by James Coulter
If you told me a decade ago that Sony Pictures Animation would be releasing animated movies better than Disney, I would have cocked an eyebrow. Back then, Sony was infamous for releasing dreck like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and The Emoji Movie.
However, within the past half decade, Sony has upped it game with movies that have blown Disney out of the water, releasing such stunning animated masterpieces like the Spider-Verse films, Mitchells vs. the Machines, and their biggest hit yet, KPop Demon Hunters.
Since its debut earlier this summer, KPop Demon Hunters has become a surprise hit. Not only has it become Netflix’s most-watched original title with 266 million views, but its soundtrack became the first to have four of its songs reach the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. But is KPop Demon Hunters really “Golden”? Or is it a film deserving of a “Take Down”?
KPop Demon Hunters follows three girls: Rumi, Mira, and Zoey. When they’re not busting rhymes as the K-pop trio Huntrix, they’re busy busting up demons as demon hunters. Their music also creates Honmoon, a magical barrier between the human and demon world.
However, when a group of demons disguised as a boy band enter the music scene, not only do their demonic melodies threaten to destroy the Honmoon, but also to knock Huntrix off the top of the music charts. Can the demon-hunting trio save the world and their title as the hottest K-pop bands?
KPop Demon Hunters is what you would get if you crossed Buffy: The Vampire Slayer with Jem and the Holograms. Of course, its overall anime aesthetic, especially with its magical girl characters slaying demons, makes it more comparable to anime like Sailor Moon and Demon Slayer.
Like many recent animated films like the Spider-Verse films and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, this movie’s art style offers a unique blend of 2-D and 3-D animation, resulting in a visually-stunning film that looks like a Japanese anime brought into the third dimension.
The art style shines brightest through its characters’ over-the-top expressions, like when the K-pop trio gorge themselves on a Korean snack platter before their big concert. One notable example is when the band’s energetic, bubbly rapper, Zoey, fawns over a hot guy’s abs, with her eyes turning into hearts, then ab-shaped corn cobs, and the popping into popcorn that her band mater, Mira, starts eating.
The movie’s creator and co-director, Maggie Kang, previously worked on Disney films like Ralph Breaks the Internet. She’s on record calling KPop Demon Hunters her “love letter to K-pop and Korean roots”, with the aim of the movie to combine modern Korean music and culture with ancient mythology and demonology. I know nothing about anything Korean, but from the looks of it, she seemed to do a good job.
Undoubtedly, with the story being about a K-Pop band, the movie’s most shining aspect is its music. The songs are certainly deserving of topping the Billboard charts. As they not only serve as catchy pop songs in their own right, but, like any good number in a movie musical, put words and music to the emotions of its characters. (My favorite song is the rival band’s hit song “Soda Pop.”)
As for the story, not only is the movie’s biggest conflict between the main characters and the rival band, but also the inner conflict experienced by one of the main characters. No spoiler, but one of the characters has a deep dark secret they’ve kept hidden from everyone else and which they feel could jeopardize their mission if it’s revealed.
Also, no spoilers, but like most female-led action films, the movie involves one of the characters falling in love with a “bad boy”, one whose tragic past not only allows him to connect with that character and her secret, but also flesh out his character as a sympathetic villian.
Hands down, KPop Demon Hunters is the best animated movie of the year. Both it and other animated films by other animation studios have been giving Disney a run for its money. Not helping has been how the House of Mouse has been releasing forgettable flicks like Elio, Moana 2, and Wish. If Disney wants to reclaim its title as the most influential animation studio, then it better start taking notes from films like this one.
These K-pop stars don’t just slay demons. They slay mice!
