How ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Pulled Off the Heart-Eyes Scene: Directors Break It Down

. At a recent panel during the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles, the directors and creative team shared insights into how they brought the film to life, especially one of its most talked-about scenes.

The scene shows Huntrix, a popular Korean girl group, meeting the Saja Boys, a handsome band of demons. Director Maggie Kang explained that she wanted strong female characters who were funny, smart, and relatable, while also placing them in a fun, exaggerated world.

“I’ve been waiting to talk about this scene for so long,” Kang said. She added that part of the goal was to make the male characters appealing in a playful way. “When this movie was first pitched, Kristine Belson, the president of Sony Animation, said, ‘Let’s objectify the crap out of these guys.’ Finally! So that was kind of our goal: to make really thirsty girls.”

Animation director Josh Beveridge described the scene as a test for the characters, showing how they could look glamorous while still acting silly.

He said the team faced challenges blending K-pop style, K-drama cinematography, and anime influences. “We had to figure out a whole bunch of fancy little animation illusions to pull this off,” Beveridge said. The team used tricks like motion blur, interchangeable faces, and flexible rigs to achieve exaggerated expressions without breaking the animation.

Production designer Helen Chen and character designer Omar Smith introduced what they called a “demi-chibi” style to make expressions more expressive while still working in 3D. Kang compared the rigs to a Mr. Potato Head, letting animators swap parts to get the desired look. Chris Appelhans, who co-directed with Kang, highlighted the attention to lighting, saying Korean cinematography offered unique ways to make characters look their best.

“It’s all very beautiful and heightened, so that naturally gave the lighting a bit of an identity,” he said.

The film also includes nods to K-drama moments. Kang explained how a slo-mo shot in the scene references a popular Korean TV series, with the animation slowed and adjusted for effect. Appelhans added that they often used multiple angles in a single shot, inspired by K-drama coverage techniques.

Even the action scenes are carefully designed. Kang and Beveridge combined K-pop choreography with intense action film techniques, creating fight sequences that feel like dance rather than violence. “You can get pretty violent if you put a lot of glitter on,” Beveridge joked, showing how they used visual flair to keep battles fun and dynamic.

The film’s story is rooted in Korean culture and features a strong female lead. Kang said, “We just went down the list of Korean things and landed on K-pop. And when we added that together, it just felt fun and exciting.”

She and Appelhans worked closely to ensure authenticity, even traveling to South Korea for research. The directors emphasized that the film was made with careful attention to culture, character, and storytelling.

Kang hinted at the possibility of a sequel but noted that some content, like a deleted song, was left out because it didn’t fit emotionally. “There was a moment that was kind of like Rumi’s dark night of the soul … but it just felt emotionally not correct to have that moment and then go right into a climax, so we took it out,” she said.

Appelhans added that any future music videos or sequels would continue to focus on the characters and their world rather than just being about K-pop or a virtual band. “We just want them to think about Mira, Zoey, Rumi … They just went for character and the music. That was the goal the whole time.”

The team’s dedication to character design, cultural authenticity, and creative animation techniques helped make “KPop Demon Hunters” a standout success.

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