K-Pop, Fantasy, and Friendship: The Formula Behind Netflix’s Hit

The long-awaited feature film debuted in June and quickly climbed Netflix’s global rankings, breaking into the top 10 in 93 countries. In only two weeks, the film was streamed more than 33 million times. Fans have produced fan art since the film’s first trailer was released in May, and a sequel is being loudly called for on social media.

Yet the animation, a fantasy adventure that doubles as a high-energy look at Korean pop, has produced real-world chart-toppers that have caught the attention of BTS and Blackpink. All seven tracks from the film are on Billboard’s Hot 100 list. And on Spotify’s US chart, they’ve taken the top two spots, an achievement only two other fictional artists in the platform’s history can claim.

So, who are the bands, and how did their debut film bring a fictionalised K-pop style to the top of both Netflix and Billboard’s rankings? The two bands from the animated movie are the all-female Huntr/x and their rival boy band, Saja Boys. After the 20 June film debut, all seven of their tracks from KPop Demon Hunters on Spotify’s US charts are #1 and #2, while on Billboard’s Hot 100, seven of the tracks from the animated film debuted, with three also featuring on both charts, including Huntr/x’s EDM banger “Bang Bang Galaxy.”

Fans follow the three Huntr/x band members, Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, through their rollercoaster journey from the world’s biggest K-pop stars to demon slayers saving the planet. The film includes a cross-country fight and an interdimensional war with the all-boy band Saja Boys, plus all the over-the-top stage performances, smooth action, and colourful comedy. The fans are singing the praises of this high-energy blockbuster and its theme of friendship, trust, and staying true to yourself.

The Animation

The film also demonstrates Korean culture in a variety of contexts, including everyday living (dining on chairs vs. the floor, for example), social issues (such as bullying), as well as setting, with scenes shot at significant Seoul historical sites like the ancient city walls and Hanuiwon clinics, traditional bathhouses, and Namsan Tower. Salmi, a community leader specialising in Korean culture in Europe, who has also worked on BBC’s Storyhunters: The Korean Odyssey, emphasises that the film goes beyond these typically recognisable aspects. “It gives the film a surprising level of maturity,” Salmi says.

To ensure they got the details right, the team went to South Korea for pre-production. Kang explains, “We visited folk villages, shot in Myeongdong, studied traditional Korean clothing, and even had a Hanbok photo shoot to get a better understanding.” In the end, they had so much that they couldn’t fit it all into the film. The characters are animated to speak English in the movie, but their lips are synchronised with Korean pronunciation. You also notice how the characters look like they’re naturally Korean when they’re not acting.

Music

While the film’s visual design and plot are hooking, the soundtrack is what has made KPop Demon Hunters a smash hit. To reflect the types of songs her K-pop idols performed when she was growing up in Canada, co-director Maggie Kang, a Korean-Canadian, wanted to use popular music as a prominent theme in the film. She experimented with the tunes for KPop Demon Hunters, writing most of the lyrics and working with Grammy-nominated artist Lindgren and American-Korean producer Teddy Park (the creative force behind Blackpink) to bring the material to life.

Teddy and Lindgren created original songs to go with some of their Korean material from their repertoires, like the former’s K-pop idol songs and the latter’s Korean-language BTS and TWICE tracks. The labels ensured that the material had the same production value as a K-pop single in the real world. Park (best known for BTS’s smash hit, “Permission to Dance”) and Lindgren’s (Grammy winner for Bruno Mars and Cardi B) expertise are evident in the high-calibre music, including the Bang Bang Galaxy and Gotta Go mix.

With Korean and English lyrics, the music mixes K-pop and American pop sensibilities with nods to the Korean shamans and the Grim Reaper. The primary protagonists, Huntr/x, battle against evil using magic swords and fans that resemble mudang, or Korean shamans. The Saja Boys look like the Korean Grim Reaper with their skullcap hats, especially when they become demonic. Folklore is scattered throughout the movie, with symbolism like Dangsan trees and dokkaebi goblins, and folk-inspired good luck and guardianship mascots Derpy the tiger and Sussy the magpie.

The Story

A lot of the credit for the project’s success goes to its Korean talent. While Kang and director Chris Appelhans drew inspiration for their first animated feature from their roots, Korean lore, history, and music all helped give the film depth. To better reflect this on-screen, they started a Korean music label and recruited some of the K-pop industry’s biggest names to work on the film.

In addition to the songs themselves, they also encouraged the actors to incorporate Korean culture and K-pop fandom into their performances. There are K-pop fan signing events and light sticks everywhere, K-pop fans are waiting in line, and the dialogue is full of Korean placards. This is in addition to the colourful fan chants known as Kalgunmu (performed by the group in perfect synchronisation), Korean clothing, and cultural sites. By not only focusing on one K-pop group or era, the film portrays the full breadth of the K-pop scene, from the performances to the fan culture, making it accessible for the occasional viewer while rewarding long-time followers with familiar tidbits.