The cast and filmmakers of Netflix’s animated feature KPop Demon Hunters celebrated the viral hit with a vibrant and musically infectious karaoke party at the Toronto Film Festival on Thursday night.
The film revolves around Huntr/x, a chart-topping K-pop girl group by day who fight demons by night, and the Saja Boys, a K-pop boy band who are secretly demons themselves, and are determined to steal away Huntr/x fans and take over the world.
None of that rivalry was on display in Toronto last night. Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna, who, respectively, sing the roles of Huntr/x performers Zoey and Mira, joined Kevin Woo — the singing voice of Mystery Saja of the Saja Boys — to rock the crowd with karaoke renditions of several of the movie’s biggest hits, including ‘Golden,” the current worldwide No. 1.
Netflix had a special cocktail menu curated for the party, with three boozy drinks and one mocktail, named after hit songs from the film. There was finger food aplenty circling, with fresh spring rolls and garlic bread to fuel the guests for their performances.
Apart from the cast, KPop Demon Hunters Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans were also in attendance. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Kang, a Toronto native, said even she was surprised by the “overwhelming” global success of the film, which has become one of Netflix’s biggest original films of all time. Alongside the ridiculously catchy soundtrack, Kang attributed the movie’s appeal to its authentic depiction of Korean characters and distinct animation style.
“We’ve had Korean audiences watching the film in Korean and not realizing it was dubbed, because of how well it captures Korean culture and gestures,” she noted.
The success of KPop Demon Hunters could propel it into the Oscar race. A Netflix awards executive confirmed the streamer will be positioning the film as one of its prime contenders in the best animated feature category for next year’s Academy Awards.
Tucked away in Bar 404 off King Street, with a few dozen guests, the TIFF event was an intimate affair. But a rowdy one, with film critics and industry execs belting out their favorite karaoke numbers — whether ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”, The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” or a (quite impressive) duet of Wicked anthem “What’s This Feeling?” — to roars of approval.
But the biggest cheers were reserved for the Huntr/x and Saja Boys and the songs that have taken the world by storm.