack to boot."[47] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 76 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[48]

Brandon Yu, for The New York Times, stated KPop Demon Hunters "is an original universe that is charming, funny and artfully punchy", commenting that it "is funniest when it pokes at pop culture that is highly manufactured, from K-pop to K-dramas to mass-produced singing competitions".[49] Matt Goldberg of TheWrap commented that the plot would "be painfully overwrought if not for the terrific thread of comedy" throughout the film, noting it "knows when to poke fun at K-pop and K-drama tropes".[50] David Tizzard of The Korea Times called the film "outrageously good" and praised its representation of Korean culture, saying that it "quietly captures the texture of everyday life with an intimacy rarely seen in global content".[51] Tizzard also commented that it is not only "a love letter to K-pop" but it is "also a sharply observed, sometimes unflinching look at the culture that surrounds it".[51] Yu noted that it "shares a kind of lineage" with Sony Pictures Animation's Spider-Verse and while it shares a "similar visual style", what the film "borrows mostly is a more holistic and technical sense of the cinematic" with "fluid" action, "striking" art, and music that serves as a "dynamic storytelling tool".[49] Isaiah Colbert of Io9 similarly commented that "the animation team at Sony Pictures Animation didn't skimp, delivering yet another visual treat with decadent and vibrant animation" after their success with Spider-Verse; he highlighted the "bold and expressive" character designs which allows Huntr/x to shift from idol protagonists to "the kind of approachable girls with gremlin-like tendencies".[52] Toussaint Egan of IGN opined that the film "knows how to tackle serious subject matter without taking itself too seriously which, along with its stunning production value and exciting action sequences, makes for a wholly entertaining experience".[53] Goldberg praised Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans "for understanding that even though their setting may be outlandish, they still have to treat the stakes as real".[50] Jeff Ewing, for Collider, stated that the film lands "a beautifully bonkers fantasy premise" and has "interesting lore around demons, music, and hunters, which is novel yet feels rich".[54] Peter Debruge, for Variety, called the film "fast and efficient", and while the "human-demon rom-com plot might be predictable", he thought KPop Demon Hunters was "more entertaining" than Pixar's Elio (2025).[55]

On the voice cast, Ewing commented that the actresses for the members of Huntr/x "have clearly distinct personalities and a strong collective dynamic", noting that "May Hong and Ji-young Yoo land Mira and Zoey" respectively and "Arden Cho gives a complex and emotional vocal performance as lead Rumi"; additionally, "Ahn Hyo-seop is great as the clever, charismatic demon/boy band lead Jinu".[54] Colbert also praised "the phenomenal voice work of its main cast" along with film's authentic "musicality" which "ensures that the songs are so catchy that even the most reluctant K-pop critic would find themselves bobbing their head and humming along to the chorus".[52] He also commented that the film "explores music as both a haven and a form of emotional expression", which is similar to both "Turning Red and, surprisingly, Sinners", but noted it stands out by embracing "the magical girl anime aesthetic".[52] Wilson Chapman of IndieWire thought the most "impressive" aspect of the film's music was how the directors Kang and Appelhans found "smart, varied ways to stage the songs" such as a demon fight for "How It's Done", a music video "emulating the high-budget endeavors of real-world groups" for "Golden", a creation montage for "Takedown", and a "spirited dance number" for "Soda Pop".[56] Chapman stated that "versatility with how it flexes its musical muscles makes the K-pop trappings more than just a goofy gimmick but a central and vital component of its storytelling".[56] Debruge noted that "because the nimble, genre-hopping movie is set in the world of K-pop" the audience might not be aware they are "watching a musical".[55] He also highlighted the "adorable animal sidekicks, which come in the form of a grinning tiger demon and a black bird in a tiny gat (hat), both designed to look like they've stepped straight out of Korean folklore".[55] Tizzard stated that including the magpie and tiger is not an "arbitrary flourish", but are instead "direct citations from Korea's folk art tradition" which the film "reinterprets ... with affection".[51] Egan highlighted that "the fight sequences, with their flashy choreography and anime-inflected verve, lean heavily on musical numbers featuring originals songs penned by a who's who list of popular Western artists and Kpop mainstays" and that it is a "visually sumptuous action fantasy with the kind of heartfelt chest belters that are sure to make ardent converts of fans of animated musicals".[53] Tizzard highlighted that the music is "produced by real industry heavyweights", stating that "the music slaps", it "is laced with lyrical nuance, and integrates seamlessly with the narrative".[51] Similarly, Goldberg noted that the "catchy" songs have plot stakes which "helps keep the tension going throughout the film".[50]

Angela Garcia of SLUG Magazine opined that due to the short runtime, KPop Demon Hunters "leaves you feeling like it's only scratched the surface of both the world and characters".[57] Garcia explained that "in some ways this is a testament to the enticing world building and likable characters, because the audience wants to know more and spend more time with this story and characters", however, "it also shows just how many ideas were here that were ultimately left underdeveloped".[57] Chapman also highlighted the short runtime, which he felt was both a "boon at points" and the film's "fatal flaw" – by moving quickly, the film lacks depth at points, such as Mira and Zoey receiving the "short shrift storyline wise", "not digging nearly enough into the resentment Rumi feels towards ... Celine", and a "rushed climax" which is "slightly underwhelming" and is "an overly easy resolution that doesn't give these lovable girls the ending they deserve".[56] Similarly, Colbert's main criticism was an "overly convenient" resolution as the ending was "so neatly tied up that it loses some of the depth that its setup promised".[52] Ewing felt the film could have spent more time building "up the other characters' emotional lives" and highlighted that the audience is "a bit shortchanged on Rumi's actually-very-important background".[54] Goldberg also noted an occasional tonal "whiplash" and explained it is "not so much that the movie needs to discard the emotional elements, but if they were going to head in that direction, then they needed to provide stronger arcs for Zoey and Mira, who largely play as comic relief until the film's climax".[50]

Future

In an interview with Screen Rant, director Maggie Kang expressed interest in a potential sequel and side stories to flesh out the universe of the film. She said that many questions that were raised remain unanswered fully and that "there are a lot of pockets that we can explore",[22] such as potential backstories for Mira and Zoey.[58] Director Chris Appelhans told People that "there are so many unanswered questions, in a good way, and so many avenues that could be their own story."[59] In July 2025, TheWrap reported that, following the success of KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix has been considering several potential follow-up projects, including two film sequels, a television series, a short film, and a stage musical.[60]

Notes

  1. ^ Pronounced as "Huntrix"[6][7]
  2. ^ Also referred to as Abby Saja[11][16]

References

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