KPop Demon Hunters: A Unique Animation Journey Inspired by Spider-Verse!
When I got a sneak peek at the upcoming film “KPop Demon Hunters” on the 2025 release calendar, I could tell it was going to be an amazing journey because Sony was producing it. The animation style of the Netflix movie had already won me over based on the stills, but learning that it was from the same studio as the “Spider-verse” films made me even more eager. During my interview with the directors, I inquired about how the Marvel film had impacted and inspired them.
Instead, they explained that the style of their upcoming movie on Netflix’s 2025 schedule bears no resemblance whatsoever to the classic Spider-Man films.
During a chat with Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the directors of “KPop Demon Hunters”, I inquired if their upcoming streaming movie drew inspiration from popular Sony productions such as “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse” and “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”. Chris shared that much like those two films, they aimed to create something fresh and innovative.
They excelled in introducing something novel, and an element of this was venturing into flash frames and graphic elements early on. In essence, we found ourselves saying, ‘This seems reminiscent of Spider-verse, yet it’s not our film.’ Essentially, they pushed the boundaries, aiming to offer a unique contribution to the animation world.
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The Spider-verse films draw heavily from their comic book origins, skillfully blending diverse animation styles together. Similarly, the movie KPop Demon Hunters, as explained by Appelhans and Kang, achieves a similar feat by subtly incorporating anime elements, Korean dramas, editorial photography, and top-notch music videos into its creative foundation.
Although it doesn’t resemble the Spider-Verse visually, its uniqueness lies precisely in this difference, as Chris Appelhans explained to me, since they successfully produced an animation that we haven’t encountered before.
Apart from discussing professional aspects, he also touched upon the personal sources of inspiration. He pointed out that Korean dramas effectively portray how characters can be “quirkier than usual” and “imperfect.” This perspective resonated with his co-director as well. Moreover, he shared that Kang had a distinctive viewpoint about the three main female characters in their film, which contributed to their distinct personalities.
Influenced by various factors, they successfully designed a distinct aesthetic that aligns uniquely with their narrative, much like how Spider-Verse did some time back. Additionally, it was beneficial that their collective studio, Sony, supported this unconventional idea, as stated by Appelhans.
In a brainstorming session, we found ourselves saying, “This is the moment! How can we make it unique? How can we make it visually captivating?” Fortunately, Sony boasts an incredibly skilled team of animators, lighting artists, and creative minds in general. When we shared our ideas with them, they were enthusiastic, saying something like, ‘Wow, this sounds great! We’re into it too.’ It’s thrilling to be able to work on projects like this.
Building on her statement, Maggie Kang shared that Sony is committed to avoiding repetition in their projects, a fact evident in the movies mentioned earlier. This philosophy made it simpler for them to bring their ideas to life and produce fresh, innovative content like Spider-Verse and The Mitchells vs. The Machines.
They too preferred not to repeat the same action. Instead, their thoughts leaned towards innovation and presenting something unique. This approach was indeed commendable.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback for both Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse and Across the Spider-verse, it’s clear that their groundbreaking, singularly original approach is a hit with viewers. I’d venture to say that similar creativity is a big part of why KPop Demon Hunters resonates so strongly as well.
To fully understand how everything unfolds, consider watching or renting the “Spider-verse” movies and streaming “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” and “KPop Demon Hunters” if you have a Netflix subscription. Enjoy your viewing experience!
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2025-06-20 21:38