^{Credit: KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix, Sony Pictures Animation)}

Some may debate what the first true precursor prize of the award season is. As far as the Best Animated Feature race is concerned, though, the New York Film Critics Circle is always one of the earliest indicators of what the frontrunner might be. Over the decades, NYFCC has spotlighted many independent and international animated features, including Flow last year. This gave some awards prognosticators reason to believe that Arco or Little Amélie or the Character of Rain might be this year’s NYFCC victor. The cultural phenomenon of KPop Demon Hunters has come out on top, however. 

Since premiering on Netflix in June, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans’ film has been a music and streaming juggernaut. It also defied the odds at the box office during its limited theatrical run. The fact that KPop Demon Hunters was able to win over a group like NYFCC bodes well for its awards prospects among more populous groups like the Golden Globes and Oscars. Of course, KPop Demon Hunters is far from the first mainstream animated feature that NYFCC has recognized. It's not even the first film from Sony Pictures Animation to win at NYFCC, which previously awarded The Mitchells vs. the Machines and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. 

Ten NYFCC winners have gone on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature: Spirited Away, The Incredibles, Happy Feet, WALL-E, Inside Out, Zootopia, Coco, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Boy and the Heron, and Flow. Eleven NYFCC winners were nominated for the Oscar, but didn’t win: The Triplets of Belleville, Howl’s Moving Castle, Persepolis, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Illusionist, Frankenweenie, The Wind Rises, I Lost My Body, Wolfwalkers, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Since 2001, only two NYFCC winners haven’t been nominated for the Oscar: Waking Life and The Lego Movie. Both were unique cases, as Waking Life likely faced scrutiny due to its use of rotoscoping, while The Lego Movie was probably seen as too toyetic. 

KPop Demon Hunters is unlikely to run into the same issues as Waking Life or The Lego Movie. There's little to no doubt that the film will be nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. Although the film isn't eligible at BAFTA, KPop Demon Hunters could otherwise sweep throughout the season, starting with NYFCC. Of course, this is one of several precursor awards, with the season just getting started. Stay tuned here on Cartoon Contender as we cover the animation races at the National Board of Review, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the Critics' Choice Movie Awards over the next week! 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!