If You Love Kpop Demon Hunters, You Need To Watch Its Forgotten Predecessor on Netflix

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The movie KPop Demon Hunters was the biggest hit of 2025 – despite Sony not winning the award for Best Picture. Its success is now confirmed by its wins at the Oscars, where it took home awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. This marks a historic moment for Netflix, as the streaming service has been striving for Oscar recognition for years.

This success was just the beginning. The movie was a huge hit on streaming platforms in 2025, and a sequel to KPop Demon Hunters is already in the works. Netflix is likely brainstorming other ways to expand the franchise, maybe with short-form content like Disney did with Frozen. But while fans anticipate the next installment of HUNTR/X, there’s an earlier related title everyone should discover.

Wish Dragon Was Made by One Of KPop Demon Hunters’ Greatest Minds

Released in 2021, Wish Dragon is a funny and heartwarming animated fantasy film. It marks the directorial debut of Chris Appelhans, who previously worked on Demon Hunters. The movie is a delightful take on the Aladdin story, focusing on the friendship between Din (Jimmy Wong) and Lina (Natasha Liu Bordizzo). Despite coming from different social classes, their bond is tested when Din discovers a magical teapot that could change everything.

Netflix’s Wish Dragon resonated with viewers because it offered a genuinely Chinese story with broad appeal. The film was inspired by the creator’s own childhood experience of growing apart from a close friend. While different from shows like KPop Demon Hunters, Wish Dragon’s authenticity felt like a significant step forward and paved the way for other similar projects.

Both critics and viewers liked Wish Dragon, with high scores of 71% and 77% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes. Director Chris Appelhans considered making the film a valuable learning experience, helping him hone his skills in storytelling, visual design, and international filmmaking. He later used these skills when collaborating with Maggie Kang on KPop Demon Hunters, a film that could become a standout hit of the 2020s.

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2026-03-16 18:40