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'KPop Demon Hunters' wins Best Animated Feature and Best Song at 31st Critics Choice Awards

Published: 05 Jan. 2026, 14:14 Updated: 05 Jan. 2026, 18:47

The cast and crew of Netflix's animated hit ″KPop Demon Hunters″ (2025) pose for a photo after the film received Best Animated Feature at the 31st Critics Choice Awards at The Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, on Jan. 4. From left is Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang, Michelle Wong, Arden Cho, May Hong and Yoo Ji-young. [AP/YONHAP]

“KPop Demon Hunters” (2025), directed by Korean American Maggie Kang, won two prizes at the 31st Critics Choice Awards, one of the most prestigious ceremonies hosted by North American film critic associations.

The Netflix animated film took home the Best Animated Feature award, beating other nominees including “Zootopia 2” (2025), “Elio” (2025), “In Your Dreams” (2025) and “Arco” (2025).

“KPop Demon Hunters” also won Best Song for “Golden” (2025).

The film’s triumph over heavyweight contenders from animation powerhouses — such as Disney's “Zootopia 2” and Pixar's “Elio” — is also raising hopes for a win at the 98th Oscars, for which the film has been short-listed for nominations in two categories: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

The Critics Choice Association, comprising around 600 broadcast and film critics and journalists from the United States and Canada, hosts the Critics Choice Awards each year to recognize outstanding films, television shows and performances.

The 31st edition took place at The Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, on Sunday.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]