Netflix Animation “KPop Demon Hunters” Wins Two Awards at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Film and Best Original Song

Netflix’s animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” secured two major honors at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards held on the 11th (local time) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, USA. It won the award for Best Animated Film and the award for Best Original Song, achieving a double victory. This marks the first time that K-pop content based on Korean culture has claimed two trophies at Hollywood’s most prestigious awards ceremony.

The film tells the story of the “HUNTR/X,” a group of K-pop idol groups who protect the world from evil spirits. Since its release on Netflix in June of last year, it has set the highest viewing record in Netflix film history, with 325.1 million views accumulated over 91 days. Its theme song, “Golden,” held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight non-consecutive weeks, while another track, “Your Idol,” reached number 8 on the same chart.

In the animated film category, “KPop Demon Hunters” defeated strong competitors such as “Zootopia 2,” “Elio,” “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train,” “Arco,” and “Little Amelie” to win the award. Director Maggie Kang said onstage, “I am grateful to everyone who believed that a film deeply rooted in Korean culture can resonate with audiences around the world.” She added, “Through this movie, we wanted to portray female characters exactly as they are—strong, confident, sometimes funny or quirky, craving food, and occasionally feeling thirsty.” Kang became the first Asian woman to win an award in the animated film category.

The award for Best Original Song went to “Golden,” overcoming contenders such as “Dreams as One” from “Avatar: The Fire and Ice,” “I Ride to You” from “Sinners,” and “No Place Like Home” from “Wicked: For Good.” This was the first time a song written, composed, and performed by a Korean singer won a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song.

Lee Jae, the singer of “Golden” and one of its co-composers, delivered her acceptance speech while in tears. She received the award alongside Mark Sonnenblick and composers from The Black Label—Kwak Jung-kyu, Lee Yu-han, Nam Hee-dong (IDO), Seo Jung-hun (24), and Park Hong-jun (Teddy). Lee Jae said, “When I was young, I worked hard for 10 years without stopping to fulfill my dream of becoming a K-pop idol, but I was rejected and disappointed because they said I lacked a strong voice.” She added, “To overcome that pain, I relied on singing and music, and now I stand here as a singer and composer,” expressing her joy.

She continued, “I’m happy that this song can help other girls, other queens, and everyone else overcome difficulties and accept themselves.” She then caught everyone’s attention by shouting in Korean, “Mom, I love you!” Lee Jae concluded by saying, “I dedicate this award to everyone who faces closed doors. I can now say with confidence that rejection is an opportunity to move in a new direction. Never give up. There is no late time to shine, just as one was meant to shine from birth.”

“KPop Demon Hunters” previously won two awards at the Critics’ Choice Awards on the 4th, including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. This Golden Globe victory increases its chances of winning an award at the Academy Awards, or Oscars, to be held in March. Experts consider the Golden Globe to serve as a stepping stone toward the Oscars. Meanwhile, “Golden” is nominated in five categories, including Song of the Year, at the 68th Grammy Awards scheduled for the 1st of next month.