Fresh off wins at the Critics Choice and the Golden Globes, it\u2019s clear that the industry shows no sign of ever stopping from drinking up every drop of the soda pop that is Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation\u2019s smash hit KPop Demon Hunters.<\/p>\n
On Thursday morning, the film picked up both Animated Feature and Original Song for \u201cGolden,\u201d which broke records on the Billboard and Spotify charts and was recently nominated for four Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year.<\/p>\n
More from Deadline<\/p>\n
Speaking to Deadline, co-directors and co-writers Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans reflected on the grueling nights that brought them to this golden moment and the affirmations of taking a chance on making a quirky, exciting and empowering animated story infused with Korean culture. \u201cI have 14 years of experience making other people\u2019s movies. And I felt like, OK, it\u2019s time to do something that I wanted to see. I\u2019ve been wanting to work on a movie like this and just waited and waited,\u201d Kang said. \u201cAs somebody who kind of grew up in the industry, you start to see behind the veil about how these things are made. And you ask yourself, \u2018Can I do this? Can I take on a movie? Can I write a dialogue that is going to be spoken and millions of people around the world are going to listen or hear it?\u2019 And apparently, that is how things get made. So, I said that it was my turn to do that now. And it was scary pitching an original movie, but I believed so much in the possibility of what this concept could become.\u201d<\/p>\n
Appelhans added, \u201cAnimation is an awesome community filled with really passionate people who love the medium, and there\u2019s a shared love across all the studios and films. This is a very personal film for both of us. It was weird and hard, and there were a lot of things we were doing that didn\u2019t have a roadmap, which was even harder. Then, on top of that, it was hard to figure out how to integrate music in the way that we did. Then it was hard to get everyone to buy into these female characters. Then it was hard to fight for the Korean-ness to be in the DNA of every scene. But then here we are [in awards season], and we get this acknowledgement from our peers, and it\u2019s essentially them saying to you, \u2018I see what you did.\u2019 And that means a lot. It\u2019s game recognizing game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Considering that KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix\u2019s most-streamed movie to date, Kang reflected further about the journey from concept to screen. Despite many years in the making and many late nights mulling over decisions, the team refused to cave in to the pressures that come with making an animated feature. \u201cAs a director, you run into times when you\u2019re like, \u2018Is this crazy? Is this concept stupid? Are people going to like this?\u2019 Then you start to gather a crew, and when Chris came on, he was like, \u2018This is amazing.\u2019 So, you just feel energized every time someone comes in to contribute and thinks it\u2019s amazing too. So, you start to really believe that this dream can come true with all these people coming in. And then, when you\u2019re working those late nights, it\u2019s hard, but you think more about not letting down all those people who believe in you and your vision. That\u2019s what got me through those late nights. I just kept believing in this idea from seven years ago. Chris and I operated from a place of, let\u2019s just put everything out there and not have any regrets. Let\u2019s take things as far as we want to take it. And I\u2019m so glad we did, because it\u2019s so validating that our weird ideas and sensibilities lead us here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Co-songwriter EJAE also noted that she was ecstatic about \u201cGolden\u201d getting nominated for Original Song, calling it \u201cincredibly surreal\u201d to have worked with her co-writing partners Mark Sonnenblick and fellow HUNTR\/X group members REI AMI and Audrey Nuna. \u201cBeing a part of this film has made so many different dreams come true at once. I never thought I would ever perform live. I never thought my song would be on the Billboard Hot 100. I never thought I would be part of a film, let alone one about Korea, where I\u2019m from. So, this means everything to me and I\u2019m proud of everybody who worked on the film, and all the hard work is paying off.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked to tease anything at all about the inevitable and upcoming sequel movie, currently set to release in 2029, Kang and Appelhans form a friendly cone of silence: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot to say but nothing we can say right now,\u201d Kang said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
But how about EJAE? How is she dealing with the pressure of a sophomore comeback when the heights reached in the first film are already at record-breaking highs? She\u2019s cool as a cucumber when she answers. \u201cI\u2019m always thinking about that. That\u2019s part of my songwriting process. How do I get better? There\u2019s nothing new going on right now. I\u2019m continuing to watch movies and listening to a lot of different music. I\u2019ll continue to keep working hard. I put a lot of pressure on myself anyway, because I am my worst critic and a perfectionist. I\u2019ll just keep hustling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Best of Deadline<\/p>\n
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