Adding another feather to its cap, the animated film KPop Demon Hunters clinched the Oscar trophy for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards on Monday.
The film, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, competed against heavyweight contenders including Arco, Elio and Zootopia 2 in this category.
After receiving the award from filmmaker Kang thanked audiences and fans for their immense support, which contributed to the film’s blockbuster success.
She said, “Those of you who look like me, I am sorry it took us so long to win an Oscar”.
However, Michelle L.M. Wong’s acceptance speech was cut short as she was thanking Netflix.
KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, beating Arco, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, Elio, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, Zootopia 2. Its hit track Golden also picked up the Best Song award at the ceremony.
The song Golden from the film has crossed one billion views on YouTube, becoming the first track from the movie to achieve the milestone.
KPop Demon Hunters is the biggest-selling soundtrack of 2025. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Soundtrack chart and is certified Double Platinum.
Golden has received five Grammy Award nominations, including Song of the Year.
KPop Demon Hunters K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey, who lead double lives as demon hunters protecting their fans from supernatural threats. Their mission escalates when they face a rival boy band that is secretly composed of demons in disguise.
The 2026 Oscars were held on March 16 at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, with Conan O’Brien returning as host for the second consecutive year.