The Squid Game finale isn't the only South Korea-based hit on Netflix right now. Sony Pictures Animation's KPop Demon Hunters is also winning a lot of fans with its vibrant blend of fantasy, action, comedy and pop.
The movie is extravagantly cartoony, and it turns out that the live-action performances that were used as references for the animation were equally over the top. The larger-than-life gestures of the character of Zoey were acted out by animator Daniel Ceballos himself (see our guides to the best animation software and the best laptops for animation if you want to try animating your own references).
The fun thing about shooting ref with friends is the unpredictable balance of productive brainstorming and goofing off. Joy Liu did a ton of amazing work for Mira (on and off screen). So shoutout to her for all the help, and for bearing with my obsessive need to do more takes 😬 pic.twitter.com/17nImRoMfkJune 26, 2025
Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, KPop Demon Hunters follows a fictional K-pop girl group, HUNTR/X, who uses their pop icon status as a cover for demon hunting. They come up against a boy band, whose members are demons.
Sony Imageworks' senior animator has posted a couple of behind-the-scenes clips that he recorded of himself acting out Zoey's deliveries alongside Joy Liu performing as Mira.
"It had been a while since l'd done something this cartoony, and I had a blast," Daniel writes on X "The fun thing about shooting ref with friends is the unpredictable balance of productive brainstorming and goofing off."
That goofing off shows that as well as art and animation skills, 3D animators can benefit from having some acting skills. I'm not sure whether Zoey moves like Daniel, or if Daniel has an uncanny ability to move like a cartoon character.
Daniel has shared examples of his acting references in the past for his work on Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. It's always a treat to see these glimpses behind his process, and the amount of fun he has in his job.
KPop Demon Hunters is on Netflix now. For more animation news, don't miss the controversy over Marge's death in The Simpsons and how the Rogue Trooper movie could change the future of cinema.
