Netflix’s animated feature KPop Demon Hunters took two film prizes at the 31st Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 4 in Santa Monica, winning best animated feature and best song for “Golden,” a centerpiece track from the movie’s soundtrack. The ceremony, one of the first televised stops of the new awards year, placed the Korean pop-themed title in front of studio rivals heading into the Academy Awards nomination period.
The animated-feature win came over a slate that included Zootopia 2, Elio, In Your Dreams and Arco. The Critics Choice trophies arrive as “Golden” remains in the running at the Oscars: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences included the song on its Dec. 16 shortlist for best original song. Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 22, with the 98th Academy Awards set for March 15.
A large group from the film went onstage to accept the animation honor, including directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, producer Michelle Wong, performers tied to the film and its music, and voice cast members Arden Cho, May Hong and Ji-young Yoo.
Songwriter EJAE has described the scale of the breakout as unexpected. “To us, it was a hit,” she said during a Netflix event last fall, “but we didn’t think it could get this far.” Co-writer Mark Sonnenblick said the film’s reach had gone “so far beyond anything that could even be imagined.” Netflix has cited multiple Grammy nominations for “Golden” and framed the track’s reception as part of the movie’s wider pop-culture footprint.
The same Critics Choice night also spotlighted Korean-language storytelling on television: Squid Game won best foreign language series for its third season, extending a run that began with its first-season breakthrough at the awards.
