Oscar winner from Idaho Falls says ‘the world is waiting’ for young filmmakers to tell their story
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS – A local man behind Netflix’s most-watched original title won two Oscars during Sunday’s awards ceremony.
Christopher Appelhans of Idaho Falls, along with his co-director, Maggie Kang, and producer Michelle Wong, were presented the award for “Best Animated Feature” and “Best Original Song.” The trio are some of the faces behind “KPop Demon Hunters,” an animated musical urban fantasy film released on Netflix last summer.
The film is about a three-member female Korean pop band that leads a double life of protecting the world from demons. The film premiered in June and has since garnered more than 500 million views, making it the platform’s most-watched original title to date.
Not only was it the first film soundtrack to have four songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously, but it also recently won two Golden Globe awards in the same categories.
EastIdahoNews.com was unable to reach Appelhans Monday night, but during Sunday night’s ceremony, he said music and stories have the power to help people connect “across cultures and borders.” He offered some advice to “all the young filmmakers, artists, musicians in all corners of the globe.”
“Tell your story. Sing in your voice. I promise you the world is waiting,” Appelhans said.
Kang, a woman of Korean ancestry who came up with the idea for “KPop,” offered a tear-filled thank you to the Academy and the fans. She also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to represent her race at the Oscars.
“For those of you who look like me, I am so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this,” Kang said. “This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere.”
RELATED | Filmmaker behind Netflix’s ‘most-watched original title’ grew up in Idaho Falls
EastIdahoNews.com spoke with Appelhans in January. At that time, he expressed elation at the film’s reception and explained that he and his colleagues had several motives with this project. Not only did they want to showcase Korean culture, but also “reinvent what a musical could be and represent a type of female character in animation that was more interesting and more real.”
Although he’s a white kid from Idaho Falls, Appelhans says he has a personal connection with the Korean culture, and it seems to be a recurring theme in his life.
His wife, Maurene Goo, is a novelist with Korean ancestry. They met as students at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and were married in 2012.
Appelhans said his familiarity with his wife’s background made for “an easy chemistry” with his colleague.
“We were able to write a story that we both understood,” Appelhans said.
Similarly, his last film, “Wish Dragon” — released in 2021 — told the story of a working-class college student in Shanghai who dreams of reuniting with his childhood friend. A dragon emerges from a teapot given to him by an elderly man and grants him three wishes.
The animated feature was Appelhans’ directorial debut, and was largely based on his friendship with Michael Wu, a “platonic soulmate” he met in China years ago. He went there with a colleague to do some design work and met Wu, his colleague’s cousin, and the two hit it off.
During that trip, Appelhans discovered the story of Aladdin was a folk tale that originated in China, and that sparked the idea for “Wish Dragon.”
“A light bulb went off, and I thought it would be so cool to reimagine an Aladdin story in contemporary China,” Appelhans recalls.
It was also a commercial success and received some awards in China before it was released in the United States.
“One Battle After Another,” a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, took home the award for “Best Picture,” according to Vanity Fair. The film’s director, Paul Thomas Anderson, also won “Best Director.” Sean Pean won “Best Supporting Actor” for his role in the film. “One Battle” also won “Best Editing” and “Best Adapted Screenplay.”
Jessie Buckley and Michael B. Jordan took home the awards for “Best Actress” and “Best Actor.” Buckley won for her role in “Hamnet.” Jordan’s role in “Sinners” earned him the award.