SinceKPop Demon Huntersarrived 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 weeksafter its release.
Following the journey of three K-pop superstars who moonlight as demon hunters,KPop Demon Hunters' castincludes 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 Huntersis eligible for an Oscar. Earlier this month, it was reported that Netflix is submittingthe highly rated “Golden,“a track co-written by Kim Eun-jae (EJAE) and Mark Sonnenblick, inthe Best Original Song category at the 2026 Oscars(viaBillboard). 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.
KPop Demon Huntersis also not the first movie Netflix has entered for the Academy Awards.Nine songs from Netflix-distributed films have been nominated for Best Original Songsince 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’sPinocchiowon the Best Animated Featureand markedGuillermo del Toro’s first Oscar winand the first for Best Animated Feature. According toThe Ankler, Netflix is also promotingKPop Demon Huntersas 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 fromZootopia 2andNe 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 thehighly anticipatedBad Guy 2,The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, andPets on a Train. Still, it’s now looking likeKPop Demon Huntersis a frontrunner, with the ceremony just eight months away.
