Sony Pictures Animation’s latest flick, K-Pop Demon Hunters, is exactly what it sounds like on the tin – and that’s not a bad thing. Directed by Chris Appelhans (Wish Dragon) and first-time director Maggie Kang, the film is a musical action-comedy that follows Huntrix, a K-pop girl group who must balance their idol duties with their secret identities as demon hunters.
The three main characters of the film – Rumi, the leader and main vocal of Huntrix; Mira, the deadpan, snarky main dancer; and Zoey, the happy-go-lucky main rapper – don’t just fight demons, but also use their music to form a magical barrier against the evil demon king Gwi-Ma. Everything changes when a demonic boy band, the Saja Boys, come into town, threatening not only the girls’ success, but the fate of the world itself.
When K-Pop Demon Hunters was first announced in 2021, the internet largely reacted with skepticism – after all, we’ve all grown wary of foreign companies slapping “K-pop” onto their products as a cheap marketing gimmick. That skepticism only seemed to grow as more images and eventually teasers for the film were released, with many dismissing it as Sony’s attempt to ride off the success of League of Legends’ in-game girl group K/DA.
Now having seen the film, I can say that it very much subverts those expectations. It does remind me a little of K/DA, but only in the sense that it’s also a beautifully animated, loving homage clearly created by huge K-pop fans. The film also takes every opportunity to ground itself with references to Korean history and culture, making it clear that takes its inspirations seriously.
While K-Pop Demon Hunters features many exciting action sequences and stunningly animated musical performances, the standout highlight of its animation style are the faces. No character is spared from pulling these zany, cartoonish expressions that somehow remind me of both comedy anime and Looney Tunes at the same time.
The absolute funniest one of these gags involves one of the girls’ eyes turning into abs when she sees a boy – which then turn into stalks of corn, and which then explode into popcorn, which another girl comes over to snack on. The film fully takes advantage of its medium to deliver jokes like these, which could only work with its unique animated style.
The film’s story is just as entertaining as its animation, with a surprising amount of depth hidden beneath the surface. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that I didn’t expect to walk away from the Netflix K-pop animated movie thinking of how it could be read as a metaphor for mental health struggles, and how they can be made worse by family and societal expectations.
In other words, K-Pop Demon Hunters is the best kind of family film – one where kids will be entertained by the colourful visuals, while older fans will also find much to appreciate in the details. If you’re looking for something fun to put on this weekend, this one comes highly recommended.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is currently streaming on Netflix. Check out our list of Netflix June releases for more.
