The Netflix animated film "K-pop Demon Hunters" won the animated feature award at the Academy Awards.
"KDH" beat formidable nominees including "Zootopia 2," "Arco," "Elio," and "Little Amelie" to take animated feature at the 98th Academy Awards, held on the 15th (local time) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles (LA).
Director Maggie Kang, who became the first Korean-descended filmmaker to win this award, choked up and said, "I'm sorry it took so long for a film like this, with 'people who look like me' as the protagonists, to come out. The next generation won't have to wait," adding, "I dedicate this award to Korea and Koreans around the world."
"KDH" is a K-pop-based animation co-directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, telling the story of the girl group Huntrix standing up to the evil spirit boy group Saja Boys, which preys on people's souls. Immediately after its release in June, the film shot to No. 1 all-time in Netflix film viewing hours and enjoyed near-syndromic popularity worldwide.
Earlier, buoyed by its popularity, "KDH" won animated film and original song at the Golden Globes in January, and at the Grammys last month it became the first in the K-pop genre to be named in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category. The film's track "Golden" also spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year.