‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Dominates 53rd Annie Awards, Securing 10 Wins
“KPop Demon Hunters,” a Sony Pictures Animation production for Netflix, was the big winner at the 53rd Annie Awards, held Saturday, February 21, 2026, at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles. The film took home a total of 10 awards, solidifying its position as a frontrunner for further animation accolades.
Key Wins for ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
The animated feature earned top honors in the following categories:
- Best Feature
- Best FX – Feature (Filippo Macari, Nicola Finizio, Simon Corbaux, Naoki Kato, Daniel La Chappelle)
- Best Character Animation – Feature (Ryusuke Furuya)
- Best Character Design – Feature (Scott Watanabe, Ami Thompson)
- Best Direction – Feature (Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans)
- Best Music – Feature (KPop Demon Hunters Music Team)
- Best Production Design – Feature (Helen Chen, Dave Bleich, Wendell Dalit, Scott Watanabe, Celine Kim)
- Best Voice Acting – Feature (Arden Cho as Rumi)
- Best Writing – Feature (Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans)
- Best Editorial – Feature (KPop Demon Hunters Editorial Team)
Other Notable Winners
While “KPop Demon Hunters” dominated the feature film categories, other productions also received recognition. Director Ugo Bienvenu’s “Arco” won Best Feature – Independent. Adult Swim’s “Common Side Effects” and Netflix’s “Love, Death + Robots” were also celebrated in the television categories, with four and three wins respectively.
“Common Side Effects” secured wins for Best Editorial, Best Writing, Best Mature TV/Media, and Best Direction. “Love, Death + Robots” took home awards for Best Character Design, Best Production Design, and Best Storyboarding.
Special Awards and Recognition
The Annie Awards also presented juried awards, including the Winsor McCay Award to Michaël Dudok de Wit, Christopher Miller, Phil Lord and Chris Sanders, and the June Foray Award to Sandy Rabins. Wacom received the Ub Iwerks Award for technical advancement, and LightBox Expo was presented with the Special Achievement Award.
The Annie Awards are widely considered animation’s highest honor, celebrating both individual artists and the industry as a whole for outstanding achievements.
A complete list of winners is available at www.annieawards.org.