Since KPop Demon Hunters arrived on Netflix’s streaming platform last month, the streamer’s original animated musical has become a viral sensation. From its soundtrack charting on Billboard to achieving record-breaking Rotten Tomatoes scores, the film has captivated both audiences and critics. Recently, it broke another record for the streamer to achieve a new viewing peak five weeks after its release.
Following the journey of three K-pop superstars who moonlight as demon hunters, KPop Demon Hunters’ cast includes voice actor Arden Cho as Rumi, May Hong as Mira, Ji-young Yoo as Zoey, Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu, among others. Recently, Netflix has made a big move that could potentially have a huge impact on the 2026 Oscars.
KPop Demon Hunters Is A Strong Contender For Best Animated Feature
The Only Other Netflix Movie To Win This Award Is Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
KPop Demon Hunters is eligible for an Oscar. Earlier this month, it was reported that Netflix is submitting the highly rated “Golden,” a track co-written by Kim Eun-jae (EJAE) and Mark Sonnenblick, in the Best Original Song category at the 2026 Oscars (via Billboard). While the movie started as a streaming hit, it had a very limited theatrical release to make it qualify for the minimum requirement to enter the Oscars.
The film was screened at three theaters in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco for a week, which satisfied the requirement to enter for an Oscar.
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KPop Demon Hunters is also not the first movie Netflix has entered for the Academy Awards. Nine songs from Netflix-distributed films have been nominated for Best Original Song since 2018, and one won an Oscar in the category. The Netflix Spanish musical, Emilia Perez, was nominated in 13 categories. “El Mal” won Best Original Song at the 2025 Oscars, while Zoe Saldaña went home with the award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2023, Netflix’s Pinocchio won the Best Animated Feature and marked Guillermo del Toro’s first Oscar win and the first for Best Animated Feature. According to The Ankler, Netflix is also promoting KPop Demon Hunters as a contender for Best Animated Feature, and given its popularity and the overwhelmingly positive reception from both critics and audiences, there’s a huge chance the movie might earn Netflix its second Best Animated Feature award.
Aside from Zootopia 2 and Ne Zhe 2, the category hasn’t seen many strong contenders at this point. However, this could change when more animated movies are released this year, including the highly anticipated Bad Guy 2, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, and Pets on a Train. Still, it’s now looking like KPop Demon Hunters is a frontrunner, with the ceremony just eight months away.
Source: The Ankler, Billboard
