From Seoul Streets to the Supernatural: The Film’s Visual Mastery

KPop Demon Hunters is the latest Netflix original to take the world by storm. Available since June, the animated film had already been streamed over 33 million times by the end of the second week of its release. At the time of writing, it is in Netflix’s global top 10 in 93 countries and number two overall. Fans have already started making and sharing their fan art of the characters, and the clamour for a sequel grows daily on social media.

KPop Demon Hunters is also making waves in real life. Since the film’s release on 20 June, its two central (fictional) bands, the all-female Huntr/x and their troublemaking rivals Saja Boys, have been topping charts and outperforming K-pop juggernauts BTS and Blackpink. Seven songs from KPop Demon Hunters have reached the Billboard Hot 100, with two claiming the top two positions on Spotify’s US chart. That is a feat rarely achieved by actual singers.

The film tells the story of the three members of Huntr/x: Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, three powerful warriors who must balance the pressures of global superstardom with a secret mission to save the world from demonic forces. The resulting battles with the nefarious Saja Boys are interspersed with spectacular music performances, fast-paced action, and themes of friendship, trust, and self-acceptance. The combination is proving popular across cultures, earning fans a following with its humour, emotional scenes, and generous dollop of action fantasy.

While the visuals and plot have attracted viewers, it’s KPop Demon Hunters’ music that has become the film’s true calling card. Inspired by the Korean idols she grew up listening to, co-director Maggie Kang says she was determined to reflect the same feeling of kinship in the film. The music is also deeply integrated into the action. In addition to live performances, the songs are often presented as anti-darkness chants. Sung in English, their use feels organic and narrative-driven. “It gives the film a surprising level of maturity,” says Lashai Ben Salmi, an Amsterdam-based community leader for the Korean Creative Content industry in Europe.

For a level of authenticity and production quality on par with the real K-pop phenomenon, Kang and her fellow director Chris Appelhans turned to a Korean record label and a collection of real-world industry heavyweights to bring their vision to life. Teddy Park, a Grammy-nominated record producer who has worked with Blackpink, and Grammy winner Lindgren, who is best known for his work with BTS and TWICE, co-wrote the original soundtrack with songs that sound as if they could feature on the next K-pop album.

The soundtrack has worked its way into the playlists of viewers who would not normally count themselves K-pop fans. Amanda Golka, a Los Angeles-based content creator who typically steers clear of Korean music, is now a believer. “I have been blasting the soundtrack from Spotify every time I’m in the car,” she says. “It’s fascinating how music can be such a universal language.”

Honouring Tradition

KPop Demon Hunters’ appeal is based on more than cutting-edge songs. From the get-go, a big part of its success has been down to an attention to cultural detail that goes beyond background extras. K-pop, Korean dramas, and Korean cinema have been huge in the US and other Western markets in recent years, but KPop Demon Hunters goes one step further. In addition to traditional dining etiquette, there are shots of historic Seoul locations like the ancient city walls, the Hanuiwon holistic clinics, public bathhouses, and Namsan Tower. These were carefully chosen by the team, steering away from the tired trope of overused tourist spots, and strike a chord with Korean viewers, who have few opportunities for accurate, respectful representation.

To capture this attention to detail, the production team visited South Korea, where they scouted folk villages and local areas for inspiration. Production artists photographed the streets of Myeongdong for street scenes, worked on traditional clothing, and watched Korean television. Animators made sure the characters’ lip movements matched Korean pronunciation despite the English-language soundtrack and mimicked Korean expressions and reactions. The film also features some Korean words or lyrics.

As much as the film is about K-pop fandom — complete with fan signing events, waving of coloured light sticks, Kalgunmu (Korean for perfectly synchronised dance routines), and Korean language placards on the walls — it is also a love letter to K-pop culture as a whole, rather than a single act or era. This inclusive approach has won it appeal with casual viewers while keeping devoted fans coming back for K-pop Easter eggs.

Fantasy action in the film is also peppered with traditional elements. Huntr/x’s swords and fans, for example, have their roots in the divination tools of Mudang (Korean shamans). The design of the Saja Boys, meanwhile, is inspired by Korean folkloric depictions of the Grim Reaper. Traditional symbols such as Dangsan trees and Dokkaebi goblins make several appearances, as do some folk-inspired mascots, with the tiger Derpy and magpie Sussy representing guardianship and good luck, respectively.

Above all, though, KPop Demon Hunters’ central story is one of self-acceptance, identity, and the coming of age. Characters have to confront and accept who they are and learn to trust in themselves, not just to be themselves but to be the best versions of themselves. It’s a universal story. “Your friends may not understand right away, but they do love you and they will figure it out,” Golka says. “I think that has resonated with people.”