For the past few decades, the Hallyu movement has made its presence known. Roughly translating to the Korean Wave, the phenomenon has detailed the increased global popularity of South Korean culture – keystone moments being Best Picture winner Parasite and the Gangnam Style trend. KPop Demon Hunters, an American animation with deep roots in the Korean pop scene, has taken the world by storm since its release in June 2025. Not since Disney’s Frozen has an animated film captured young audiences so completely, leaving a vivacious pattern on the cultural zeitgeist. Watching the film again, its vibrant idiosyncrasies only shine a brighter hue of golden.
Centuries ago, demons preyed on human souls, collecting them for their ruler, the ominous spirit Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun). Demon hunters – traditionally a trio of singers – subsequently rose up, their voices creating a magical barrier, the Honmoon, to keep demons at bay. The title of demon hunters is passed onto new trios every new generation. In the modern day, the demon hunters are the K-pop girl group Huntrix, consisting of lead singer Rumi (Arden Cho), dancer Mira (May Hong) and lyricist Zoey (Ji-young Yoo). Unknown to the latter two, Rumi is the child of a demon hunter and a demon, the signature demon marks of purple patterns covering her arms.
The girls’ mentor, Celine (Yunjin Kim), keeps Rumi’s secret, advising her to conceal her patterns and her fears. For the longest time, this works. But then, an unexpected development occurs: a demon boy band, the Saja Boys, led by Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), begins winning over Huntrix’s massive fanbase with their music, weakening the Honmoon. Thus, as Huntrix attempts to defeat the Saja Boys, physically and musically, Rumi must conquer her own inner demons.
The film is brought to us by Sony Pictures Animation, the same studio behind The Mitchells vs the Machines and the Spider-Verse films. That vivid, colourful animation that defined those films explodes into opulent life across this picture. Its premise is undeniably bizarre in its combination of k-pop and demon slaying, but the Hallyu movement is partially defined by its willingness to mix unorthodox elements together. The animation reflects that same freedom of imagination, its luminous palette aglow throughout, heightening the action scenes and the more cartoonish moments of comedy. Utilising a 3D animated style with 2D anime inspirations in its expressions and setpieces, there’s a playful exaggeration to its craft that allows its deeper emotions and thrills to be more earnestly felt. Pause this film at any given frame and it’s difficult not to be curled over from laughter or silenced by the depth of its gravitas.
The colour purple is used to a particularly harrowing effect, as it’s the colour that defines demon patterns. Its contrast to the girls’ use of gold gives it a sinister quality, while also hinting at the more traditional readings of power, as shown by the use of purple in Rumi’s hair as well as on her patterns. It gives the film a distinctive ebullience while also affording its themes the weight they deserve. As much as the film is an iridescent action musical, it’s also something of a satire on the Korean music industry and the way the pursuit of status can rob one of individuality.
More potently, the film champions the notion of self-acceptance through its characterisation and its songs. The friendship between Rumi, Mira and Zoey is infectiously likeable; their interactions are as energetic as a sugar rush. Yet the evolving dynamics between Rumi and her band members, as well as the antagonist Jinu, revel in the nuances and layers that come with struggling to come to terms with oneself. The demon patterns are physical manifestations of one’s negative emotions, their usage being key to the thematic resonance. Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, as much as they relish in the film’s giddy visual look, know when to slow the film down and let the characters be. The profoundness felt from this is tangible, especially when tied into the songs. Like the best musical tracks, the songs act as gateways into the themes and deeper character emotions – the now iconic Golden serving as both a puff piece for Huntrix and a shock reveal of Rumi’s patterns. Other pulse-pounding tracks include the climatic, emotionally riveting What It Sounds Like, the delightfully superficial Soda Pop and the serene, soothing Free. Even the venomous Takedown serves a soul-crushing purpose when its harsh lyrics are turned against Rumi.
Unifying all of this is stellar action. The kinetic but delicate script juggles its various themes, genres, songs and imagery into a tightly woven package in which the action brings its emotional resonance to the forefront. The fighting spectacle is as immersive as the best cartoon action shows, yet it’s the deep compassion that we feel for the characters that leaves us biting our nails, the sword play and urban fantasy visuals complementing the songs euphorically. KPop Demon Hunters is the coolest animated fusion of action and music since RWBY, the eloquent lyrics and dynamic singing voices matching the visceral choreography, palpably elevating the heart rate and the narrative stakes.
Some have said, cynically, that the film is a copy of Frozen in terms of its themes and characterisation. While it’s ridiculous to call the film a copy, there are some parallels that are hard to unsee once they’re spotted – namely the treatment of mental health and the protagonist hiding themselves away out of fear of being labelled monstrous. Nevertheless, the film has more than enough going for it in its narrative specifics as well as its audiovisual style to distinguish itself – similarity is not plagiarism after all. One does also wonder if the character of Celine could’ve been better explored, especially since her advice of hiding one’s true self lays a lot of the foundation for Rumi’s inner turmoil. But when your picture is as zestful and rambunctious as this, such scrapes on the canvas are easy to dismiss.
It’s evident why children and adults alike have been taken by this film’s proud hybridisation of components. A great example of why the Hallyu movement has been so successful – ironic given its American origins – KPop Demon Hunters shines with effortless charm and charisma, like it was born to be one could say. Its ingredients of expressive animation, rapturous lyrics and spectacular action culminate in a gem that’s funny, exciting and deeply moving all at once. While its soundtrack may be played until the patience of parents everywhere is fully exhausted, one tuning in to view it can see the universality and timelessness of its creativity and emotional sentiments. To anyone looking for modern animated wonders, this is what it sounds like.
KPop Demon Hunters is streaming on Netflix
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Directors: Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans
Writers: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans (story by Maggie Kang)
Stars: Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, Lee Byung-hun
Runtime: 95 minutes
Country: USA
