Latest news with #SonyAnimation
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Netflix Made A Fictional K-Pop Group With Real Streaming Power
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 16: (L-R) Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans speak during the KPop Demon ... More Hunters Special Screening at Netflix Tudum Theater on June 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo byfor Netflix) On June 23, 2025, Netflix and Sony Animation's fictional girl group HUNTR/X from the film KPop Demon Hunters was the most streamed girl group on global Spotify, outstreaming popular real-life girl groups like TWICE and KATSEYE in the process. Just days after the film's release, HUNTR/X has managed to capitalize on the film's success seemingly overnight, with several of their songs soaring to the top of the global Spotify charts. According to Pop Base, their song 'Golden' reached the top 20 most popular songs, sitting at number 14 with a total of 2.78 million streams in a single day, and that's in addition to the seven other songs the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack had chart on the same list. While this might seem like an anomaly, Netflix has managed to deliberately leverage the popularity of its films in tandem with fandom and the popularity of K-pop as a genre in an effective media strategy. Netflix has managed to turn fictional artists into real-world successes. Using K-Pop's popularity to their benefit SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - AUGUST 01: Girl group TWICE arrives at the M2 X Genie Music Awards on August ... More 01, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Kpop Demon Hunters, released on June 20, 2025, is an animated film that follows a k-pop girl group, HUNTR/X, that tour by day and fight evil demons by night. The concept on it's own is already highly engaging, and manages to bring in fans of K-pop, fans of animation, and fans of fantasy. Already, the film has a wide variety of viewers, and, through that variety, Netflix and Sony were able to capitalize on their full music rollouts. Since the songs were each featured in the film, rather than being featured in a companion compilation album, fans were already familiarized with the songs that are now charting. K-Pop as an art form, is already one of the most successful vehicles for success in the music industry. With acts like the aforementioned girl group TWICE and other groups like BLACKPINK and BTS, the genre has shown a level brand loyalty and fandom that hasn't been seen for musical acts since the 90s, with fanbases of said groups often being international, multilingual, and more than willing to promote the groups they love. KPop Demon Hunters understands this and managed to capitalize on that formula, emulating the success of real life K-pop groups. Conversations on social media only aided this campaign, with the music being top of mind and the virality of those discussions allowing people who may not have seen the film to still engage with the music. Kpop Demon Hunters has shown that HUNTR/X is more than just a part of the film's narrative; it's a legitimate girl group with actual streaming power. Netflix Has Been Here Before HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 02: Miley Cyrus attends the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on ... More March 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic) I remember dancing in the club in 2019, and the song 'On a Roll' performed by Miley Cyrus as her character Ashley O in Black Mirror began to play. It had never dawned on me until that moment that Cyrus's success as an artist, despite that particular episode explicitly showcasing how her character was trapped and being controlled by the music industry, would cause fans to ignore the themes of Black Mirror and still stream the song to success. For months, the song would be played, and people would take to the dance floor, singing it word for word. Even online, people were discussing the song's duality between authenticity and satire. The song became a real-world hit, charting at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart and number 18 in New Zealand, and even landed on Billboard's coveted best songs list for 2019. This shows that the success of Netflix's fictional acts is more than just a coincidence; it's deliberate. Keys to Success Having good music doesn't automatically equate to being a global success, but when a streaming juggernaut like Netflix is in your corner, doors open. Netflix has the fiscal means to hire top producers, writers, and singers. Often times, people can feel the difference between songs made for bands in films and songs made for bands that are successful in real life. For example, the song 'Takedown' from the film was perfomed by the real girl group TWICE, and the polish and authenticity they represent shines through. It also helps that fans are already familiar with the story that's associated with each of these songs. When fans listen to the song 'Golden,' they can relive the struggle and eventual triumph that the cast of characters went through to create and perform that single in the film. So, when fans stream that song, they aren't just listening to it because they like it; they're also listening to it to relive those moments in the film, which, in the end, might lead them to rewatch the movie, a win-win for Netflix. The Bigger Picture AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - OCTOBER 30: Vocaloid software artist Hatsune Miku performs at Afas Live on ... More October 30, 2024 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns) We live in a world where fictional acts turned virtual idols, like the Gorillaz, Hatsune Miku, or the Squid Sisters from Nintendo's Splatoon, can fill arenas. With that knowledge, it makes complete sense that a streaming service like Netflix, which dabbles in multiple forms of content, capitalizes on its music, which it can root in long-form storytelling rather than short-form music videos. In the end, HUNTR/X is more than just a one-off trend. If anything, they've shown that they have the staying power, global reach, and storytelling necessary to not only push for a second film but also push for increased space and visibility for other fictional pop stars, even across genres. Netflix could be sitting on a potential goldmine by offering something different to a lane of serious competitors in an already saturated industry. If HUNTR/X proves anything, it's that people aren't just watching fictional artists in films; they're streaming them.
Geek Tyrant
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Genndy Tartakovsky Developing Wild High Octane Animated Series HEIST SAFARI For Adult Swim — GeekTyrant
Genndy Tartakovsky, the creative mind behind Dexter's Laboratory , Samurai Jack , and Primal is charging back onto the Adult Swim lineup with a new animated series called Heist Safari , and it sounds like pure, beautiful chaos. The show is described as an 'animated high octane action comedy,' and it tells the story of three frog brothers who rob a bank. 'Seems simple enough, but the execution is special as !#&$??!!!!,' That pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the tone of this show. It sounds exactly the kind of unhinged, full-throttle animation Tartakovsky thrives in. He always manages to hit that perfect sweet spot between absurdity and genius. Heist Safari was actuslly first pitched live on stage a year ago at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to Adult Swim President Michael Ouweleen. Now, one year later, it's officially in the works because apparently when Genndy throws an idea out into the wild, the universe listens. Tartakovsky is currently promoting Fixed , his raunchy new Netflix movie made under his Sony Animation deal, and he also packed the house at a Cartoon Network Studios panel celebrating 25 years of boundary-pushing animation. Reflecting on his career and creative momentum, Tartakovsky said, 'It feels like when I was younger, I feel like that energy makes me still want to do new things.' That energy? It's clearly alive and well. If Heist Safari is anywhere near as insane and inspired as it sounds, we're in for something wild. Bring on the frog bandits. Source: Deadline
Sharjah 24
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sharjah 24
CGI film workshop at SCRF brings animation dreams to fore
Using simple language and engaging visuals, Maxine introduced the children to the fundamentals of digital storytelling, including 3D asset creation, digital painting, and scene composition while taking them through the three main stages of filmmaking – pre, during and post-production . 'I want to show kids that they can create magic just like big Hollywood studios like Pixar, DreamWorks, or Sony Animation – even with limited tools,' she said. 'The goal is to make storytelling fun, real, and something they can imagine themselves doing.' Children from different nationalities, including students from a French school in Sharjah, were among the participants. Eight-year-old Ali Alsmelawe said, 'She showed us how to turn drawings into a real film. I want to try that!' Jana Mesaoud Laoire, also 8, added, while sketching a character, 'It was fun to learn how characters come alive. I want to make my own cartoon story!' Their teacher, Emad Alla, said the workshop was a rare opportunity: 'It opened the children's eyes to how animation works. Maxine made the process feel approachable and exciting.' As part of SCRF's wider aim to introduce children to diverse creative disciplines under the theme 'Dive into Books', this workshop – with sessions each 45 minutes long – highlighted how storytelling continues to evolve – from page to screen, and from imagination to animation.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sony offers first look, release date for ‘Beyond the Spider-Verse'
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Initially slated to release in March 2024, new details have emerged regarding Sony Animation's 'Beyond the Spider-Verse. At CinemaCon 2025, Justin K. Thompson, Bob Persichetti and Phil Lord — the film's directors and producer, respectively — presented new information regarding the long-awaited sequel to 'Across the Spider-Verse.' According to various reports, from Deadline to Variety, the crew unveiled concept art from the film. The concept images depict Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy (Spider-Gwen) and Wiles G. Morales (Earth-42's Prowler). The studio posted the art on their social media. Barry Jenkins to direct 'Be My Baby' biopic starring Zendaya: reports The three also took to the stage to announce the new release date for the film: June 4, 2027. While the new date means that 'Beyond' will release over three years after the March 2024 release window, the excitement is still palpable for fans of the franchise. The studio's post on Instagram has over 1 million likes as of this writing. For reference the post was made less than 10 hours ago. Check out the new art from the film, here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
