KPop Demon Hunters Dominates Annie Awards with 10 Wins

The animated feature takes home top prizes including Best Feature, Character Animation, Direction and Production Design.

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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The 53rd Annie Awards, considered animation's highest honor, were held at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles on Saturday. The animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" led the night with 10 wins, including Best Feature, Best Character Animation, Best Direction, and Best Production Design. Other notable winners included "Arco" for Best Independent Feature and Adult Swim's "Common Side Effects" and Netflix's "Love, Death + Robots" in the television categories.

Why it matters

The Annie Awards are a prestigious annual event that celebrates excellence in the animation industry. A strong performance at the Annies can boost the profile and recognition of an animated film or series, potentially leading to increased viewership, critical acclaim, and industry accolades.

The details

"KPop Demon Hunters" was the big winner of the night, taking home 10 awards including the top prize of Best Feature. The film also won for Best Character Animation, Best Direction, and Best Production Design. Other notable winners included "Arco" for Best Independent Feature, and Adult Swim's "Common Side Effects" and Netflix's "Love, Death + Robots" which dominated the television categories with 4 and 3 wins respectively.

  • The 53rd Annie Awards ceremony took place on Saturday, February 22, 2026 in Los Angeles.

The players

KPop Demon Hunters

An animated feature film produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix.

Arco

An independent animated feature film directed by Ugo Bienvenu.

Common Side Effects

An animated television series that aired on Adult Swim.

Love, Death + Robots

An animated anthology series produced by Netflix.

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The takeaway

The dominance of "KPop Demon Hunters" at the Annie Awards underscores the growing popularity and critical acclaim of animated films and series that push creative boundaries and showcase diverse stories and characters. The strong showings by independent and streaming productions also highlight the evolving landscape of the animation industry.