It's been a busy week for KPop Demon Hunters news. Preorders opened for the KPop Demon Hunters comic, and Mattel revealed its first collectibles. Now, Netflix has announced that there will be a KPop Demon Hunters World Tour.
Many fans are elated about the chance to experience the fictional HUNTR/X and Saja Boys live, but there are questions. How will the animated movie be brought to the stage for live gigs? Will the animated idols appear as holograms like Gorillaz did in the past, or will the concerts be live action like... er...Disney on Ice?
All Netflix is saying for now is that the concert tour will be run by AEG Presents and that it will be a "live experience that will bring elements of the two-time Oscar-winning film to life in spectacular ways".
AEG is a huge promoter. It organises Coachella and has run several major Kpop tours, including with the likes of Blackpink, Jennie and Tomorrow x Together.
While the concert will surely have to feature all the tracks from the movie, including girl trio HUNTR/X's Golden, which won Best Original Song at the Oscars, and the demonic Saja Boys' Soda Pop, Netflix hasn't said whether the live shows will involve new animation or the singing talent from the movie – EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami for HUNTR/X and Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Kevin Woo, samUIL Lee and Danny Chung for the Saja Boys.
Some fans are concerned that Netflix's mention of "elements" of the film makes it sound like the concerts may have a relatively tenuous link to the movie. That's led to a lot of concerned speculation about how the animated groups will take to the stage. For pure speculation's sake, here are four possibilities. Which one would you prefer?
High-fidelity holographic and volumetric projections
One route for a KPDH tour could be to follow the blueprint of Vocaloid mascot Hatsune Miku (above) or the 2018 League of Legends K/DA performance. Using holo-mesh or transparent LED screens across the stage, the tour could project 3D-rendered models of the characters.
Unlike flat screen projections, volumetric capture would give the animated characters realistic depth and lighting, which would enable Rumi, Mira, and Zoey to appear to stand on stage and interact with real backing dancers.
Ideally, this could be backed up with a band of live musicians and the real singing cast for a more authentic live concert feel – something like Nintendo's Splatoon concerts, where a real band plays alongside holograms, and the idols interact with the audience to add live energy to the show.
This may not be so likely. Given that many of the singers are successful artists in their own right, fans fear they wouldn't want to commit to a world tour only to appear "behind" holograms.
![Splatoon 3 Live Concert featuring Deep Cut [Nintendo Live 2024 TOKYO] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XCMRqJjGsQQ/maxresdefault.jpg)
A face-claim hybrid model
Another option could be to use a body double system. Professional K-pop dancers could be cast to match the heights and build of the fictional characters. That way they could perform choreography live on stage while real-time face mapping or AR filters projected on massive screens make their faces would resemble Rumi, Mira and Zoey to the audience.
Again, the actual singers could either perform live from a hidden vocal booth or appear as special guests for segments.
Immersive AR and smart glasses
A less likely scenario could move beyond the stage by using augmented reality (AR) via synchronised AR smart glasses provided at the venue. Fans would don the glasses to reveal the animated stars.
This could allow the inclusion of immersive AR visual effects like a layer of digital demon entities swarming the arena. The members of Huntr/x could appear to jump into the crowd to fight, but the cost of the tech and the physical barrier this would adds to a shared live experience makes it less likely.
A live concert with the movie singing voices
The KPop Demon Hunters concerts wouldn't necessarily have to feature the animated characters. Plenty of animated IPs have crossed over into the real world as live-action extensions of the animated movies.
HUNTR/X performed Golden live at the Oscars with animation on a screen behind them. For many fans, this would be the preferred option. It's been noted that there are only nine original songs on the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, limiting the potential for a live concert, but the voice artists could also perform some of their own songs.
Fans fear this might be one of the least likely scenarios considering it would require coordinating the agendas of a series of individual artists who are stars in their own rights.
Some fear it's more likely that the concerts will be live-action events featuring actors or dancers not connected to the movie.
"They are inevitably going to want a Wiggles/Disney on Ice-style show that parents can bring small kids to and that can tour for five years and that they can tour in multiple territories simultaneously," one fan laments on Reddit.
"If there was even the slimmest chance that our girls were involved, their names would be plastered all over this. Netflix is going to do whatever takes the least effort to make the most money and I'm afraid that isn't gonna be EJAE, Rei and Audrey," another fan fears.
For now, fans can sign up for a waitlist to receive news when more information is released later in the year.
Meanwhile, Netflix already has another huge animation hit on its hands. Produced by a co-founder of Pixar, Netflix's Swapped has already broken KPop Demon Hunters' record for the most weekly views for an animated movie on the platform despite largely negative reviews.
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