KPop Demon Hunters Nominated in 10 Categories at the 53rd Annie Awards, Tied with Pixar’s “Elio” for Most Nominations

Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” were named as the films with the most nominations at the 53rd Annie Awards, alongside Pixar’s “Elio.”

Both titles received nominations in 10 out of 12 feature film categories. Following them, “Little Amélie or The Character of Rain” and “Zootopia 2” each had 7 nominations, while “Arko” and “Bad Guys 2” each received 5 nominations.

The nominees for Best Feature Film are “Elio,” “KPop Demon Hunters,” “Little Amélie,” “Bad Guys 2,” and “Zootopia 2.” The nominees for Best Independent Feature Film are “A Magnificent Life,” “Arko,” “I’m Frankenda,” “Lost in Starlight,” and “Scarlett.”

“KPop Demon Hunters”’ 10 nominated categories include Best Feature Film, Best Visual Effects, Best Character Animation, Best Character Design, Best Director, Best Music, Best Production Design, Best Voice Acting, Best Writing, and Best Editing. Arden Cho, who voices Rumi, is nominated for Best Voice Acting.

The only feature film category “KPop Demon Hunters” did not enter is Best Storyboarding. Meanwhile, Pixar’s “Elio” was nominated in 9 similar categories, but it was omitted from the Best Storyboarding category.

The music in “KPop Demon Hunters” is considered a key factor behind its global success. The film’s hit song “Golden” dominated various charts, and “What it Sounds Like” was named one of the best songs of 2025.

In the television category, multiple nominees include “Astérix & Obélix: The Big Fight,” “Win or Lose,” “Common Side Effects,” “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical,” and “Love, Death + Robots.”

The Annie Awards also announced several honorary awards. The Windsor McKay Award for lifetime contributions to the film industry will be given to Michael Dudok de Wit for “Father and Daughter” and “The Red Turtle,” Christopher Miller and Phil Lord for “The Lego Movie” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” and Chris Sanders for “Lilo & Stitch” and “The Wild Robot.” The June Foray Award for contributions to the animation community will go to Sandy Ravins, producer and founder of AniMade. The A.V. Club Award for technological innovation will be awarded to Wacom, and the Special Achievement Award for works that don’t fit other categories will be given to the annual Lightbox Expo.

The Annie Awards are hosted by ASIFA-Hollywood, the Southern California chapter of the International Animation Film Association. The 53rd Annie Awards are scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 21, at UCLA Royce Hall.

In the first 24 years after the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was established, over 90% of the Oscar nominees had previously been nominated at the Annie Awards.