Lately I’ve been remembering a time when certain kinds of animated entertainment were niche in America. As a grade-school kid, before the internet made it easy to find anything and everything, I’d go to the mall in search of that rare gem: a poorly dubbed and roughly edited VHS film of anime I loved. Back then I couldn’t have imagined that anime films would proliferate as they have, and would have gotten such a large showing at major theaters. And I certainly wouldn’t have guessed they would kill at the box office. That’s been the case this year, which has seen the dominance of not just anime but what some may consider animated films targeted for similarly niche interests and markets.
I grew up a Disney kid, squarely during the company’s renaissance era, when a new well-regarded blockbuster surfaced every year: “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Pocahontas,” “Hercules” … the list goes on. Those animated hits were everywhere. They had wide releases in theaters and huge promotional campaigns. They were American-made films for American audiences.
This year showed us how much times have changed. One of the year’s early animated hits, “Ne Zha II,” was markedly different from the usual big-budget Disney or Pixar confection. An animated fantasy film about a demon boy’s attempt to obtain immortality from the heavens and save humanity down below, “Ne Zha II” hit theaters in China on the first day of the Chinese New Year. It was a Chinese film targeted for Chinese audiences, the source material adapted from the 16th-century novel “Investiture of the Gods.” And it was a sequel. Neither was a hindrance to the film’s success, which began in China and spread to international audiences. “Ne Zha II” became the highest grossing animated film ever.
When an English dub from A24 and CMC Pictures hit American theaters late summer, I saw the appeal for myself: a film full of ornate action sequences, likable characters and a mythological breadth. There was a richness to the universe informed by the attention to detail on both a visual and narrative level. And, quite simply, it was a feat of animation, a work that employed thousands of Chinese animators, creating a stunning showcase of what the country’s most talented artists can accomplish.
That toothy, fire-wielding demon toddler blazed the way for a summer of demon hunters. It wasn’t long after “KPop Demon Hunters” premiered on Netflix in June that it became a pop culture sensation. The story was fresh. The music was catchy and clever, good enough to spend several weeks at the top of the charts. And the protagonists — the cool-girl trio of demon-hunting pop stars called Huntrix — were fun. They had personality, quirks, sleek outfits and even sleeker weapons.
But there was an appeal to “KPop Demon Hunters” that distinguished it from many of the other popular animated films of its ilk. I’ve called it the film’s understanding of fandom. And it achieved a true feat of the streaming age: It was a streaming movie that grew into a series of live, ticketed, in-person events. (I can personally attest to that bit, too. I’ve watched “KPop Demon Hunters” probably about a dozen times this year, one of which was in a movie theater packed with devoted fans.)
Then this fall “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” and then “Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc” both proved that motion picture anime was a force to be contended with. Unlike “KPop Demon Hunters,” these two films were continuations of existing anime series and manga, meaning many audience members were already familiar with the stories and characters. Between the wealth of offerings on streaming services and the anime available in theaters, fans no longer need to spend hours scouring physical stores to keep up with their favorite series. And both films offered pristine artwork worthy of their fans; “Demon Slayer” in particular became an immersive experience in theaters, thanks to surround-sound, effects-heavy, seat-shaking 4DX screenings akin to a theme park attraction.
So these successes are not just about fandom, but also about how the worldwide animation industry can serve animators and audiences alike. China, Korea, Japan: each of the animated hits from this year were either produced outside of the United States or reflective of a culture that wasn’t American. At one point animation itself was viewed as a niche genre of entertainment. This year showed us that not only can it be considered as expansive and mainstream as live-action entertainment, but that it’s nothing less than a global language that unites people in fandom.
Maya Phillips is an arts and culture critic for The Times.
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