{"id":278058,"date":"2025-11-07T22:04:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T22:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/278058\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T22:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T22:04:08","slug":"kpop-demon-hunters-directors-on-their-ugly-silly-and-hot-characters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/278058\/","title":{"rendered":"KPop Demon Hunters Directors on Their ‘Ugly, Silly and Hot’ Characters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe fourth annual \u201cPixels and Pencils\u201d directors roundtable brought together some of animation\u2019s brightest talents at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival on Oct. 27, marking multiple historic firsts for the event that has become the go-to destination for animated Oscar contenders during awards season.<\/p>\n

\n\tVariety Chief Awards Editor Clayton Davis moderated the discussion, which featured directors behind this year\u2019s most acclaimed animated features: Ugo Bienvenu (\u201cArco\u201d), Domee Shi (\u201cElio<\/a>\u201c), Alex Woo (\u201cIn Your Dreams\u201d), Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang (\u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters\u201d), Ma\u00eflys Vallade (\u201cLittle Am\u00e9lie or the Character of Rain\u201d) and Kent Seki (\u201cTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 \u2013 Lost in New Jersey\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\tThe panel made history with a record-breaking number of women filmmakers and as the first to include both a returning director and an animated short. Shi became the first director to return to the panel for a second year, while Seki marked another milestone as the first short film director invited to participate.<\/p>\n

\n\tPart of Variety\u2019s longstanding partnership with SCAD and its awards season coverage, the \u201cPixels and Pencils\u201d series has featured Oscar nominees and winners in previous years, including 2024\u2019s \u201cInside Out 2,\u201d \u201cMemoir of a Snail,\u201d \u201cThe Wild Robot\u201d and eventual winner \u201cFlow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe directors shared candid insights about their creative processes and the challenges of working in animation. For Shi, whose \u201cElio\u201d marks her second appearance on the panel following \u201cTurning Red\u201d in 2022, the story was a way to connect with her younger self.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe wanted to tell a story about being the weird kid who\u2019s just trying to find where they belong,\u201d she said. \u201cFor us, it was about finding your people \u2014 even if they\u2019re alien creatures in space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShi also explained the inspiration behind the film\u2019s unconventional alien abduction scene: \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be funny to have an abduction scene in a sci-fi movie where the character is whooping and cheering as they\u2019re being taken up in a tractor beam? Because isn\u2019t that how we all feel these days? Sometimes you\u2019re like, I\u2019m done with Earth, take me away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSeveral directors emphasized the collaborative nature of animation. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images for SCAD<\/p>\n

\n\tKang and Appelhans discussed the collaborative process behind \u201cKPop Demon Hunters<\/a>,\u201d celebrating the freedom to present Korean culture in a bold, fresh way. \u201cLet\u2019s make these characters real \u2014 ugly at times, silly, and real hot,\u201d Kang said with a laugh. The duo\u2019s natural chemistry and shared creative vision turned their partnership into a crowd favorite.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOnce we figured out we could attack a problem together and make it better, it became hard to work apart,\u201d Appelhans added. \u201cWe just have the same exact taste, which is so crazy,\u201d Kang said, noting how they wanted to make every decision together despite production pressures to divide responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\n\tThroughout the afternoon, panelists opened up about the inspirations, anxieties and ambitions behind their work.<\/p>\n

\n\tBienvenu spoke of creating Neon\u2019s \u201cArco\u201d during the pandemic, inspired by a desire to imagine a better future. \u201cMaybe the world is how it is because we only imagine it bad,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s imagine things better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tVallade, director of the hand-drawn \u201cLittle Am\u00e9lie\u201d from GKids, spoke through an interpreter about embracing animation\u2019s emotional power. \u201cYes, animation is a lot of suffering,\u201d she said to laughs. \u201cBut it\u2019s also about sharing love, dreams and emotion. We can maybe change the world \u2014 even a little.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWoo described Netflix\u2019s \u201cIn Your Dreams\u201d as a deeply personal exploration of disappointment and resilience. \u201cI grew up on stories that said if you want something badly enough, it will come true. But that\u2019s not always the case,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to make a movie for kids that asks, \u2018What happens when your dreams don\u2019t come true?’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSeki, whose \u201cChrome Alone 2\u201d screened at SCAD earlier in the day, reflected on pushing through rejection. \u201cI once had someone in power say to my face, \u2018I don\u2019t see you as a director,’\u201d he said. \u201cBut you keep going. You have to have creative endurance and elasticity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images for SCAD<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a surprise twist that delighted the sold-out audience, SCAD animation student Anthony DiMarco of Middletown, New Jersey, was invited on stage to co-host portions of the discussion after confidently declaring he would direct the first animated film to win the best picture Oscar.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a powerful final segment, DiMarco asked each filmmaker to give him one piece of advice as a future director. Responses ranged from the philosophical \u2014 \u201cTell the truth,\u201d said Woo \u2014 to the practical. \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to be embarrassing,\u201d advised Shi. Kang might have summed it up best: \u201cNetwork up, down, sideways \u2014 and don\u2019t be an asshole.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDiMarco\u2019s participation became a highlight of the event, with the student asking thoughtful questions about overcoming imposter syndrome and handling rejection. \u201cThis experience today has taught me that animation is about passion, perseverance \u2014 and having at least three, maybe four backup drives,\u201d DiMarco quipped, reading from cue cards provided. \u201cAnimation is cinema. It\u2019s a medium, not a genre.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSeki also shared wisdom from director Jon Favreau: \u201cYour job is to be a statesman. You have information that you have to give to everybody on the crew. Your job is to know when, where and how to give that information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe eight-day SCAD Savannah Film Festival, presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design, showcases cinematic creativity from award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers. Previous \u201cPixels and Pencils\u201d panels have launched the Oscar campaigns of filmmakers including Peter Sohn (\u201cElemental\u201d), the \u201cSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse\u201d directing team and Dean Fleischer Camp (\u201cMarcel the Shell with Shoes On\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\tWith more than 63,000 attendees annually, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival continues to be a thriving space for both emerging talent and established artists. \u201cPixels and Pencils\u201d remains a marquee moment during the eight-day celebration \u2014 a space where art meets industry, and the next great animated feature might just be born.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs many of us believe, there will be an animated film win best picture. And maybe \u2014 just maybe \u2014 the person who directs it, was sitting in that room. And judging by DiMarco, and the eight extraordinary filmmakers dropped on their way out, they\u2019re all ready to take that shot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The fourth annual \u201cPixels and Pencils\u201d directors roundtable brought together some of animation\u2019s brightest talents at the SCAD…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[147503,88,2696,206,29506,147504],"class_list":["post-278058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-elio","tag-entertainment","tag-kpop-demon-hunters","tag-movies","tag-oscars","tag-scad-animation-panel-recap"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}