The surprising reason KPop Demon Hunters is crushing Disney

Sony Pictures Animation's KPop Demon Hunters is now the most-watched movie on Netflix ever. With over 236 million views, the bubblegum pop musical meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer fantasy and Josie and the Pussycats has become not just the most most-watched animated movie, but the most-watched movie overall on the streaming platform, leaving Red Notice and Carry-On trailing.

This surprise success suggests that talk about a decline in interest in original animation is wide off the mark, despite some high-profile flops from the likes of Pixar and Disney. But what's the secret? A storyboard artist who was involved in the movie has an interesting theory (see our guides to the best animation software and the best laptops for animation if you're inspired to make your own animated opus).

Even Sony and Netflix have been taken by surprise by how KPop Demon Hunters has exploded in popularity on a global scale. The response clearly shows that the demand for original animation is alive and well. So why have recent projects from big hitters fallen flat? Sequels like Pixar's Inside Out 2 have done well, but new IPs like Pixar's Elio and Disney's Wish were major flops.

Radford Sechrist is married to KPop Demon Hunters director Maggie Kang and designed the character of the tiger (the blue, demonic-looking cat Derpy) in KPop Demon Hunters. He says the reason the movie has succeeded while other recent releases haven't done so well is because it doesn't look like it was designed for kids, but for young adults.

The reason he thinks this is so important is because of the influence of YouTube (and perhaps we could also add TikTok, which is where Radford posted his thoughts. He notes that the younger kids that animated movies are often aimed at are heavily influenced by what they see people talking about on YouTube, and most YouTubers are in their early 20s.

“So if you’re developing a movie, you kind of have to think about people in their 20s first before the kids will even hear of the movie," he says. "So things like anime, Stranger Things – you have to sort of shoot for that age of demographic, and you have to get people in their 20s excited so they’re talking about it. Then the kids will see that, and as long as you don’t put anything in the movie that’s too much for a kid – but let’s be honest, there’s like 5-year-olds watching Stranger Things.”

He says the one exception is animation for pre-school chiledren – shows like Bluey – which parents themselves tend to select. His theory suggests that the animation giants like Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks need to aim to appeal to the 20-somethings that are visible on YouTube if they want to reach kids, and that means making movies that don't look like they were made for their target age group.

Ultimately, there might not be a single reason for the differing fortunes of recent animated movies. KPop Demon Hunters has a very different theme and animation style compared to Disney and Pixar movies. That makes it feel refreshing and interesting.

It's also on Netflix, which makes for a very different dynamic compared to a cinema release. But I do hope that Disney notices that people are interested in watching animation that feels unique and original. Maybe it will even try to respect the concept art for its new movie Hexed?

As for Netflix, it remains to be seen whether it can use the success of KPop Demon Hunters to help build an animation identity.

For more on the movie, see the amusing behind-the-scenes KPop Demon Hunters recordings. Also see our behind-the-scenes features on the making of the Netflix animes Arcane Season 2 and Sakamoto Days.