Maggie Kang And Chris Appelhans On Creating The Magic, Myth, And Music of ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’

KPop Demon Hunters broke through the cultural zeitgeist as a surprising little animated film released on Netflix back in June. Suddenly, its soundtrack and songs became chart-toppers and instant repeats for fans of the film.

Anchored by the replay value of its dance-worthy, pop-laden tracks, the film — and everything we love about HUNTR/X, Saja Boys, and K-pop fandom, music, and culture — wouldn’t be possible without the creative minds behind it.

In an exclusive interview, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans talked to Billboard Philippines to share the story behind the film — its concept, creative inspirations, and what brought the unique story to life.

Maggie, who grew up in the 1990s, shared that her love for K-pop began in childhood, citing South Korean artist Seo Taiji as a major influence. She even included a brief needle drop in the film to honor his impact on modern pop and South Korean music as a whole. Chris, on the other hand, was first introduced to K-pop through South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer, Rain. But he fell in love with K-pop around the time K-dramas became popular in the United States during the 2010s.

“[Demon hunting] was just always that initial idea, and the K-pop aspect of it was added in at the very end,” Maggie shares on creating something that celebrated and was rooted in Korean culture.

Once Chris came into the picture, the mythology began to take shape. Their goal was to make the music feel like a kind of superpower within the narrative — something that could have a real, positive impact on the world. This motivated Maggie and Chris to try and tie the music, the performances, and the fans into one thing. Despite the high-fantasy concept, they remained focused on honoring the fandom culture at heart.

“I think Maggie had a really intuitive sense because she’s a lifelong K-pop fan of the give and take between performers and fans, which is so intense in K-pop. It’s so kind of open-hearted, and the idols give a lot of themselves and get a lot back,” Chris says.

Crafting the identity for the film, everything had a purpose — from the fan signings, to members of both HUNTR/X and Saja Boys being shipped together, to the concerts. Additionally, while working on the film, the team created a playlist filled with songs that reflected what they imagined HUNTR/X and the Saja Boys would sound like — drawing inspiration from K-pop tracks of the ’90s and 2000s.

Meanwhile, one of the most interesting aspects of the production was venturing into unfamiliar territory, particularly having the songs completed before the animation process even began. For the songwriters, the challenge was to anticipate future music trends that would be relevant by the time the film was released. It felt strange at first, especially with the uncertainty of whether the songs would ultimately resonate with audiences.

“But, you know, so much of our storytelling is done through the music. I do think we have so many different flavors of songs, like the type of music it is and like just the vibe of all the songs are so different,” Maggie shares. “It seems like everybody has their favorite song, but then that always changes like every day too.”

That diversity carried over into the characterizations for HUNTR/X and Saja Boys. The team also worked hard to ensure that all three girls and five boys had distinct personalities. “We were creating new bands. So we didn’t want to, like, copy what was out there,” Maggie shares. “They need to be different and be individuals.”

With K-pop being so dynamic and constantly evolving, Chris explained that their creative approach was guided by specific story needs, which helped shape the groups’ unique identities, “They’re like demon hunting and K-pop stars. So, immediately we knew like they have to have an edge, they have to have ferocity, they have to have kind of a ‘stay off our turf’ vibe,” he shares.

With Saja Boys, they wanted to subvert expectations. The film introduces them as adorable and charming, only to reveal later that they’re actually gods. “’Soda Pop’ is so catchy, but if you listen to the lyrics, it’s super toxic and like a vampire singing about wanting to eat you, you know?” Chris explains.

When it came to animating action, Maggie, who comes from a storyboarding background, drew inspiration from Korean idols, even studying their practice videos. The team also collaborated with choreographers from Korea to develop authentic dance routines. This attention to detail grounded the performances, while the demon aspects of Saja Boys gave the team creative freedom to design choreography that would be impossible for a real human being to pull off.

Meanwhile, for HUNTR/X, there was a focus on giving them eye and mouth shapes that make their expressions feel more Korean. Even when speaking in English, the goal was for it to look like they could be speaking Korean. That level of detail reflects the risks and creative leaps the team took throughout the entire process. “Anytime you’re making something that’s pretty different and feels like you’re taking risks, it’s really hard. You’re always second guessing yourself. Some of [the film’s] jokes and moments, we’ve lived with for three, four years and have been watching them over and over again,” Maggie explains.

The experience became a testament to not being afraid to take more risks and do more things in the future. There’s this sudden urge to push the medium into crafting visual spectacles and the types of stories that can be told. “We never wanted this movie and the themes in this movie to feel like they were geared towards a five-year-old,” Maggie adds.

On the other hand, creating and releasing original IP that isn’t tied to an existing major franchise, usually only happens when it stems from something deeply personal and driven by passion. “[Maggie] is learning so much about [the animation industry], learning all the skills, and also waiting for a chance to express a part of herself in a movie,” Chris says.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Things fell into place at the right time, as Chris also shared that after working in animation for over 25 years, he too had been waiting for the chance to make a music-centric film. “[KPop Demon Hunters] comes along and I get to pour all of my hopes and dreams into it. And so here there’s just these two people, two artists bringing a part of themselves to it,” he shares.

“The movie is just a culmination of everything that Chris and I love about music, about characters, about design, about animation, about food,” Maggie adds.

The current success of the film and its soundtrack has only opened the door for even more possibilities to explore this world further. Maggie and Chris shared how they’ve drawn inspiration from fans on TikTok, who discuss the characters and story themes, often describing the conversations the team had in the writing room. They even joked about letting the fans take over, with thousands of pages of fan fiction already available.

Speaking of fandoms, Maggie, who has nothing but praise for the “King of K-pop” himself, G-Dragon, mentioned that he would make a great cameo in a possible sequel or installment. “I think he’s just such an amazing talent. When he came on the scene, he kind of brought a new freshness to just Korean rap style, and that I haven’t really seen before. I feel like he kind of reinvented some things and there’s not a lot of people who can do that in any industry.”

On the subject of reinvention, Chris emphasized the importance of evolution. “That’s one of my favorite things about pop music is how much it evolves, and how there’s always, no matter how cool and perfect a song and sound feels in one moment, you’re like, ‘It can’t get better than this.’” For him, pop music is on par with fashion and film, driven by the same hunger and chase for what’s next.

Ultimately, KPop Demon Hunters is a story about identity and evolution, both on and off the screen. With Maggie, Chris, and the rest of the team just getting started, we can’t wait to see HUNTR/X make their comeback.