‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Sweeps Annie Awards

Hollywood Reporter

by Scott Roxborough

February 22, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

'KPop Demon Hunters,' a Netflix original animated film, made history at the 2026 Annie Awards by sweeping a record-breaking 10 prizes, including Best Feature. Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the pop musical also claimed wins for best direction, music, writing, editorial, voice acting (featuring Arden Cho as Rumi), and several technical categories like FX, character animation, design, and production design. This unexpected global hit, produced by Sony Pictures Animation, became Netflix’s most-watched movie with an astounding 481.6 million views in late 2025 despite minimal promotion. The Annie Awards, presented by ASIFA-Hollywood, also celebrated other notable works, such as Ugo Bienvenu’s hand-drawn French film *Arco*, which won Best Independent Feature. This marks the second consecutive year that an Annie Best Feature winner went on to achieve a significant honor at the Oscars, following Guillermo del Toro’s *Pinocchio* in 2023. In television categories, Adult Swim’s *Common Side Effects* took home Best TV/Media Mature for its pilot episode, while Hulu’s *The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball* won Best Children’s Series. Additionally, the awards recognized innovation and creativity across the animation industry. Wacom received the Ub Iwerks Award for its Cintiq tablets, now a standard tool in 2D animation. LightBox Expo was honored with a special achievement award for fostering connections between filmmakers, students, and fans. The ceremony also celebrated achievements in storytelling and

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Originally published on Hollywood Reporter on 2/22/2026