‘It's pretty wild': How Toronto's Maggie Kang created global smash ‘KPop Demon Hunters'
'I remember hiding my K-pop albums from my white friends because they thought it was weird and silly,' recalls Kang, who moved from Seoul to Canada at age five and was raised in the North York area.
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CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
How ‘KPop Demon Hunters' became the surprise hit of the summer
This image released by Netflix shows characters Zoey, from left, Rumi and Mira in a scene from "KPop Demon Hunters." (Netflix via AP) NEW YORK — In the colourful, animated, musical world of 'KPop Demon Hunters,' everyone is a fan. The general public rocks T-shirts supporting their favorite idols. They hold light sticks and stare starry-eyed at stadium stages; they scream, they cry, they cheer, they buy the merch. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, then, that the Sony Pictures/ Netflix film itself has inspired similar fanfare, having topped the streamer's global rankings. Fans have flooded the internet with art, covers, cosplay and choreography in response to the movie, which follows the fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X as they fight demons. And it's not just the film that's a summer hit. The 'KPop Demon Hunters' soundtrack has topped the charts — debuting at No. 1 on Billboard's Soundtracks chart and No. 8 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Here's how 'KPop Demon Hunters' became the year's surprising success story. Musical tradition — and K-pop — are honoured The 'KPop Demon Hunters' soundtrack utilizes some of the best and brightest in the genre. That included a partnership with K-pop company The Black Label, co-founded by super producer Teddy Park, known for his work with YG, Blackpink and 2NE1 — empowered girl groups used as references for the film's protagonists, the trio HUNTR/X. It's one of the many reasons the musical film's soundtrack stands on its own. Filmmakers 'really did their homework,' says Jeff Benjamin, a music journalist who specializes in K-pop. Indeed, they did a lot of research. One of the film's directors, Maggie Kang, said that her team prioritized 'representing the fandom and the idols in a very specific way,' as to not disappoint K-pop fans. They pulled from a treasure trove of influences heard at every corner: The fictional, rival boy band Saja Boys' hit song 'Soda Pop,' for example, references the '90s K-pop group H.O.T. And it has worked. 'KPop Demon Hunters' is the highest charting soundtrack of 2025, with eight of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200. To put that in perspective: Lorde's 'Virgin' and Justin Bieber's 'Swag' did the same. In some ways, it recalls Disney's 'Encanto,' which topped the Billboard 200 and produced a No. 1 hit, 'We Don't Talk About Bruno ' in 2022. Similarly, 'KPop Demon Hunters' embraces 'the original soundtrack, which is a lost art form,' adds Benjamin. Tamar Herman, a music journalist and author of the 'Notes on K-pop' newsletter, says the movie succeeds because it embraces animated musical tradition and authentic K-pop music production styles in equal measure. She considers 'Kpop Demon Hunters' to be 'a musical with songs inspired by K-pop,' not unlike a Jukebox musical, where the songs of ABBA are reimagined for 'Mamma Mia.' Audiences hunger for something new The novelty of the film, too, seems to be resonating. Where many animated films rely on adapting existing intellectual property, 'KPop Demon Hunters' is original. And it comes from an original perspective. 'It's not completely Korean, it's not completely Western and it's kind of right in that middle,' says Kang. 'It's like not pulled from one side; it's kind of flavors of both. So, I think that's what makes the movie feels a little different.' And 'the core story is what's drawing everybody in,' says Kang. San Francisco-based cosplayer and content creator Nanci Alcántar, who goes by Naanny Lee online agrees. 'It's not only a K-pop group, but it also tells a story of their journey, of how they transform into powerful warriors,' said Alcántar in Spanish. For her, it goes beyond K-pop — it's about the narrative. Kang's approach to cultural authenticity, too, may have contributed to the film's crossover appeal. Rather than explaining Korean elements like HUNTR/X's visit to a traditional medicine clinic or translating K-pop light stick culture for Western audiences, she opted for full immersion. 'We just wanted everybody to just accept that they were in Korea,' Kang said. The director said this method of 'throwing people into the deep end of a culture' breaks down barriers better than heavy-handed explanation. 'We just wanted to keep everything feeling normal,' she explained. 'If you don't shine a light on it, it just becomes more easily accepted.' Inventive animation connects Zabrinah Santiago, a San Diego-based longtime K-pop fan and freelance illustrator who goes by ItmeZ online, was so inspired by the animation style of the movie that she raced to make fan art. She sold illustrated fan cards of HUNTR/X and Saja Boys at her booth at the Los Angeles Anime Expo, held in July, two weeks after the movie was released on Netflix. And she wasn't the only one. A search of #kpopdemonhunters on Instagram yields thousands of fan illustrations of HUNTR/X and Saja Boys. Japan-based Youtuber Emily Sim, also known as Emirichu online, says the character designs and original plot drew her to the movie. Sim, with more than 3.5 million subscribers on YouTube, posted a 35-minute video about the movie. In a week-and-a-half, it garnered nearly 450,000 views. 'I love seeing all the fan art and just the ways that this movie has creatively inspired people,' Sim said. Kang says for 'KPop Demon Hunters,' her team wanted to bring together demons and Jeoseung Saja — the grim reaper in Korean mythology — for a film that could look both very traditional and modernized — what she says is common in K-dramas but not in animation. Herman compares the movie to another Sony animation: 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,' which also attracted a broad audience with its creative animation. 'And it's a fun, animated musical, which we haven't had in a while,' she says. 'It's campy, it's engaging, it's universal.' And K-pop fans see themselves represented Santiago was initially skeptical of the title 'KPop Demon Hunters.' 'I feel like with big companies they kind of like to use K-pop as a bait. They kind of like to take advantage of K-pop fans' sincerity,' said Santiago. 'But I felt like with this one, it was such like kind of a love letter to K-pop fans.' Indeed — if the film wasn't authentic to K-pop fans' experience, or mocked them, it is unlikely to have become so popular, says Benjamin. Instead, there are Easter eggs for the dedicated K-pop listener. Herman agrees, and says that the film has in-jokes for K-pop fans, not unlike a children's movie that features some humor meant to appeal specifically to parents. 'Figuring out what makes K-pop tick in a way that resonates with musical fans was really important to this movie,' said Herman. For Kang, that was always at the heart of the project. 'Fandom plays a huge part in the world being saved at the end of the movie,' she said. 'So, we were really confident that we were doing that justice.' ___ Karena Phan reported from Los Angeles. Juwon Park reported from Seoul. Maria Sherman, Karena Phan And Juwon Park, The Associated Press
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Toronto Star
‘It's pretty wild': How Toronto's Maggie Kang created global smash ‘KPop Demon Hunters'
Growing up as a Korean immigrant in 1990s Toronto, Maggie Kang kept her love of K-pop to herself. 'I remember hiding my K-pop albums from my white friends because they thought it was weird and silly,' recalls Kang, who moved from Seoul to Canada at age five and was raised in the North York area.
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
How Toronto's Maggie Kang created the Netflix smash hit 'KPop Demon Hunters'
Growing up as a Korean immigrant in 1990s Toronto, Maggie Kang kept her love of K-pop to herself. "I remember hiding my K-pop albums from my white friends because they thought it was weird and silly," recalled Kang, who moved from Seoul to Canada at age five and was raised in the North York area. "But I was like, `No, this is great."' In a neighbourhood with few other Koreans, she rarely saw her culture reflected around her. Now, she's helping amplify it worldwide. Her debut animated film KPop Demon Hunters — produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released by Netflix — has become a global smash, pulling in massive streaming numbers while its songs top Billboard charts. Last week, Netflix said the musical fantasy — which follows a K-pop girl group that moonlights as demon slayers — was the first of its original movies to hit a new viewership peak in its fifth week. Its soundtrack also became the highest-charting of the year, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in mid-July. "It's pretty wild. You don't ever know what the reaction is going to be, really, when you're making these things," Kang said in a video call from Los Angeles. "We were very hopeful it would find its audience. It feels like it has and they really latched onto it. Now it's spreading to other areas that we didn't think it was going to get to. We're very happy and excited and overwhelmed." Producers include known K-pop collaborators Written and co-directed by Kang, KPop Demon Hunters centres on K-pop trio Huntr/x — pronounced "Huntrix" — who fight demons by night and dominate charts by day. When band members Mira, Zoey and Rumi face off against demon boy band the Saja Boys, Rumi is forced to confront her true identity. "I think the themes of hiding parts of yourself and being afraid to show your true self to people, these days they're more relevant than ever," Kang reflected. "We tend to hide behind our online personas as well, and so I think even young kids can resonate with that." Kang studied animation at Sheridan College and was recruited to DreamWorks in her third year, working as a story artist on films including 2011's Puss in Boots and 2016's Kung Fu Panda 3. When the opportunity came to direct her own film for Sony, she knew she wanted to tap into her roots. She considered exploring Korean mythology and demonology, but also had another concept involving K-pop. "My husband was like, `Why don't you just put those together?"' she said. "Oddly, it really fit — the idea of using music to fight demons naturally tied into Korean shamanism." The animation production was largely handled by Sony Pictures Imageworks studios in Vancouver and Montreal, which played a key role in crafting the vibrant, high-octane visuals. Kang said she and co-director Chris Appelhans didn't just want the music by their fictional groups to be part of the soundtrack — it had to be deeply integrated into the story. It also had to slap. "We knew the music had to stand on its own and be able to compete with all the pop songs out there, because K-pop is so good," she said. They enlisted a powerhouse team of producers, including The Black Label co-founder Teddy Park, known for shaping the sounds of Blackpink and Taeyang; BTS collaborators Lindgren, Stephen Kirk, and Jenna Andrews; and Ian Eisendrath, who worked on Broadway hit "Come from Away." "Our songs had to be bops, but they also had to tell a story," said Kang. "That added another layer of challenges to the songwriting." Their work hit all the right notes. This month, Huntr/x's "Golden" became the first track by a fictional act to top the Billboard Global 200 — edging out summer hits such as Alex Warren's "Ordinary" and Justin Bieber's "Daisies." Meanwhile, Saja Boys' "Your Idol" hit No. 1 on the U.S. Spotify chart, surpassing BTS as the highest-charting male K-pop act in the platform's history. "We needed the music to be chart-topping but now to see it happen is like, `Whoa, what is happening?"' Kang says. "I don't think I ever really thought that it was going to happen." Kang says she'd "definitely" consider expanding the KPop Demon Hunters universe. "There's a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of undeveloped ideas in the movie that we had to omit because of length. I know fans really want the fuller backstories of Mira and Zoey, and we did put those in at one point, but ultimately, this movie was a story about Rumi, so we had to take it out," says Kang. "We have a lot to show still." But for now, she's taking a moment to soak it all in: the love, the milestones and the cultural shift she once didn't think she'd ever see. "I feel very proud, just seeing Korean culture being in the spotlight. I never thought this would happen," she says.
