BAFTA Overlooks Netflix’s Animated Hit as Oscars Loom
As awards season heats up, a surprising omission from the BAFTA Best Animated Film list has fans talking. What does this mean for the Oscars, and could a Netflix favourite still make a splash?
With the awards circuit in full swing, a number of standout films have already secured top honours. The BAFTAs, long regarded as a benchmark for cinematic achievement, have unveiled their latest longlist for Best Animated Film. Yet, a curious omission has caught the attention of keen observers: Netflix’s much-discussed animated comedy, KPop Demon Hunters, is nowhere to be found.
Released on 9 January, the BAFTA longlist features titles such as Arco, The Bad Guys 2, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, Elio, Little Amelie, and Zootopia 2. Notably absent is the streaming platform’s most talked-about animated feature. The likelihood of KPop Demon Hunters making a late appearance on the Oscars shortlist seems slim, and even if it does, its chances of clinching the top prize appear rather remote this year.
There’s a pattern worth noting: in recent years, the BAFTA winner or nominee for Best Animated Film has often gone on to secure a place at the Academy Awards, if not the trophy itself. In 2024, for instance, The Boy and the Heron triumphed at both ceremonies. Whether KPop Demon Hunters will buck this trend remains to be seen.
Critics’ Choice Awards: A Brighter Spotlight
While the BAFTA snub may have raised eyebrows, the film has not gone unnoticed elsewhere. At the Critics’ Choice Awards, held on 4 January, KPop Demon Hunters made a strong impression, taking home the Best Animated Feature accolade. The film also picked up Best Song for “Golden,” performed by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, and Teddy.
Other contenders in the animated category included Arco, Elio, In Your Dreams, Little Amélie, and Zootopia 2. In the Best Song field, competition came from tracks featured in F1, Sinners’, The Testament of Ann Lee, Train Dreams, and Wicked: For Good’s “The Girl in the Bubble.”
Sequel Speculation: HUNTR/X and the Road Ahead
Back in November 2025, word spread that Netflix and Sony were collaborating on a follow-up to KPop Demon Hunters, with a projected release in 2029. However, Michelle Wong, the producer behind the original, offered a more cautious perspective during the New York Film Critics Circle awards. She remarked:
We are deep into the award season and just trying to focus on that. So once that’s over and we have some time, possibly? But there has to be a reason to make No. 2, and we haven’t figured that out yet.
For now, anticipation for a sequel remains just that—anticipation. The focus, it seems, is firmly on the current awards run, with any future instalments still up in the air.
Streaming Now and Awaiting Oscar News
As the Academy Awards draw nearer, all eyes are on whether KPop Demon Hunters will manage to secure a nomination despite its absence from the BAFTA list. The film, a musical animated adventure, continues to attract viewers on Netflix, sparking plenty of conversation about its prospects and potential legacy. Whether it will defy the odds and make a late surge remains to be seen.
KPop Demon Hunters is currently available to stream on Netflix.