‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Inches Closer to The Oscars with Two Nominations

Just before the 2026 Oscar nominations were announced on Jan. 22, 2026, while many were debating the Best Picture merits of Sinners and F1, perhaps every K-pop fan was rooting for Huntr/x. And now Netflix’s global smash hit KPop Demon Hunters has officially secured two nominations at the 98th Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for its massive hit “Golden.” And honestly, it isn’t just another streaming win but a full-blown takeover. After already sweeping the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globes earlier this month, the trio of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey is now just one gold statue away from finishing their legendary awards-season “All-Kill.”

Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the film has shattered records as Netflix’s most-watched original movie ever. The story follows a famous girl group that balances the stress of a world tour with the more pressing duty of slaying soul-eating demons. The movie’s nominated track, “Golden,” isn’t just a catchy bridge in the narrative; it’s the emotional climax where lead vocalist Rumi (voiced by Ejae) reveals her part-demon identity while trying to seal the “Golden Honmoon” barrier to protect humanity. With the soundtrack already certified Double Platinum and “Golden” crossing a billion views on YouTube, the Academy, it seems, had no choice but to invite the Hunters to the Dolby Theatre.

Of course, landing a spot in the final five wasn’t a breeze. The 2026 Best Animated Feature category is a battlefield of heavyweights. KPop Demon Hunters is going head-to-head with Disney’s box office giant Zootopia 2 — which just became the highest-grossing Disney animated film in history — and Pixar’s outer-space adventure Elio. Rounding out the list are the indie favorites: Neon’s visually striking Arco and the GKIDS critically praised Little Amélie, or the Character of Rain, making the competition even fiercer.

The snub list for 2026 is particularly painful for anime fans. Despite its massive cultural footprint and commercial success, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle was left out in the cold. It wasn’t the only casualty: the amazing Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc also failed to make an impression after being part of the initial 35-film longlist. Even more shocking was the total absence of China’s Ne Zha 2. As the highest-grossing animated film of all time (over $2.2 billion worldwide), it seemed like a lock for at least a submission, but the film wasn’t even entered for consideration.

Other notable films that were eligible but couldn’t squeeze into the final five include DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys 2, the record-breaking Indian hit Mahavatar Narsimha, and several other original bets like In Your Dreams and The Twits. Even the legendary SpongeBob SquarePants’ Search for SquarePants couldn’t make it. While these films had their moments, the 2026 race has clearly narrowed down to a fight between pop-culture mania and big-name animation. And if the current momentum is any indicator, the 98th Academy Awards on March 15 might just turn into a Huntr/x experience.