KPop Demon Hunters Sweeps Annie Awards 2026

KPop Demon Hunters emerged as 10-awards winner at the 53rd Annual Annie Awards 2026, sweeping multiple top categories, including Best Feature, Best Direction, and Best Writing. The Annie Awards, presented annually by ASIFA-Hollywood, are widely regarded as one of animation’s highest peer-voted honors.

The Sony Pictures Animation (SPA) release won over a competitive field that included productions from major studios and renowned filmmakers. KPop Demon Hunters’ complete award list includes all categories for animated features:

• Best Feature
• Best FX
• Best Music
• Best Writing
• Best Editorial
• Best Direction
• Best Voice Acting
• Best Character Design
• Best Production Design
• Best Character Animation

The film’s hybridized musical structure, stylized action choreography, and integration of K-pop aesthetics with supernatural elements have been key drivers for KPop Demon Hunters winning a streak of awards since mid-2025.

Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters centers on a K-pop girl group who lead double lives as demon hunters, a narrative that blends South Korean pop culture with Western action-comedy storytelling.

KPop Demon Hunters' Annie Awards 2026 Wins and Oscar Positioning

Netflix and SPA’s KPop Demon Hunters have already won several awards, including the 31st Critics' Choice Awards and the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in the best animated feature category, among others. Even Golden, from the movie’s soundtrack, received accolades at the 68th Grammy Awards and topped Billboard lists.

KPop Demon Hunters has slowly become a cultural phenomenon, moving beyond a streaming-hit status, with Time recognizing it as ‘Breakthrough of the Year 2025.’ The film is nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards, alongside Arco, the Annie Awards 2026 winner for Best Feature (Independent).

Previously, Annie Awards winner Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio also won Academy Awards in 2023. However, Annie voters are drawn primarily from the animation community, whereas the Academy’s broader membership introduces a different voting dynamic.

Apart from KPop Demon Hunters, another Netflix production, Love, Death + Robots, won three awards at the Annie Awards 2026, including Best Storyboarding (TV/Media).

The successes of KPop Demon Hunters and Love, Death + Robots also mark a rare instance of Netflix-produced animated features. The streamer has increasingly been investing in animated productions, including Japanese anime, and the Annie Awards 2026 wins become pivotal for their upcoming productions.