'KPop Demon Hunters' wins animation, song prizes at Golden Globes

Jan. 12 (UPI) -- KPop Demon Hunters , the Netflix animated film that emerged as one of last year's biggest cultural touchstones, took home top honors at the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, winning trophies for best animated feature and best original song on a triumphant night in Beverly Hills. Directed by Korean-Canadian filmmaker Maggie Kang, the film nabbed Best Motion Picture, Animated at the ceremony on Sunday night, while its hit single "Golden" claimed the award for Best Original Song, Motion Picture. The Sony Pictures Animation co-production kicked off awards season with momentum, having swept both categories at the Critics Choice Awards last week. KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix's most-watched title of all time, amassing more than 325 million views since its release in June 2025. The film follows HUNTR/X, a K-pop trio whose members secretly use their music to protect humanity from monsters lurking in the underworld. The soundtrack, featuring original K-pop songs, has also been a global phenomenon, topping the Billboard 200 chart. The Grammy-nominated "Golden" ranked among the most popular tracks of the year, reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and spending a record-breaking 20 weeks atop Billboard's global rankings. While accepting the award for Best Animated Feature, Kang highlighted the surprising international appeal of the film's Korean themes. "Thank you to the Golden Globes and to everyone who believed that a movie so deeply rooted in Korean culture could resonate with a global audience," Kang said. She also emphasized the creative team's efforts to portray complex female characters who were "really strong and bold, really silly and weird and really hungry for food." Co-director Chris Applehans described the film as "a love letter to music -- to the power it has to connect us, to make us see some kind of shared humanity, which we could really use in the world these days." Earlier in the evening, "Golden" singer-songwriter EJAE delivered an emotional acceptance speech for Best Original Song, reflecting on her own roundabout path to success after an unsuccessful bid to become a K-pop star. "When I was a little girl, I worked tirelessly for 10 years to fulfill one dream, to become a K-pop idol," she said. "And I was rejected and disappointed that my voice wasn't good enough." EJAE, whose real name is Kim Eun-jae, trained at SM Entertainment for nearly a decade beginning in 2003 but never debuted as a solo artist or group member. She later transitioned into songwriting, penning a string of hits for other K-pop acts before signing on to write and perform for the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. "This award goes to people who've had doors closed on them," EJAE said. "I can confidently say: rejection is redirection. So never give up. It's never too late to shine like you were born to be." "Golden" has also been shortlisted for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, scheduled for March 15. In November, entertainment outlets including Variety and Deadline reported that a sequel to KPop Demon...

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