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BY SETTING the stage for a thrilling yet musical showdown — a wildly popular K-pop girl band, whose members secretly moonlight as demon hunters to protect their fans from a constant supernatural threat, facing off against a rival boy band of demons in disguise — the makers of KPop Demon Hunters movie hit upon an unbeatable formula for stupendous success. The animated original film, released on Netflix on June 20, hasn’t just become the streamer’s most-watched movie ever, powered by its chart-busting soundtrack and massive fan engagement, it has also emerged as a global phenomenon.
The monster-fighting girl group Huntr/x, comprising Rumi (singing voice by EJAE), Mira (Audrey Nuna) and Zoey (Rei Ami), protect the world from demons even as they strive to seal their universe off from evil supernatural beings by closing a mystical barrier known as the ‘Honmoon’. They encounter their biggest challenge when the Saja Boys, the demon boy band led by Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), break into Huntr/x’s fanbase with their catchy song Soda Pop. By swaying the fans of Huntr/x to their side, the Saja Boys weaken the girl band and the Honmoon, making it easier for demons, including the ancient overlord Gwi-Ma (Byung Hun-lee), to enter and feed on human souls.
Ahead of their first-ever televised appearance and live performance of Huntr/x band on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on October 7, singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami addressed a press conference on Tuesday along with directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans. Commenting on its worldwide success, Kang, who also wrote the film’s story said, “It’s like we raised this child and you release the child into the world. At first, you’re like, okay, I hope people like you. Then, you say, ‘Just go and live your life.’ Now, we are watching (the film’s journey) from afar and are really proud of it.”
The most fascinating aspect of this visually stunning film is its voice cast and the range of their performances is what gives the film an original tone. The songs have been dominating the global music charts for months now. The tracks include Golden (which is the first-ever female K-pop single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100), How it’s done, Takedown, Your idol and What it sounds like.
The film’s popularity is fuelled by the fans and fanart. Acknowledging it, Rei says, “People are dedicating precious hours to create art for us and sharing (them) on social media.” The story that has found resonance across cultures and generations, is mainly about friendship, fighting inner demons and owning one’s individuality.
Mentioning that the movie is mainly about ‘acceptance’, Appelhans says, “We all have inner demons. We all have parts of ourselves that can be really destructive, that can screw up the way that we live and the way we treat other people. And they can win, right? The movie’s so much about the way that we handle those and how we face them together. As much as that seems like a high-fantasy concept, it’s very much about who we are and how we survive.”
The film deftly blends music video-like sequences, action, emotional and dark scenes. Appelhans says, “As filmmakers, both Maggie and I are huge fans of Bong Joon Ho (director of Parasite). He has this crazy range of tone. When you’re watching The Host (2006), you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s a family comedy. Oh, God, it’s a horror movie. Wait, it’s romantic.’ We loved it. We had all these ingredients and aspirations to have these girls (Rumi, Mira and Zoey) legitimately glamorous and magnetic in a way that they can compete with real K-pop stars.”
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