In K-pop, the fans come first, or so catchy South Korean music acts are constantly telling the legions of dedicated followers who have propelled them to international stardom. If it weren’t for the fans, boy band BTS couldn’t possibly have filled SoFi Stadium four times over, and Blackpink would never have been invited to headline Coachella — nor would there be any reason to greenlight a movie like “K-Pop Demon Hunters.”
The title says it all in the high-energy, high-concept supernatural action comedy from Sony Pictures Animation, the versatile toon studio responsible for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”: Three ultra-talented supernatural protectors use their popularity as girl band superstars to defend the mortal world from demon king Gwi-Ma (Byung Hun Lee).
Known to the world as Huntrix, woldo-wielding Mira (May Hong), Burbank-raised rap star Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) and purple-braided orphan Rumi (Arden Cho) are what you might call a triple threat: They sing, they dance, they slay demons. When they’re not slicing the evil spirits in half with their phosphorescent pink weapons, the band leverages the love fans show them to build a barrier, known as the Golden Honmoon, that will block the demons once and for all.
But Juni (Ahn Hyo-seop), one of Gwi-Ma’s most tortured acolytes, has an inspired idea: Together with four ridiculously handsome fellow demons, he will start a rival group, the Saja Boys, and try to lure Huntrix’s fans to the dark side. What neither Juni nor Rumi see coming is just how irresistible they will find each other. The resulting human-demon rom-com plot might be predictable, but not the twist that “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” which hits Netflix the same day Pixar’s “Elio” opens in theaters, turns out to be the more entertaining of the two animated offerings.
That’s because co-directors Chris Appelhans (“Wish Dragon”) and Maggie Kang (who’s worked in the story departments at DreamWorks, Blue Sky and Illumination) use their appealing, unapologetically silly premise to unleash a far more playful approach to computer animation than any of the aforementioned studios have tried. The creative team takes its cues from webtoons and manhwa (Korean graphic novels), emphasizing dynamic silhouettes over smooth in-between movement.
Not clear what that means? Watch how the characters hit and hold certain key poses as the camera glides and zooms around them. What started as a cost-saving measure on animated series such as “Speed Racer” and “The Powerpuff Girls” back in the day now gives “K-Pop Demon Hunters” a distinctly Asian flavor, further embellished with cute comic-book touches.
For example, when Huntrix first glimpse the Saja Boys, the gals stop in their tracks as their pupils swell into puffy red hearts. Reacting to how ripped the guys look, Zoey’s eyes change shapes several more times, from six-pack abs to a pair of buttery corncobs. The lovestruck young lady’s reaction provides an unforgettable alternative to the randy wolf in Tex Avery’s “Red Hot Riding Hood” cartoon, as twin streams of popcorn erupt like tears from her flushed red face.
Instead of being gross, the violence proves every bit as visually appealing. The trio’s weapons are so sharp, they slice clean through the demons (easily identified by jagged purple markings on their zombie-like skin), or else cause them to explode into a burst of confetti. Later, they swarm through a rift in the Honmoon, galloping on all fours like so many Gollums as they suck the souls from the nearby humans (implied more than seen, so as to preserve the film’s PG rating).
Fast and efficient, the movie blazes through an exposition-heavy first act in less than 15 minutes, which is right about the time we learn Rumi’s secret: She’s the daughter of a pop-singer mom and demon dad who’s marked by the same purple imprints as the spirits she’s sworn to eliminate. The only person who knows Rumi’s hybrid status is Huntrix’s trusted trainer Celine (Yunjin Kim), who believes that Rumi can keep her demon genes in check. But the group’s mentor never foresaw her protégé falling for a bad boy like Juni, who’s got a couple secrets up his sleeve as well.
A subplot involving problems with Rumi’s voice doesn’t quite work, although it slows down the storytelling long enough for some fun character moments, like an action-packed trip to the spa and a short-lived staycation, complete with bubble tea and bingsu. You can’t have a CG cartoon these days without adorable animal sidekicks, which come in the form of a grinning tiger demon and a black bird in a tiny gat (hat), both designed to look like they’ve stepped straight out of Korean folklore.
The K-pop angle sets an obvious challenge for the filmmakers in that this toon needs some original tunes to make it sing, plus catchy choreography to distinguish it from vintage shows like “Josie and the Pussy Cats” and “Jem and the Holograms.” Compiled by a range of A-list music producers, the macaronic soundtrack (which mixes English and Korean lyrics) includes three hits for Huntrix, performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — “How It’s Done,” “Golden” and “Takedown” (the latter covered by Twice over the end credits). Better still is “Free,” a standout duet between Ejae and Andrew Choi (Rumi’s and Juni’s singing voices, respectively).
Because the nimble, genre-hopping movie is set in the world of K-pop, it may not even occur to fans that they’re watching a musical — although it’s kind of hard to deny as you catch yourself singing along.