Korean animation has long been trapped in the frame of being ‘for children’. While there was technical skill, the industrial base was weak, and public expectations were not high. However, the situation has changed in recent years. The expansion of OTT, the growth of the IP industry, and the diversification of genres have rapidly broadened the possibilities of Korean animation. Works that clearly show changes in the three indicators of box office success, quality, and buzz are emerging. Today, I would like to introduce five works that represent signs of change. From Netflix's first Korean feature animation <Needed for This Star> to <King of Kings>, which surpassed <Parasite>, the adult-oriented occult animation <The Exorcist>, the work that best captures Korean sentiment <Gills>, and <Solo Leveling>, which showcases the strength of Korean IP. If there are other Korean animations you would like to introduce, please let me know in the comments.
<Needed for This Star>
<Needed for This Star> is Netflix's first Korean feature animation film, set to be released on May 30, 2025. Directed by Han Ji-won, Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung voice the characters Nanyoung and Jay, respectively. Director Han Ji-won is a key figure leading the domestic animation film industry with <Amanja> (2020) and <That Summer> (2021). The title, which reveals a play on words between ‘this star’ (Earth) and ‘parting’, hints at a romantic narrative set against the backdrop of Earth and the universe.
The story is set in Seoul in 2050 and depicts the romance between astronaut Nanyoung, who dreams of exploring Mars, and musician Jay. Nanyoung embarks on a Mars exploration mission to find traces of her mother, who could not return to Earth due to an accident. After a chance first meeting with Jay, Nanyoung continues her relationship with him through her mother's keepsake, a turntable. The fact that they are the most distant long-distance couple (Earth-Mars) is intriguing. The visuals are not cold but depict the familiar yet strange 2050 Seoul and outer space with soft colors and a dreamy tone. The director, Han Ji-won, stated, “I focused on creating a specific mood that harmonizes well with the characters' emotional lines and the music, which can be considered the highlight of the film.” He also paid special attention to details like the interior of the spaceship and spacesuits for space enthusiasts.
<King of Kings>
Do you know which Korean film has been the highest-grossing in North America? If you answered <Parasite>, then beep - that’s incorrect. The Korean animation <King of Kings>, which premiered in North America on April 27, 2025, achieved a North American revenue of $54.51 million within 17 days of its release, surpassing <Parasite> to claim the title of the highest-grossing Korean film in North America. Starting in Korea but loved more by the world, <King of Kings> is a 3D animation based on Charles Dickens' novel <The Life of Our Lord>, unfolding the life of Jesus through two perspectives: that of his father, Charles Dickens (Kenneth Branagh), and that of his son, Walter Dickens (Roman Griffin Davis), who listens to the story. The narrative is set in 1850s London, centering on the life of Jesus as told by Dickens to his son Walter. It’s premature to think, ‘Did it succeed in North America just because it’s a story about Jesus?’ This work delicately reflects the gap and communion between the storyteller and the listener rather than relying on religious piety. Even while following the miracles in the Bible, the father’s subtle desire to share this story with his child is a fun point. Director Jang Seong-ho stated that the reason for bringing in the Dickens story was, “I couldn’t just tell a cliché story. (Omitted) If the story of Jesus is the main plot, then the subplot is about Dickens and his young son Walter restoring their relationship through the story of Jesus.” Additionally, it recorded the highest weekend opening for a Bible-based animation in history, so it’s more reasonable to think it’s due to the ‘power of the story’ rather than just ‘religious luck’.
From a technical standpoint, <King of Kings> is also significant. The domestic studio Moback spent 10 years producing it, and in fact, Moback is not an animation production company but a VFX (visual effects) specialist that has mainly worked on visual effects for live-action films like <Haeundae> and <Myeongryang>. Director Jang Seong-ho, as the representative of Moback, stated that to overcome the career based on live-action films, “We developed a virtual production platform ourselves for the production.” Actors with motion capture devices performed in a virtual environment, which was then filmed and edited, and based on that, the animation was created. Hollywood stars like Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, and Oscar Isaac were cast, and veteran casting director Jamie Thomas, who cast this mode, participated for only one-fifth of the Hollywood guarantee because he loved the script so much.
<The Exorcist>
<The Exorcist> is an occult fantasy animation based on the eponymous novel by author Lee Woo-hyuk, serialized since 1993. It is considered a legendary work in Korean genre fiction, and when it was announced that it would be reborn as a theatrical version in 2025 under the direction of Kim Dong-cheol at Locus Animation, many fans expressed both excitement and concern. Would it be attractive to the main audience of theaters who are completely unaware of <The Exorcist> while maintaining the original's end-of-the-century sentiment? Therefore, the work boldly cuts out a lot of the story and deals with the first chapter of the novel, which serves as a prologue, titled ‘The Day the Sky Burned’. The head of the Haedong Milgyo sect attempts to offer a human sacrifice to gain the power of the evil god, and to stop this, the five protectors, young practitioner Jun-ho, and the excommunicated Father Park become entangled, and the story begins. Although it only covers the prologue, it is a clever strategy suitable for a theatrical version with significant time constraints, as it effectively unravels the complex worldview and persuades why the exorcists ‘must fight’.
The existence of <The Exorcist> is significant in the domestic animation market, where works aimed at adults are almost non-existent. Despite being a low-budget project, it features incredibly flashy graphics and direction, creating action sequences reminiscent of a game. In fact, it used game effects to adjust the animation, costs, and time issues. It is also impressive that it has successfully implemented the roots of Korean horror from the original into animation. By maximizing the rough hand-drawn painting style, it stimulates the original's analog sentiment, and as it is an animation aimed at older audiences, its bold depictions appeal to middle-aged viewers who were enthusiastic about the original novel. Of course, as it is the first chapter of a grand epic, some reviews suggest that it may be somewhat difficult to understand without knowing the original, but since a sequel has already been confirmed, <The Exorcist> is just the beginning. The first chapter serves as a heavy prologue, and the audience's anticipation for the vast worldview and story expansion hidden behind the work is heightened.
<Gills>
<Gills> is based on the eponymous novel by author Koo Byeong-mo and is directed by Ahn Jae-hoon, who has spent a long time in the Korean animation market. Director Ahn Jae-hoon has experienced the entire process of Korean animation from film to digital and focuses on capturing the colors of Korea through themes from Korean literature, such as <Sonagi> (2017) and <Munyeodo> (2021). Until <Munyeodo>, he pursued pure hand-drawing, but starting with <Gills>, he mixed in digital techniques. The staff uses digital methods, while director Ahn Jae-hoon uses paper and pencil. It is not because it is conventionally comfortable. He explained, “When a person moves slightly, there’s a sense of timing where you put a drawing somewhere, give something, and this context, this unique timing is understood and experienced through one’s own hands and body. This is a huge difference,” revealing his reason for continuing hand-drawing.
The main plot is the same as the original. “At the moment of standing at the end of life, Gills appear, and Kang-ha, who was abandoned by his parents, harbors both hatred and affection.” This concise synopsis preserves the literary sentiment of the original as much as possible while changing the background to France to maximize the visual beauty that animation can offer. Along with its screening at BIAF (Bucheon International Animation Festival), <Gills> was officially invited to the Tokyo International Film Festival, where it met Japanese audiences. The second screening was sold out, indicating that the resonance of Korean animation has transcended borders. Within the format of animation, the symbol of ‘Gills’ touches on the question, “What do I breathe with?” Emotions build up under a simple setting, and the stillness of the beach and the tension beneath the surface reflect each other, while the ‘Pencil Meditation’ studio has translated the mood of the original into an analog painting texture, capturing the breath of the animation with a hand-drawn feel. If you want to see a ‘beautiful Korean animation’ that embodies visual splendor, this is undoubtedly the most recommended work.
<Solo Leveling>
<Solo Leveling> is a work based on the eponymous web novel and is a representative that proves the strength of Korean IP. Produced by Japan's A-1 Pictures and directed by Nakashige Shunsuke, it is a Korean-American-Japanese co-production animation. Under the game-like setting of ‘Hunters’, the narrative of rising from the weakest to legendary status, with gates and dungeons appearing like ghosts, is visually overwhelming, having been screened in Tokyo, Seoul, and LA before being released to Netflix subscribers worldwide. Thanks to the participation of producers who can be called masters of action, the action scenes are undoubtedly overwhelming. It received a 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 91% on the popcorn meter, satisfying both critics and the public. In particular, the ‘Ant King’ battle and the shadow army narrative in the second season reached the pinnacle of quality. Episode 24 had about 17,000 frames invested, making it a high-difficulty production, and the battle direction, mixing red and blue shadows, is noted as a scene that reflects both psychological inner conflict and external conflict. The production team stated that their goal was “a combination of emotional depth and high-impact action,” and they successfully achieved their objective. It has received overwhelmingly positive reviews on IMDB and is regarded as a perfect work even without the condition of being ‘Korean animation’.
<Solo Leveling> provides the thrill of ‘feeling stronger’ translated onto the screen. The instinctive motivation when the character levels up, that refreshing and light sensation is condensed into impact and effect in the animation. In fact, user reviews on IMDB praise the ‘tension and horror direction of the battle scenes’ the most.
