‘Sinners’, ‘F1’, and other 2025 releases also in contention across top Academy Award categories
Netflix’s animated fantasy KPop Demon Hunters is being touted as a strong contender for Best Animated Feature at the upcoming 2025 Academy Awards.
Directed by Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang, the film follows three K-pop idols—Rumi, Mira, and Zoey—who lead double lives as secret demon hunters. Set in a pop culture-infused fantasy world, the story blends supernatural action with vibrant musical sequences and original tracks like “Golden.” The animation draws heavy inspiration from anime and K-pop aesthetics, giving it a distinctive visual style.
The film was recently highlighted in Variety’s 2025 Oscars Awards Circuit column, which profiled potential nominees from films released in the first half of the year. KPop Demon Hunters joins titles such as How to Train Your Dragon in the animated category shortlist.
Official nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are expected to be announced in early January 2025.
In other Oscar races, Sinners—featuring Michael B. Jordan—is being considered in multiple top categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and acting nods. Meanwhile, F1, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, is gaining buzz in technical categories such as cinematography, visual effects, and editing.
Additional early contenders include:
- The Ballad of Wallis Island — Best Original Score
- Snow White — Best Original Song
- 28 Years Later, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, and Warfare — in the running for makeup, sound, and production design
With awards season heating up, KPop Demon Hunters is quickly establishing itself as a standout in the animated feature race.
