Latest news with #animatedmovie
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The #1 Netflix movie right now has spent an entire month in the streamer's global Top 10
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. Netflix, I hope you have profusely thanked directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, along with everyone else who worked on KPop Demon Hunters — a glittery, candy-colored spectacle of an animated gem that's not only one of the best original movies the streamer has released in years, but also a ratings smash hit for the streamer. The movie, about a fictional K-pop girl group that hunts demons, is so big that it's actually dominated the Netflix global Top 10 movies chart for an entire month now, while its soundtrack has likewise taken the Billboard charts by storm. This week, in fact, Billboard reported that the soundtrack has climbed to #2 on the Billboard 200, while seven of its tracks (led by 'Golden,' from the movie's fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X) are currently on the Billboard Hot 100. Today's Top Deals XGIMI Prime Day deals feature the new MoGo 4 and up to 42% off smart projectors Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Long story short: If anything could be said to have attained the status of pop culture conversation-starter of the summer, it's this Netflix standout — which, by the way, is also on track to become the most-watched Netflix animated movie ever. In terms of the latest data on the movie from Netflix, as noted above, it's now spent four weeks on the streamer's global Top 10 English-language movies chart. It racked up another 24.2 million views for the 7-day period that ended on July 13, it's a Top 10 Netflix movie in 93 countries this week — and it's actually the #1 movie in 26 countries, including Canada, the UK, and more. KPop Demon Hunters comes from the same studio behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Netflix's The Mitchells vs. The Machines, and the movie's central characters are a trio of K-pop megastars named Rumi, Mira, and Zoey who dominate the charts by day and hunt demons at night. Their rivals are The Saja Boys, a seductive boy band made up of heartthrobs that are also literal demons. In terms of some of its other achievements, the movie has managed to achieve a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes critics' score as of this writing (96%) as well as an audience score that's in the same ballpark (91%). 'I'm a 45 year old dad and watched this with my two girls,' one YouTube commenter raved earlier this month. 'I cried like the fan dudes in the film. I guess it's never too late to become a K-pop fan.' The best thing about the movie, for me, is that it was clearly made by people who have a genuine affection for K-pop. And that love shines through in every detail, from the character designs to the soundtrack, making K-Pop Demon Hunters feel, instead of just another Netflix release, more like a love letter in celebration of K-pop's energy, spirit, and global impact. Don't Miss: Today's deals: Nintendo Switch games, $5 smart plugs, $150 Vizio soundbar, $100 Beats Pill speaker, more More Top Deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 See the
Geek Tyrant
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
BARBIE Animated Feature in the Works at Mattel and Illumination Studios — GeekTyrant
An animated Barbie movie is in the works with Mattel and Illumination Studios teaming up to bring it to life. The news of the pitch came in shorty after the record-setting release of Barbie (2023), the feminist live-action take on Mattel's iconic doll that became a cultural phenomenon. The film has yet to schedule a release date, but the film will be released by Universal Pictures, which has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Illumination. No word yet on the plot of this Barbie or the creatives attached. The live-action film was the highest grossing of 2023, and has solidified its place in history as one the highest-grossing films of all time, along with the highest-grossing for a female director. That pic was released by Warner Bros., rather than Universal, and is the highest-grossing in the studio's history. The film's award run culminated in eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, with Billie Eilish's 'What Was I Made For?' winning Best Original Song. Since 1959, Barbie has held down its place as the the global category leader in Dolls, with more than 100 sold every minute. Barbie is also the #1 Girls/Dolls toy brand on social media. Stay tuned for updates on this project as it moves forward. via: Deadline
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ariana Grande to Star in New Dr. Seuss Movie
Ariana Grande and Josh Gad voice acting in an animated movie together? And it's going to be directed by Jon M. Chu, of Wicked fame? Oh, we are truly blessed. Warner Bros. announced today that the pop star turned Oscar-nominated actress will star in the animated movie, Oh, the Places You'll Go!, an adaptation of Dr. Seuss' beloved children's picture book of the same name. The book follows an unnamed protagonist, simply referred to as 'you,' as they navigate the highs and lows of setting off on their own and finding their place in the world. Alongside themes of adolescence, the book focuses on teaching kids lessons about resilience, self-discovery, and confidence. Oh, the Places You'll Go will be Grande's second collaboration with Chu after the Wicked and Wicked: For Good movies, in which she plays Glinda, the Good Witch. This will be Gad's first project with Chu. Gad is well known in the voice acting community for playing Olaf, the irreverent snowman, in Disney's Frozen animated films. In addition to the stars already signed on for the film, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who previously won an Oscar for their work on La La Land, are set to create original music for the film, with Rob Lieber, known for 2018's Peter Rabbit, listed as the scriptwriter. Warner Bros. shared the news about the film on their social media platforms today, posting a collage of photos of Grande and Gad in the recording studio, with the caption: '#ArianaGrande & @joshgad - Oh, the Places You'll Go! Directed by @jonmchu and #JillCulton, with original songs by @PasekandPaul. Coming to theaters in IMAX in 2028 🎈.' Given the sheer number of Arianators in the world, it should come as no surprise to hear her fans were over the moon at the idea of hearing their diva's voice in a animated film. Her fans also made sure everyone knows how hard their queen is working, describing Grande as 'booked and busy.' One fan posted: 'our girl is hard at work 🎬." The film is currently slated for release in IMAX theaters on Mar. 17, 2028. Sadly, this means fans will have to wait a little under three years to see this infamous line from Oh, the Places You'll Go! somewhere other than graduation cards: 'Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!'
CBS News
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Nick Offerman finds meaning in the "Smurfs'" village: "We require diversity to make a strong community"
Actor Nick Offerman brings his signature deadpan delivery to the animated world as Ken, Papa Smurf's brother, in the upcoming "Smurfs" movie hitting theaters Friday. The "Parks and Recreation" star said he developed his distinctive comedic timing from an early age. "When I was a kid in the Catholic church, they had we do the readings of the gospel," Offerman said. "I learned then that if I gave it some gravitas, the congregation would be moved. But if I turned it up just a little bit, my cousins would laugh ... that was where I discovered deadpan." Offerman recorded his voice work separately from co-star John Goodman, who voices Papa Smurf, due to modern animation practices that became more common after COVID-19. "I was shooting a show in Budapest last year, and so I recorded a bunch of my sessions from a studio in Budapest," he said. "John was recording his from London and New Orleans. Eventually, you hear each other when you start to get all the recordings together." The actor found deeper meaning in the film's central message about community and belonging. "The thing I love the most about it is no-name smurf is on this quest to find out what his place is, trying to find himself," Offerman explained. "The message is that everybody, you know, that we require diversity to make a strong community or family or village of smurfs." He said that self-discovery comes through connection with others rather than isolation. "You don't learn what your special talent is looking at your phone, or looking in the mirror," Offerman said. "You learn from your community. They will tell you what they need from you, and that's how you discover what your power is." "Smurfs" is distributed by Paramount Pictures, which is part of CBS' parent company, Paramount Global. "Smurfs" hits theaters on July 18.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'KPop Demon Hunters' is a global Netflix sensation. It has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. So, why haven't you watched it yet?
They have one of the most-watched movies in the world on Netflix and the highest-debuting movie soundtrack of 2025. Oh, and they're animated characters. Meet Rumi, Mira and Zoey, a fictional female K-pop trio better known as Huntr/x, who are the stars of Netflix's animated summer sensation, KPop Demon Hunters. Since its June 20 release, the movie has slayed the pop culture conversation, inspired countless fan art and memes, dominated streaming and music playlists — and there's no sign of losing steam. The Sony Pictures Animation movie follows Huntr/x, whose members secretly moonlight as demon hunters tasked to maintain a magical barrier that protects humans from the dark underworld. Their singing voices keep the worlds sealed off from each other, but a rival demon boy group, the Saja Boys, threatens to suck people's souls dry and weaken the barrier in order to infiltrate the human realm. Currently No. 2 on Netflix's list of most-streamed movies globally, with nearly 94 million hours viewed, KPop Demon Hunters has notched a 95% critics rating and an equally impressive 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The soundtrack rocketed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in its second week of release, making it the highest-charting soundtrack of the year. Its original songs have topped the U.S. Spotify chart, surpassing previous peaks set by K-pop superstar groups BTS and Blackpink. Real-life K-pop idols have taken notice too, with some participating in dance challenges on TikTok, producing music-video-quality song covers and praising the movie on social media. Netflix is submitting the KPop Demon Hunters power anthem 'Golden' for awards consideration, releasing it as an official single on July 4. 'It's incredible to see a movie that is about connection actually connecting people,' Maggie Kang, codirector and cowriter of KPop Demon Hunters, tells Yahoo of the 'whirlwind' response. She and KPop Demon Hunters codirector-cowriter Chris Appelhans have seen proof that the movie is striking a chord among all demographics, from mothers and daughters to K-pop newbies to 'gym bros.' Many are already calling for a sequel. 'We always felt like the movie has such a bigger audience than the title implies,' Appelhans tells Yahoo. 'If you love music, if you like identity stories [and] if you like to laugh, those are such broad and appealing things [that the movie offers].' One of the biggest draws of KPop Demon Hunters is the vibrant, pop-art animation style that Sony Pictures Animation — the studio behind the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movies — has become known for. From a punchier color palette to anime-inspired character designs, the movie is a feast for the eyes. Marissa Yonamine, who reviews movies on TikTok, was initially drawn to the film because of Sony Pictures Animation's 'great track record,' citing the studio's past successes The Mitchells vs. the Machines and the Spider-Verse films. 'That gave it credibility,' Yonamine tells Yahoo. 'Immediately, I fell in love with it.' It also helps that the animation amplifies what the characters are going through internally as the story unfolds — a key point in the development of the plot and the overall look of the movie. Appelhans says it goes hand in hand with creating 'great characters, stories, personalities and entertainment value, and also [including their] struggle, pain and wants. And that dovetails so well with the music.' 'It was a very intricate puzzle that we had to put together because there's so much variety [in the scenes],' Kang says. 'OK, we need the music to do this. They need music scenes to be music videos. They need the comedy to do this. I feel very proud that we were able to achieve what we wanted for each scene, whether it's comedy or emotional or visual.' Stylistically, the film is 'a breath of fresh air from an animation perspective,' Crystal Bell, digital culture editor at Mashable and a K-pop expert, tells Yahoo — 'the expressiveness of the characters, the way that Zoey's eyes turn into hearts or burst into popcorn when she gets too hot. I love those little details that feel so specific to the visual language of this film that maybe others aren't [doing].' In an early scene, the Huntr/x girls bump into the Saja Boys and hear the group's bubbly, crowd-pleasing 'Soda Pop' for the first time. After fighting off the urge to groove to the beat, Rumi begrudgingly admits, 'It is annoyingly catchy.' And in another equally addictive song, the sinister 'Your Idol,' the Saja Boys exert their power over the fans as they confidently sing, 'Your obsession feeds our connection, so right now give me all your attention.' It's a sentiment that fans — K-pop lovers and nonlisteners alike — have obeyed of the soundtrack's seven original tracks, all of which have landed on the Billboard Hot 100. The team recruited proven K-pop hitmakers such as Teddy and Ejae (who provides the singing voice for Rumi), whose credits include writing and producing songs for artists like BigBang, Psy, Blackpink, Aespa and Red Velvet, to help shape the songs. Members from K-pop sensation Twice added street cred when they lent their talents to a track as well. 'That was our goal: Could we make a fictional but very real-feeling idol group? That was the bar,' Kang says. 'We just wanted it to feel very authentically K-pop so that our groups can slide into the industry and stand on their own. It definitely feels like we've done that.' Their creative risk-taking paid off. 'Some of the songs on the soundtrack are the best K-pop songs released this year so far,' Bell says. She pointed to 'Soda Pop' as a prime example of good timing and perfect execution converging to create the ideal summer song. 'K-pop is very seasonal,' Bell says. 'Every season brings a different tone to an artist's release, so there's a definite spring, summer sound. The fact that this song from a fictional boy group captured that summer sound that a traditional boy group would release is just perfect.' Outside of being addictive earworms, the songs also push the narrative forward, heightening the emotional stakes and adding to their appeal. 'Golden' drops at a crucial turning point in the movie for Huntr/x, particularly Rumi, whose secret half-demon identity is unmasked just as the group is close to sealing off the demon world. 'A song like 'Golden,' it's an 'I Want' song, which a lot of great pop songs are. Those coming-of-age songs, where it's like, 'I started from nowhere, I was the loser and now I'm the king,' Appelhans explains, referencing early '00s Kanye West raps as an example of what he wanted to accomplish. 'It's so archetypal pop.' KPop Demon Hunters embraces K-pop for its ability to unite, from the bonds between members to the parasocial connection with fans — and 'threads the needle quite well between spectacle and sincerity,' Bell says. '[K-pop fans are] often celebrating the [genre's] stars as fantastic and glamorous, and also celebrating them offscreen. Like [Blackpink's] Lisa being goofy in a TikTok, you're like, 'Oh that's real — that's off-camera Lisa,'' Appelhans says. 'That duality is very satisfying.' That level of authenticity was something he and Kang wanted to lean into, hence the portrayals of Huntr/x (and, to a lesser extent, the Saja Boys) as fully formed characters with relatable mannerisms and imperfections rather than unattainable caricatures of pop stardom. 'I want weird girls who do stupid faces,' Kang explains of the trio. The movie also positively depicts K-pop fandoms as diverse, loyal and tight-knit, and the collective feeling of community that often comes with being unapologetically open about a shared interest. It equally emphasizes that music and fans of it can be impenetrable sources of good (as is the case with Huntr/x) or evil (Saja Boys). 'With any global phenomenon like the Beatles or other boy groups, there's always going to be fans who are 'obsessive' — and that's correct to a certain degree — but there are reasons why they gravitate to those art forms or groups,' Yonamine suggests. '[They] speak to them on another level and they feel seen through the music.' 'I'm glad that KPop Demon Hunters is able to humanize and be able to give a reason to why fans love [K-pop] so much,' she says. Toni Hopkins, a filmmaker who reviews movies on TikTok, was already a K-pop fan when she dove into KPop Demon Hunters at a friend's suggestion. Since then, she's listened to the soundtrack 'nonstop,' appreciating many of the film's inside jokes and critiques about K-pop practices and K-drama conventions. (There are subtle critiques of idol diets, relentless schedules and the life-and-death pressures of maintaining success.) Hopkins says it's made her 'want to dive into that world more.' K-pop artists like BTS, Enhypen, Monsta X, Zerobaseone and Exo's Baekhyun have all tipped their cap to the movie on social media and at their own concerts, adding legitimacy to the movie's depiction of what it's like to be an artist today. 'It is a huge compliment that the K-pop industry is seeing it and recognizing it,' Kang said, 'and even Twice saying this was a great representation of what their lives are.' Original animated films have struggled mightily to gain traction in recent years, with studios like Pixar and Disney relying on sequels or live-action remakes in order to make a dent at the box office. It's left a gap that KPop Demon Hunters has unexpectedly filled, proving there's an appetite for bold, fearless stories if done well. 'A lot of shows and movies that come out nowadays are missing a soul or a heartbeat, and you can feel it in this movie,' Rachel Ruff Cuyler, a filmmaker and content creator, tells Yahoo. It's evident 'the cast and crew had fun making it,' which she says comes across onscreen. And a movie about a group of demon-slaying huntresses who use their K-pop personas as covers has a lot more depth than you would expect. Rooted in Korean culture and mythology, and primarily set in Seoul, KPop Demon Hunters delves into themes that are very much universal, from generational trauma and self-acceptance to overcoming shame and embracing one's true identity. 'We're seeing women being portrayed as feminine while still being badasses. It doesn't need to be one or the other. You can have both,' Hopkins says. 'I think that's why it's refreshing to see them act goofy and crazy and silly, but still be these beautiful, defined stars.' Despite having a runtime of under 100 minutes, KPop Demon Hunters has taken on a life of its own through fan art, video mash-ups and fan theories about what a potential sequel could entail. 'Chris and I joke that they're writing the next movie,' Kang says of the robust chatter, noting that fans are even posting comics and storyboards online. 'It's just getting bigger and bigger by the day,' she adds. 'We don't normally see new [intellectual property] doing this. So I hope it shows everybody that people want new stuff and people want things that are weird and different, and they're excited for it. It felt like [the audience] finally got a glass of water that they've been wanting to drink for a long time.'
