REVIEW: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Is A Visual Feast Combining Korean Mythology With K-Pop Culture

Animation is such an important and incredible medium in the film and television industry. It's the one form of filmmaking that allows for filmmakers to express their ideas without any limitations. It's why there's such a loud cry against live-action remakes, as they tend to take away what made the original animation so special in the first place, and most times, they can never match up to what came before.

This isn't the only issue that the fans of animation are having, but there seems to be a large amount of sequels releasing instead of original movies, whether they're from big studios such as Sony Pictures Animation or smaller independent production companies such as LAIKA. Thankfully, a resurgence has come of original animated films with Elio from Pixar and KPop Demon Hunters from Sony, which is just further proof that we need more original animated films.

Sony Pictures Animation never used to have much say in the competition against other competitors, but ever since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it feels like animation has been revolutionized, and not only has Sony Pictures Animation realized that they can bring much life to their animated films with the various unique stylistic styles they can choose from, but it seems like the industry as a whole has been inspired by Sony Pictures Animation's movement.

Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhan tag team to bring KPop Demon Hunters, which follows K-Pop girl group Huntrix, consisting of Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), who lead double lives as secret demon hunters dedicated to protecting their fans from supernatural forces. Huntrix faces off against a rival boy band known as the Saja Boys, whose members are secretly demons.

This is a film that first got announced all the way back in 2021, and to finally witness it in all its glory is fantastic. It's an understatement to say how gorgeous the animation is for this movie. Maggie Kang enters with her directorial debut, highlighting that fresh talent is what is sometimes needed to execute these original ideas. With Chris Appelhans also directing the film alongside Maggie, it allows for some familiar faces who have worked with Sony before to return and offer their talents to what might arguably be Sony's best animated film since the Spider-Verse films.

© Netflix

So many stories have been told through cinema, and it's usual to see a director/writer put a little bit of themselves into their work. KPop Demon Hunters leans hard into Korean mythology and culture as it combines the two to create an extravagant, unique experience. K-Pop is a huge phenomenon not just in South Korea but across the whole world. There are many girl groups and boy groups who perform and have fans that flock to them like sheep in support of their work, talent and lifestyles.

While KPop Demon Hunters is an action musical film at its core, Maggie Kang really nails the K-Pop culture, from the world tours and stunning performances to the rehearsals, PR, fan events and even their stylish looks. It's usual for most animated films to have their main cast of characters stick with one iconic fit during the whole film before maybe one final change in the end. Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans ensured that they were able to get many different styles of outfits into the film for Huntrix to showcase how important fashion is in K-Pop culture.

This movie absolutely nails its K-Pop nature, even down to how fans react when there are two groups that have their fans pitting against each other. There's not much mention of other girl groups aside from of course Huntrix themselves and Twice, who appear a few times on posters or leaderboards as Easter eggs, as they also performed a rendition of "TAKEDOWN", an original song in the film by Huntrix. When the Saja Boys, a new boy group who gain popularity overnight, get introduced, Huntrix finally begin to feel the competition as the Saja Boys make attempts to steal their fans, but that's not all; they're also secretly demons trying to take down Huntrix.

Maggie Kang's writing brings a story that's rich with world-building and character development. The film opens up explaining how, in each generation, there are demon hunters who power the Honmoon, which shields the demons and their king, Gwi-ma (Byung-hun Lee), away from their world with the power of music, which ignites the soul and brings people together. We're introduced to Rumi, who is pop star royalty, with her mom being a part of Sunlight Sisters (a previous girl group); the lead singer, Mira, who is the visual lead dancer of the group; and finally, Zoey, who is the youngest and also their rapper and lyricist.

This is a group of characters that you will no doubt fall in love with. Their personalities are bubbly and overall feel like a family. The unique animation style of the movie allows for the characters to go wild with their expressions to the point where it can look like they're coming straight out of another film. Maggie Kang wanted to create a group of women superheroes and showcase both their goofy and sexy sides at the same time, and she achieves it effortlessly. Huntrix are close to powering up the Honmoon and need their latest single, "Golden", performed live to achieve this and finally have a well-deserved rest, but there's a secret that holds them back. Rumi is half demon!

© Netflix

This is a secret that she's been holding back from her friends for as long as she can. She promises that she will reveal it to them once they power up the Honmoon, but with her patterns gone, there's the question of if she would have ever revealed to them that she was originally half demon. This plays a lot into the group's relationship and how it begins to fall apart the longer Rumi keeps holding this secret from them that could very much tear the group apart, which is exactly what the Saju Boys want.

When Jinu (Ahn Hyun-seop), a demon who wants to be freed from Gwi-ma's grasp, is introduced, matters start to get complicated for Rumi personally and the rest of her group as the Saju Boys enter to destroy their image and everything they worked so hard for. Rumi and Jinu begin to connect with one another once he discovers her secret, and they realise that they're not that different from one another after discovering about each other's past.

This movie has a great balance of action and music, but it's really at its best when focusing on Rumi's emotions and her connection with Mira and Zoey but also with Jinu, giving this film the emotional impact it needs to drive it to its conclusion. It can often fall under some clichés with the secret being hidden and reactions to the secrets and betrayals that you can see coming a mile away, but it's all made up by how innovative this film is.

Rumi leads the movie, but she wouldn't be complete without Mira and Zoey, who are just a joy to watch. Oblivious of Rumi's real problems, they're still supportive of her losing her voice and not being able to rehearse, but they're also simply just outright hilarious, and that's where a lot of the film's comedy comes from. With the Saju Boys introduced, although they know they must defeat them, they can't help but be hypnotised by the hot group of demons as Zoey's eyes turn into a cry of popcorn after witnessing their abs.

KPop Demon Hunters is a film that looks deep into its Korean mythology and culture to combine and create a film about badass K-Pop stars who also hunt down demons. Maggie Kang outdoes herself in her directorial debut, and Chris Appelhans proves once more why he's a great director in the hands of Sony Pictures Animation. It goes without saying that this is one of the best animated movies to release this year and also one of the best in Sony Pictures Animation's library. It's a great showcase that Sony Pictures Animation are a worthy opponent in the animation industry and that if they continue in this direction, they'll leave a mark that will be remembered for years to come. In the end, KPop Demon Hunters is a movie that's a visual feast that's enjoyable, energetic, emotional and an engaging ride that throws you into a world of K-Pop music that blends with its explosive dynamic action. The only real negative here is that it wasn't a theatrical release.

Rating: ★★★★☆

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KPop Demon Hunters. © Netflix

About KPop Demon Hunters

Premiere Date: June 20, 2025

Executive Producer: Michelle Wong

Writers: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan

Directors: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans

Production: Sony Pictures Animation

Distribution: Netflix

Cast: Arden Cho, May Hong, Ji-young Yo, Ahn Hyo-seop, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, Byung-hun Lee

Synopsis: Three members of the K-pop girl group Huntrix – Rumi, Mira, and Zoey – who lead double lives as secret demon hunters dedicated to protecting their fans from supernatural forces. Huntrix faces off against a rival boy band known as the Saja Boys, whose members are secretly demons.