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Behind-the-Scenes with HUNTR/X & Administrators

Behind-the-Scenes with HUNTR/X & Administrators


Warning: SPOILERS for Kpop Demon HuntersKPop Demon Hunters is among the most shocking success tales of 2025. The animated musical fantasy movie is the uncommon household pleasant endeavors that has genuinely crossed generational boundaries to attraction to viewers of all ages. Enjoyable, emotional, and stuffed with catchy unique songs, KPop Demon Hunters has charmed its means into hearts around the globe.

KPop Demon Hunters could also be a breezy watch, however that ease is the results of numerous hours invested by a big artistic workforce. That workforce consists of first-time director Maggie Kang (additionally a co-writer) and co-director Chris Appelhans, and the unsung singers behind the fictional band HUNTR/X.

Whereas KPop Demon Hunters’ Rumi, Zoey, and Mira are voiced by Arden Cho, Ji-young Yoo, and Could Hong, the characters’ songs are carried out by EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna, respectively. EJAE even lent her writing abilities to the undertaking, co-writing songs together with “How It’s Carried out” and “Golden”, the latter of which has sat atop the Billboard Scorching 100.

ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan interviewed Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna about their work on the smash hit movie. They reveal the shocking challenges behind Netflix’s most profitable movie ever, and shared what they most need to see in a sequel.

These Have been KPop Demon Hunters’ Largest Challenges

KPop Demon Hunters is an extremely formidable movie, mixing one of many world’s hottest musical genres with a fantasy motion story for all ages. Administrators Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans shared how difficult the method was and what the tallest hurdles had been for them throughout improvement.

ScreenRant: I need to begin with the journey of going into this film. Did it at all times really feel large, or was there a second you guys had been like, “Wow, that is past something we might ever think about?”

Maggie Kang: All of it. I imply, it felt actually large once we had been working by way of it. A number of various things wanted to come back collectively so as to have the ability to pull it off. And we saved saying that, like, “Can we pull this off?”

It was lots, [with] the songs and the animation and the choreography after which the story, after which the comedy. So many issues needed to come collectively for each scene to work, and so it was an enormous endeavor.

We began to resolve issues piece by piece, and we realized how one can deal with all the pieces, [and] even go concerning the music scenes, as we had been making it. We sort of figured it out, and I believe we pulled it off, I might say.

Chris Appelhans: I keep in mind doing the ultimate combine on the Sony lot and seeing it on an enormous display with the music turned up so loud and all of the completed lighting and animation. I simply keep in mind hanging out with the crew who got here to that, and everybody was sort of simply vibrating. And I keep in mind pondering, “This isn’t regular.”

I imply, you at all times really feel pleased with what you’ve got made, however there’s this kind of euphoria that all of us felt. I am like, “I do not know what it means, however it feels distinctive,” and now I see that going to the sing-alongs. I am like, “Oh, we’re all feeling it now collectively.” In order that was superior.

ScreenRant: You talked about all of the items coming collectively. What would you say was the largest problem or greatest nut to crack once you had been placing it collectively?

Maggie Kang: It is at all times story. That is the factor that you just spend probably the most time on. You begin with it–you begin with the draft and figuring that out and all of the mind energy that goes into crafting that–however that is not the place it ends with animation. You are simply writing to the final potential second till you might be on the recording session and the phrases should be spoken by the actor.

And even then you possibly can sort of seize one thing from one other clip and swap out phrases. So, till it is absolutely animated with the dialogue that will probably be within the closing factor, you are capable of write and alter issues. So that you’re simply continually writing. And so it is all about story, and that is the factor that takes probably the most time.

Musically, the track that was most tough for songwriter and performer EJAE is probably not the one you’d count on:

ScreenRant: What was the toughest track to put in writing and why?

EJAE: “How It is Carried out” was laborious. It [had] so many various variations. It is the intro scene. It is such an vital scene. It was the primary impression of the film, so it was going to be an iconic scene, and simply to match as much as that power, it was [like,] “No strain.”

A lot strain. So, we had a number of variations for that. Totally different track variations, actually, and demos… significantly, 30? 40? It [had] completely different titles.

The performers behind HUNTR/X are simply as excited as Appelhans and Kang concerning the movie’s reception.

Audrey Nuna: Shoutout to our 7-year-old selves. Actually, as a result of I believe it is illustration at its highest degree of excellence. It is simply cool to see how this film hasa linked with so many individuals on only a human-to-human degree, but additionally for it to be acclaimed critically for what it’s. I believe that is a very laborious pocket to occupy. It’s tremendous validating.

EJAE: [And] not simply as a songwriter, not as simply as a singer, not as only a director. Additionally, for us, at the very least for me as a Korean American, it means a lot.

HUNTR/X Singers Share Their Favourite KPop Demon Hunters Songs

The woman group Hunterx posing in Kpop Demon Hunters

There are sufficient HUNTR/X songs in KPop Demon Hunters to make audiences really feel just like the fictional band isn’t so fictional in any case. EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami shared which of the items of music they labored on meant probably the most to them.

ScreenRant: What track do you personally relate to probably the most and why?

EJAE: “Golden”.

Audrey Nuna: “What It Sounds Like”.

Rei Ami: Yeah. [“What It Sounds Like”] was a tricky one to report for me.

EJAE: For me, it was “Golden” for certain. I used to be going by way of a tough time when writing it, and I used to be in Ok-pop coaching myself, and that was additionally actually, actually laborious [with a lot of] feeling such as you’re not sufficient.

The track was about striving to get that dream. I actually needed that dream so badly, so placing that within the lyric and singing it… I did cry recording the demo, in order that track simply means lots to me. I believe it offers me a variety of hope.

KPop Demon Hunters Creatives Reply To Fan Reactions

A personality spreading his fingers and smiling in Kpop Demon Hunters

Even with data that the undertaking they had been engaged on was particular, the creatives behind KPop Demon Hunters couldn’t have anticipated the movie to explode the best way it has. Kang, Appelhans, and the HUNTR/X performers shared their favourite and most memorable experiences taking in fan reactions.

ScreenRant: What has been probably the most shocking response that you have had up to now?

EJAE: The “napalm period” line [in “Takedown”] I did not know that might be so fashionable.

Rei Ami: I additionally assume it has lots to do with how Audrey delivered it. It is cute. It is spicy.

EJAE: Once I wrote it with Mark [Sonnenblick], I might simply sort of spit random melodies. I [just mumbled something,] and he goes, like, “Did you say ‘napalm period?’ I am like, “What’s napalm?” And he goes like, “That is iconic. Put that down.”

Audrey Nuna: [We see] these TikToks of individuals simply doing it in probably the most random locations, and it is fairly surreal. We did that line so many instances to get it proper. I believe we ended up going with third take or one thing loopy. It was very simply enjoyable to do, so it simply got here out that means.

Requested the identical query, the administrators had the next to say:

Maggie Kang: I imply, we love listening to about these reactions, and we’re seeing a variety of the dad reactions proper now. [To their kids,] they’re like, “Wait, what are you watching? After which youngsters are going again to highschool they usually’re like, “Is it okay if I watch this on my own with out my youngsters?” It is like, “Sure.” So we’re loving these.

Chris Appelhans: The youngsters sort of blew me away with the depth of understanding. I am certain they do not perceive all the pieces, however they sort of perceive all the pieces. Simply the journey of the women, the discovering a solution to be sincere and specific your self.

I believe youngsters’ internal lives are extremely refined, even when they do not have this vocabulary for it. However I used to be nonetheless sort of blown away that they not solely cherished the music, however sort of understood what the theme of the entire thing was.

What Mysteries Will KPop Demon Hunters 2 Reply?

Thriller Saja in Kpop Demon Hunters

Improvement on KPop Demon Hunters 2 has been introduced, inviting questions on what unresolved ideas and questions from the primary movie will probably be defined within the sequel. Whereas Kang and Appelhans haven’t been confirmed to direct the follow-up, they’ve already been fascinated with what the movie is perhaps, as have the members of HUNTR/X.

ScreenRant: What unanswered query are you most desirous to discover? I believe Rumi’s parentage is clearly a giant one. I would like Jinu to not be useless.

Maggie Kang: I believe we’ll should see. We do not need to simply reply questions for the sake of answering questions. It must be required by the story, and so yeah, there’s a variety of calls for, I believe, from the followers, and there is different methods to deal with these if it comes all the way down to it.

Chris Appelhans: I believe 90-minute theatrical story is supposed to seize one of many, or the important second in anyone’s life, proper? That is [why] you begin the story the place you do, and also you attempt to present that second the place all the pieces modified.

However what’s enjoyable a couple of second chapter is [that] you possibly can’t use that precise construction anymore. It’s important to go someplace new, and the characters, no matter development must occur in them, it needs to be fascinating sufficient to warrant one other hour and a half. Discovering out what that’s and discovering that story is one thing that’s actually enjoyable and rewarding as storytellers.

HUNTR/X had a extra direct response.

ScreenRant: Clearly there are such a lot of unanswered questions within the film. What’s the primary that you really want answered in a sequel or prequel?

Rei Ami: Who’s the daddy?

EJAE: Yeah. Rumi’s father. Rumi’s dad and mom. [I’m] very curious.

How Fan Theories Would possibly Affect KPop Demon Hunters 2

A personality wanting right into a mirror with a demon in Kpop Demon Hunters

When requested about their favourite fan theories, KPop Demon Hunters administrators Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans shared how surprisingly insightful posts and TikTok feedback could obtain a fan’s dream and have an effect on the course of the sequel’s story. In fact, they’re joking. Or are they?

ScreenRant: Do you’ve gotten a favourite fan idea that you have learn?

Chris Appelhans: Oh gosh. There was this one fan idea. I imply, it’d’ve been that it was 4:00 AM and I used to be nonetheless on TikTok, however I received all emotional studying it.

Maggie Kang: Actually?

Chris Appelhans: It wasn’t a fan. It was a fan fiction the place they had been truly, Rumi dies on Juju, and the finale is that this poetic hallucination. It was like her spirit confirmed up or one thing.

Whoever got here up with it, it was very shifting. It was like anyone copied and pasted it right into a TikTok remark. It is this lengthy ass paragraph. And I used to be studying, like [miming wiping tears from his eyes] “What’s occurring? I have to go to mattress.”

Maggie Kang: Yeah, I learn that too. That is fairly loopy. There’s just a few… do not need to speak about a few of them [because it’s] like, “Ooh I am gonna use these.” However there’s some ones that I discover fascinating.

I believe it is also as a result of there’s a variety of reuse of belongings that occur, like characters and props, and a variety of followers are making these connections like, “Oh, this individual is that this individual,” or “This prop is that this,” and it is enjoyable to see that, however we’re like, “Oh, that was actually only a budgetary factor.” I used to be like, “Oh, that is cool. Yeah, we did that purposely.”

KPop Demon Hunters is on Netflix.



Launch Date

June 20, 2025

Runtime

96 minutes

Director

Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang

Writers

Hannah McMechan, Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang, Danya Jimenez


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