KPop Demon Hunters Sweeps Annie Awards: Oscar Frontrunner Emerges

The animation world is buzzing, and for good reason. Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters has delivered a stunning performance at the February 21, 2026 Annie Awards, sweeping the ceremony with a remarkable 12 wins. The film’s success is not just a win for Netflix, but a significant moment for the animation industry, signaling a potential frontrunner for the upcoming Academy Awards.

The animated hit dominated the 53rd annual Annie Awards, securing wins in key categories including Best Feature, Best Direction (awarded to Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans), and Best Voice Acting for Arden Cho’s performance as Rumi. This clean sweep underscores the film’s broad appeal and technical achievements, solidifying its position as a major contender in the awards season.

KPop Demon Hunters’ triumph wasn’t limited to the top prizes. The film also took home awards for Production Design, Music, Writing, Character Design, Character Animation, FX, and Editorial, demonstrating its comprehensive excellence across all aspects of animation production. The film has already resonated deeply with audiences, having been viewed over 482 million times, and its soundtrack has amassed a staggering 11 billion streams.

The Annie Awards are often seen as a bellwether for the Academy Awards, with 14 of the 23 Best Feature winners since 2002 going on to win the Oscar. While last year saw a deviation from this trend, with Flow winning the Oscar despite not dominating the Annies, the momentum behind KPop Demon Hunters is undeniable.

The film’s success comes at the expense of other highly anticipated animated features. Disney/Pixar’s Elio, which also received 10 nominations, went home empty-handed. Even Walt Disney Studios’ Zootopia 2, the highest-grossing Hollywood animated film of all time, was shut out on Saturday night. DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys managed to secure the Storyboarding award, offering a small consolation for the studio.

Independent animation also found recognition at the Annies. Neon’s sci-fi/fantasy film, Arco, won Best Feature – Independent, and is also in contention for the Animated Feature Oscar. It will compete against KPop Demon Hunters, Zootopia 2, Elio, and Gkids’ Little Amélie or the Character of Rain.

Beyond the feature film categories, the Annie Awards also celebrated excellence in television and video games. Netflix’s Love, Death + Robots continued its winning streak, adding three more Annie Awards to its already impressive collection of 17 Emmy wins. Pixar’s first longform animated series, Win or Lose, and Adult Swim’s Common Side Effects each secured three awards as well.

The Annie Awards also honored individuals who have made significant contributions to the animation industry. The June Foray Award, recognizing those who have positively impacted the field, was presented to Sandy Rabins, founder of the AnimAID effort, which has raised nearly $700,000 to support animation professionals affected by the L.A. Wildfires.

Lifetime achievement awards, the Winsor McCay Awards, were presented to Christopher Miller and Phil Lord (known for their work on the Spider-Verse and Lego Movie franchises), Oscar-winning animator Michaël Dudok de Wit (The Red Turtle, Father and Daughter), and four-time Oscar nominee Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, The Wild Robot). Wacom, a manufacturer of graphics tablets, received the Ub Iwerks Award for technical achievement, and LightBox Expo was honored with the Special Achievement Award for fostering the animation community.

The Annie Awards, created in 1972 by veteran voice actor June Foray, serve as a vital platform for recognizing the talent and artistry within the animation industry. The success of KPop Demon Hunters at this year’s ceremony is a testament to the film’s quality and its potential to capture the attention of the Academy, potentially ushering in a new era for animated features.

Here’s a complete list of the 2026 Annie Awards winners:

BEST FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix

BEST FEATURE – INDEPENDENT
Arco
Remembers, MountainA France, France 3 Cinéma

BEST DIRECTION – FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans

BEST DIRECTION – TV/MEDIA
Common Side Effects Episode: Cliff’s Edge
Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment and Williams Street Productions
Vincent Tsui

BEST STORYBOARDING – FEATURE
The Bad Guys 2
DreamWorks Animation
Anthony Holden, Young Ki Yoon

BEST STORYBOARDING – TV/MEDIA
Love, Death + Robots Episode: How Zeke Got Religion
Blur Studio for Netflix
Edgar Martins

BEST TV/MEDIA – LIMITED SERIES
Win Or Lose
Episode: Episode 8: Home
Pixar Animation Studios

BEST TV/MEDIA – MATURE
Common Side Effects Episode: Pilot
Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment and Williams Street Productions

BEST TV/MEDIA – CHILDREN
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball Episode: The Rewrite
Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

BEST TV/MEDIA – PRESCHOOL
Wow Lisa
Episode: Rainy Day

BEST WRITING – TV/MEDIA
Common Side Effects Episode: Pilot
Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment, and Williams Street Productions
Joe Bennett, Steve Hely

BEST VOICE ACTING – FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Arden Cho (Character: Rumi)

BEST VOICE ACTING – TV/MEDIA
Bob’s Burgers
Episode: Don’t Worry Be Hoopy
20th TV
Dan Mintz (Character: Tina Belcher)

BEST EDITORIAL – FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters Editorial Team

BEST EDITORIAL – TV/MEDIA
Common Side Effects Episode: Raid
Green Street Pictures, Bandera Entertainment, and Williams Street Productions
Tony Christopherson, Joie Lim

BEST FX – FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Production Company: Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
FX Production Company: Sony Pictures Imageworks
Filippo Macari, Nicola Finizio, Simon Lewis, Naoki Kato, Daniel La Chapelle

BEST FX – TV/MEDIA
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age Episode: The Big Freeze
Production Company: BBC Studios Natural History Unit
FX Production Company: Framestore
Edward Ferrysienanda, Kevin Christensen, Guy Shuleman , Benedikt Roettger, Kevin Tarpinian

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix
Ryusuke Furuya

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – TV MEDIA
Win or Lose
Pixar Animation Studios
Alli Sadegiana

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – LIVE ACTION
How To Train Your Dragon
Production Company: DreamWorks Animation
FX Production Company: Framestore
Kayn Garcia, Jean-Denis Haas, Meena Ibrahim, Nathan McConnel, Nick Tripodi

BEST CHARACTER ANIMATION – VIDEO GAME
South of Midnight
Compulsion Games
Mike Jungbluth, Sebastien Dussault, Vincent Schneider, Remi Edmond

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Scott Watanabe, Ami Thompson

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Love, Death + Robots Episode: 400 Boys
Blur Studio for Netflix

BEST MUSIC – FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
KPop Demon Hunters Music Team

BEST MUSIC – TV/MEDIA
Win Or Lose
Episode: Episode 6, Mixed Signals
Pixar Animation Studios
Ramin Djawadi, Shane Eli, Johnny Pakfar

BEST SPONSORED
Olipop Yeti
Screen Novelties &amp. Passion Pictures

BEST SPECIAL PRODUCTION
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical
WildBrain Studios in association with Apple

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE
KPop Demon Hunters
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Helen Chen, Dave Bleich, Wendell Dalit, Scott Watanabe, Celine Kim

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – TV/MEDIA
Love, Death + Robots
Episode: How Zeke Got Religion
Blur Studio for Netflix

BEST SHORT SUBJECT
Snow Bear
The Art of Aaron Blaise

BEST STUDENT FILM
A Sparrow’s Song
Student director: Tobias Eckerlin
Student producer: Tobias Eckerlin
School: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH

JURIED AWARDS

Winsor McCay Award
Michaël Dudok de Wit
Christopher Miller and Phil Lord
Chris Sanders

June Foray Award
Sandy Rabins

Ub Iwerks Award
Wacom

Special Achievement Award
LightBox Expo

ASIFA-Hollywood Merit Award
Jeffrey New
Haley Mirren Douthit