‘KPop Demon Hunters’ co-director dubs success ‘a little trippy’
The Netflix film “KPop Demon Hunters” has slayed the world.
The animated film about Huntr/x — a female K-pop trio who are secret guardians of the world, battling rival boy band the Saja Boys — quickly became Netflix’s most popular movie ever. Three months after its release, it remains near the top of the Netflix top global top 10 while seven of its song dominate the Billboard Hot 100. “Golden” has been No.1 for six weeks.
Chris Appelhans, a co-director for the film, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a recent interview that the film’s massive success has been nothing short of “surreal.”
“It’s a little trippy,” he said. “It’s sort of meta. In the movie, there’s this competition between Huntr/x and Saja Boys for the top spot on the charts. For the past couple of months, it’s actually been happening! What in the world?”
He will be telling his story Saturday at the Savannah College of Art and Design AnimationFest in Atlanta. The festival, which will run from Thursday to Saturday, also features panels on the making of “Predator: Killer of Killers”; a celebration of the show “Phineas and Ferb”; and adapting novels and comics for a global audience.
Maggie Kang, a Korean Canadian film director, came up with the concept of “KPop Demon Hunters” several years ago as an homage to her Korean culture and her love of K-pop. Appelhans, who wrote and directed the 2021 animated film “Wish Dragon,” came in to help her with the script and the music.
“I grew up as a classically trained musician and songwriter,” he said. “It was a fork in the road moment. In college, I chose the art school path into film. But there was always this ‘what if’ in the back of my mind with music.”
So when Kang pitched “KPop Demon Hunters” to Appelhans, he quickly got excited.
“She had such a clear vision of the female characters,” he said. “She had the tone she wanted. She just wasn’t sure how the music part would work into it.”
Appelhans is deeply familiar with K-pop in part because he’s been married to Korean American author Maurene Goo for 20 years. He admired K-pop groups Rain and BTS, which became a global star a decade ago. While he and Kang were working on the script during the pandemic, they watched BTS hold virtual concerts that got people dancing in their living rooms.
“The whole premise of our movie is music as a force against darkness and as a way to connect people,” he said. “That is what BTS was doing. It reinforced what we thought the movie could say about music.”
Sony Animation bought their script, but Sony’s theatrical arm declined to place it in theaters. Instead, Netflix picked it up.
Early on, Kang and Appelhans watched TikTok videos obsessively to gauge the reaction of fans.
“A random talented user on TikTok created a supercut of scenes between (Huntr/x member) Rumi and her surrogate mom,” he said. “Then others came along. They were like trailers. I would watch them and get emotional even though I already knew the movie. If there are good characters and a good story, then the audience spreads the word. The barrier of entry is so low. They just have to push play.”
Netflix, which has often been seen as a direct rival to movie theaters, decided to give fans of the movie a communal experience by releasing a sing-along version of “KPop Demon Hunters” for a limited two-day release last month on 1,700 screens. It generated $19 million in revenue.
Appelhans naturally went to watch a screening himself. “It was like a church service,” he said. “Everyone knew the words and knew the dialogue. It was very cathartic.”
When SCAD invited him to come to the festival, he enthusiastically said yes.
“Students are the future of our industry,” Appelhans said. “We were them not so long ago. We are just artists with personal inspirations and stories making movies that mean something to us. That is the heart of this industry. It’s learning your craft and putting it to use even when you’re uncertain and afraid.
“It takes courage to make this stuff. It’s important to do this face-to-face and let the students ask questions.”
Sony and Netflix are in talks for a likely sequel. In the meantime, Appelhans is just enjoying the ride.
“We’re still focused on spreading the word right now,” he said. “We’re traveling and celebrating this moment with the fandom.”
If You Go
SCAD AnimationFest
A conversation with Chris Appelhans, co-director of “KPop Demon Hunters”
5 p.m. Saturday. Panel tickets sold out, festival passes still avaialble for $100. SCADshow, Main Stage, 1470 Spring St. NW, Atlanta. scad.edu/scadfilm/festivals/animationfest2025
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
