K-pop Demon Hunters Nominated for Animated Feature and Original Song at the Oscars
A Netflix animated project built around K-pop culture, K-pop Demon Hunters, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Apfelhouns, is competing at the 98th Academy Awards. The film is nominated for two Oscar categories: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for the track Golden. While no Korean film is among this year’s nominees, industry observers are watching how Korean-inflected Hollywood projects perform on the awards stage.
The film’s voice cast includes Lee Jae, Audrey Nuna, and Ray Ami as the members of the fictional girl group Huntrix. The last-minute Oscar moment will see the trio take the stage to perform Golden, accompanied by traditional Korean dance and instruments, as part of the ceremony’s musical showcase.
Prediction watchers have the film favored in the animated feature race. Gold Derby’s forecast as of March 12 puts K-pop Demon Hunters at about 95.1% to win Best Animated Feature and about 89.7% for Golden in the Best Original Song category. By contrast, contenders such as Zootopia 2 and Cyrus’s I Lied to You trail far behind in these odds.
Industry outlets have noted the film’s prior awards run. It won at the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globes in its own circuit, and the animation industry’s Annie Awards recognized it across multiple categories. The song Golden has also achieved a Grammy milestone, marking a first for a K-pop song. A separate PGA Awards win credited the film’s producers with the best theatrical animated feature accolade.
Despite the string of wins, some observers caution that the Best Animated Feature Oscar has historically favored U.S. studios such as Disney and Pixar. Still, non-U.S. winners have appeared in recent years, and some analysts suggest the soundtrack could be the likeliest prize if the film does not sweep. Timothée Chalamet’s recent remarks are cited by some predictors as a factor that could influence votes, though opinions remain divided.
Separately, CJ ENM’s involvement in another Korean project, Bugonia, a Hollywood remake of the 2003 film Earth (지구를 지켜라) directed by Jang Joon-hwan, is drawing attention. Bugonia is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and carries four Oscar nominations in categories including Best Picture, Best Actress, Adapted Screenplay, and Music. The remake modifies the original story, shifting from a male CEO to a female CEO and reframing the conflict as a class and gender dynamic.
Bugonia’s profile underscores the growing collaboration between Korean studios and Hollywood talent. The production has been pitched as a way to translate Korean storytelling assets for a global audience, with CJ ENM cited as a key investor and producer in the project. The film premiered at the London Film Festival, where industry figures such as Emma Stone and Lanthimos attended.
For U.S. readers, the awards race matters beyond Korea because it highlights transnational collaboration in entertainment, the economics of cross-border film productions, and the potential for Korean-led projects to shape global streaming and box-office markets. The outcomes could influence future partnerships, investment flows, and the reception of Korean storytelling in American audiences, as well as the strategic importance of Asian capital in Hollywood’s development slate.