‘KPop Demon Hunters’ wins best animated feature, song at 2026 Critics Choice Awards

“KPop Demon Hunters” won best animated feature and best song for “Golden” at the 31st Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 4 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. E

JAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the singing voices behind the film’s fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix, appeared onstage together to accept the best original song award. Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans later joined the film’s voice and singing cast to accept the award for best animated feature.

The Critics Choice Association selected “KPop Demon Hunters” as best animated feature over “Arco,” “Elio,” “In Your Dreams,” “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” and “Zootopia 2.” Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans accepted the animated feature award with members of the film’s voice and singing cast. Accepting the song award, EJAE told the audience, “The song needed to be an expression of hope to convince herself that she could write and reach for her dreams. In many ways, it did the same for me, but most importantly for it to be giving hope to so many people around the world is truly the greatest honor.”

Produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, “KPop Demon Hunters” follows Huntrix, a three-member K-pop girl group that also battles monsters from the underworld. The film has become Netflix’s most popular title ever, while its soundtrack spent several weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, and “Golden” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Netflix and Sony Animation have confirmed a sequel is in development, with Kang and Appelhans returning after finalizing new deals with the streamer.