Sony Pictures Animation has announced their upcoming musical K-Pop: Demon Hunters. The story follows a rising girl group that secretly doubles as a demon-fighting team behind-the-scenes. This is the debut film for director Maggie Kang, whose previous credits include The Croods: A New Age. Her connection to the film comes from her Korean heritage as well as her status as a “die-hard” K-pop fan. Also helming the project is Chris Appelhans, director of the upcoming animated film Wish Dragon.
Following the disaster that was The Emoji Movie, Sony Animation has led a valiant effort to rebrand itself. This has led to their last few films all receiving largely positive reviews. 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse even won the Best Animated Feature Oscar over two Disney/Pixar contenders. And as fans will attest, Sony Animation has become one of the most creative animation studios in the business. With Demon Hunters, they’re trying something new yet again.
The studio has also started to express an interest in adult animation. They even have a few R-rated projects in the works, such as Seth Rogen’s Bubble. While not as extreme of an example, Demon Hunters might be part of that same initiative. It definitely makes sense if that’s what they’re going for. “Not just for kids” animation is more popular than ever. Of course, there’s another reason the studio may go ahead with Demon Hunters. Last year, the anime film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train became a surprise box office hit. During its theater run, it made more than $400 million total. And it was able to achieve this success even with the burden of an R rating.
One exciting thing about the news is getting to see Sony Animation continue its commitment to racial diversity. With Spider-Verse and Hair Love, they’ve started to work on showcasing stories from marginalized groups. Of course, letting members of those groups tell their own stories is a much bigger plus. Many of the studio’s next few projects, such as Vivo, Tut, and Tao, reflect this.
The talent behind Demon Hunters is another cause for the hype. Producer Aron Warner is a well-known figure in the industry. He produced the Shrek films (and was the voice of the Big Bad Wolf). The art and design team includes Ami Thompson and Mingjue Chen, who were both part of the Raya and the Last Dragon crew.
For now, the project is fresh and full of promise. The genres of K-pop and animation mix very well. It’s a surprise that more films haven’t tried to blend the two. Who knows? If this one becomes a hit, maybe it will start a trend.
Source: Variety
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