Demon hunters in kpop Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans talk about their long journey to the Oscars.
The film, which was released in June on Netflix, became the most-watched title on the streaming site. The sleeper gave rise to toy lines and food links, along with a stage show for his singing companion. “It’s beyond anything I could have ever imagined,” Kang says. Hollywood Reporter.
The film has catapulted the group into the spotlight, led by the film’s main singing voice and songwriter of multiple songs, EJAE. But Kang and Appelhans were quick to stress that the film would not have been possible without the great team behind it. “Animation is a collaborative process,” Kang says.
Demon hunters in kpop Nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 2026 Academy Awards. It’s undoubtedly a big moment for Kang and Appelhans, but the directors are eager to share this moment with their team who brought the film to life during the film’s seven-year incubation period. “Honestly, we didn’t have a lot of time to be with them after the release and hold hands and jump up and down and celebrate,” says Appelhans, adding that they were finally able to enjoy these moments during the awards campaign.
“Every time I think about the crew, I cry,” Kang admits. “I’m so grateful to everyone. You make sacrifices in your life by working on these things, no matter what your role is and how long you’ve been in it.”
The Oscars are expected to be the biggest moment that directors celebrate with their crew. “We got extra tickets, so we’re just inviting our crew to it; as a bonus and also so we can all be there to celebrate, no matter what happens,” Kang explains. “They all deserve to be there.”
grant Demon hunters in kpopSuccess, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kang and Appelhans found themselves unable to be surprised by anything surrounding the film at this point. But the couple denies this. There are still moments of shock, Appelhans noted in recent Q&As, such as the American Cinematheque program moderated by director Guillermo del Toro. “I’m always wonderfully surprised when we really admire filmmakers [appreciate the film]”, he says.
“That kind of clarity that they see — through all the glamor in the movie — to the difficult things. [They] “You have such interesting questions about this topic and notice the things that took the most behind-the-scenes work to accomplish,” Appelhans continues. “From artist to artist, you feel a kind of appreciation.”
For Kang, meeting artists who know what film is about remains rewarding. “We recently met Daniel Dae Kim in person,” she says, adding that he is “so beautiful” and how she can’t believe they haven’t met.
She adds: “[He] He just knows how important this is for our industry and for Korean creatives because he’s someone who really advocates for it.
Demon hunters in kpopThe success has been tremendous, partly due to the gradual growth it initially saw on the streaming platform. There’s been a lot of discussion about whether or not a theatrical release will change that. “As an industry, as filmmakers, you want theaters to still be there,” she begins, noting that the film was greenlit during the days of Covid. “To get the green light at a time of great uncertainty. To be able to produce an original IP in this climate, where we typically get sequels and remakes of ’80s movies, I saw it as an opportunity to make a movie. That’s all you can really ask for, especially as a first-time filmmaker.”
Kang says that given the budget they were given to produce the film, it was a great opportunity. “The whole theatrical climate is weird,” she says. “We don’t know how people consume content these days. We’re still trying to figure that out.”
“Our film was released on a streaming platform, got such love from fans and then ended up three weeks later in a theater. The fact that this is possible for something is really interesting,” Kang continues. “It tells us that every film is different. The way we consume it is different. How we enjoy it is different. And I hope we see more, I think, personalized releases.” [or] Approach to each film.
Demon hunters in kpopas a title, is both a direct example of what the film is about, but it doesn’t let the audience know that it’s much more than that. “Live streaming is great in our case,” says Appelhans. “It’s very difficult to explain this to an audience in a marketing article. The most convincing version of this is word of mouth, direct experience and people speaking out in favor of the film.”
“I think that snowball effect is a lot easier on live,” he continues. “I wonder if there is.” [a] A certain type of film will always benefit from having that opportunity to create support and build momentum versus trying to convince everyone that they should come to the theater on the first Saturday or whatever.
With a sequel eventually on the way – the film’s release date has been tentatively stated as 2029; However, Sony Pictures Animation bosses recently indicated it would likely be longer. It is known that animation is a long process. Managers are understandably shy about what they can share; The couple has been promoting the film non-stop since it broke in July 2025.
“I’ve seen a lot of comments in YouTube interviews that are upvoted right to the top, saying something along the lines of: ‘If there’s a sequel, let them cook,'” Appelhans says. Don’t be in a hurry. “We can all wait.” “Audiences are very media savvy now. They don’t know the animation product line per se, but they’ve kind of spoken in the sense that if we make it great, they’ll be there.”
Kang links it to another SPA title that has seen long waits between films. “The die-hard Spider-Verse fans really know that. They realize that this level of artistry takes a really long time,” she says. “Any time you try to do something new and different, it takes longer. I think whatever we’re going to do next is just going to be pushing ourselves even more than we did in this movie.”
