BAFTA Awards 2026: Here's why 'KPop Demon Hunters' failed to secure a nomination

The nominations for BAFTA 2026 are out, and one thing everyone noticed was the Korean animated film 'KPop Demon Hunters' was snubbed from the list. The movie won the Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globe Awards 2026, and it has also been nominated for the Oscars 2026. Now, let's learn why the viral animated film was not listed in the BAFTAs.

Why couldn't 'KPop Demon Hunters' make it to the BAFTA Awards 2026?

'KPop Demon Hunters' was a smash hit and went viral after it was released on Netflix last year. The movie is in the race to win the Best Animated Film and Best Original Song categories for the Oscars 2026. However, since it was released directly on the OTT platform without any theatrical run in the UK, the movie was not eligible for the BAFTAs. A singalong version of the animated film was later released in the cinemas.

More about 'KPop Demon Hunters'

Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the movie features the voices of Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Lee Byung-hun.

The story of the movie revolves around a K-pop girl band, 'Huntrix', who are also demon hunters, getting into a music battle with the new rival boy band, 'The Saja Boys'. The members of the boy group are actually demons.

Apart from the Golden Globes, the movie also won the Best Animated Feature Film at the 31st Critics' Choice Awards.

The movie was released on Netflix in June last year.

More about BAFTA awards 2026

Leonardo DiCaprio's 'One Battle After Another' is leading the nominations in 14 categories. The next in the line is Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners', starring Michael B. Jordan, with 13 nominations.

The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at London's Royal Festival Hall.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”