"KPop Demon Hunters" won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night, marking a historic victory for South Korean pop culture on Hollywood's biggest stage.

The film triumphed over fellow nominees "Arco," "Elio," "Little Amélie or the Character of Rain," and "Zootopia 2" in the animated feature category, where it had long been viewed as a frontrunner after a strong awards-season run.

Directed and produced by Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, and Michelle L.M. Wong, the Netflix-backed feature gave the streamer another major win in animation. The Academy lists all three as official recipients of the Oscar, according to Gizmodo.

The story follows Huntrix, a K-pop girl group whose three members are secretly demon hunters trained to protect the world from a powerful demon king. Rumi, the group's leader, hides that she is half-demon while preparing for a major performance that could strengthen a mystical barrier shielding humanity.

As a rival demon boy band tries to steal their fans' souls, Rumi and her bandmates must confront betrayal, fear, and their own hidden pasts to stop an attack on Seoul.

In their acceptance remarks, members of the filmmaking team dedicated the award "for Korea and Koreans everywhere," highlighting the film's Korean setting and creative team. The movie's success has been widely viewed as another milestone in the growing global reach of Korean stories in mainstream cinema.

It also marks a rare animated feature winner set entirely in Korea, with a largely Korean and Korean diaspora voice cast, Variety.

"KPop Demon Hunters" has been a dominant presence across the awards circuit leading up to the Oscars. It previously won Best Animated Feature at the Critics' Choice Awards, the Golden Globes, and several regional critics groups, including the Atlanta Film Critics Circle and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. The film also earned a Producers Guild of America animation prize, signaling strong industry support.

Music has been central to the film's impact, with its soundtrack driving much of its popularity. The song "Golden," performed in the film by Huntrix, became a hit on global charts and is also nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars. Several tracks from the movie helped power the film to record-breaking viewing figures on Netflix.

Netflix has confirmed that a sequel to "KPop Demon Hunters" is in development, with director Maggie Kang and co-director Chris Appelhans expected to return under a new multiyear deal. The follow-up is being developed with Sony Pictures Animation and is currently targeting a late-decade release, as per Yahoo News.

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