124 million craze for “Love Hatchyoin 2” opens next month on May 5… This time, it’s time to save Mom

Last year, the K-animation “Love Hatchyoin” swept through theaters, setting an astounding record of “12.4 million viewers,” and now returns on a far bigger scale. On April 21, SAMG Entertainment officially announced that the film “Love Hatchyoin: The Legend of the Whale Gem” (hereinafter, “Love Hatchyoin 2”)—which follows a new journey for Romi Princess and Hatchyoin—will hit screens on May 5 next month.

Romi Princess sets sail for the sea of motherhood, with an even deeper expansion of its world

This new installment puts front and center Hatchyoin, a standout character from the TV series “Catch! Teenypins,” the starring force behind South Korea’s syndrome-level craze. Director “Kim Soo-hoon,” who helmed the megaphone for the previous film, said at a press conference held at CGV Yongsan iPark Mall on April 21, “It’s a narrative in which Romi Princess achieves inner growth and comes to understand her mother’s noble love.”

Where Part 1 focused on friendship and the tender feelings of love, Part 2 depicts, with high density, the perilous adventures of Romi Princess and Hatchyoin to rescue their abducted mother on the backdrop of an expansive ocean. Director Kim added, “The sea is the space that is most closely connected to a mother’s embrace, and the whale is a symbolic medium that represents motherhood,” emphasizing that the film reflects a message of love on a grand scale that goes beyond a single dimension.

New characters join in, and a premium OST crafted with a K-pop Avengers lineup

As the genre’s reach expands into an ocean action adventure, a host of attractive new characters—ones you couldn’t see in the existing series—have been brought in. Led by Kite, a pure-hearted boy who lives in a deep-sea submarine, three distinctive Teenypins, including “Charlangpin,” “Sorapin,” and “Bangulpin,” step up as Romi Princess’s steadfast helpers, injecting energy into the story.

Another pillar that raises the film’s level of completion is a dazzling lineup of original soundtracks (OST). Top-tier K-pop artists spanning different generations and genres, including Hatz-to-Hatz, NCT WISH, Baek Ji-young, Jung Ji-soo, and Gwyn Dourado, all gathered. Music director “Kim Tae-ho” said, “We put everything on the line to build an intuitive melody line that not only captures the ears of child audiences but is also easy for anyone to follow and sing along to,” claiming the musical details that satisfy both mainstream appeal and shared sentiment.