Why is it not good news that 'The K-Pop Warriors' is going to win the Oscar

Yes, yes. I know. You have danced to Golden to your heart’s content, your sons, daughters, nephews, or nieces know it by heart and have even taught you the latest choreography: after all, it is the most-watched movie in Netflix history and, surprisingly, it is not even part of a franchise: The K-Pop Warriors has made history to the point where it is clearly on track to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature without any problem. And yet, I am convinced that this is not good news.

Up, up, up, is our moment!

Since 2021, none of the major American animation studios have won the Oscar in the category. At that time, it was Encanto that took the prize over better options like The Mitchells vs. the Machines or Luca. However, it was the film that broke a 10-year streak in which the winning films were invariably from Pixar, Disney or (in the case of Spider-man) from Sony. From one of the big players, at all times. With the change of voters in the Academy, changes came in all the awards, and animation was no exception.

In 2022, Netflix hit the jackpot with Pinocchio, an absolutely stunning stop-motion film that demonstrates how animation is much more than CGI and 3D puppets. In 2023, it was time to head to Japan to honor master Hayao Miyazaki and his latest masterpiece (so far), The Boy and the Heron, which underscored a constant in recent years: the world becomes much larger when you peek over the subtitle barrier. Last year, experimentation reached its peak with Flow, a Latvian film with no dialogue whatsoever that amazed audiences worldwide. And I can’t be the only one who thinks that if K-Pop Warriors wins, it will be a step backward.

An American production (upholstered, yes, with nods to South Korea, as if trying to give it an exotic touch but without getting too involved), from Sony and Netflix, with curious animation that still repeats some tics we have seen in the studio’s previous films. Against the mainstream (perhaps not sought after, but mainstream after all), two works of pure resistance that strive to move forward: the vibrant Arco and the unbeatable Little Amelie, which truly demonstrate how animation can be used to tell all kinds of stories that go beyond “good versus evil” and without anyone later announcing a sequel, a franchise, an amusement park, and a collaboration with a Chupa Chups brand.

I’m not against The K-Pop Warriors, mind you: it’s a movie that works, it’s constantly entertaining, and its songs stick like glue. But it’s undeniable that with the award, the Academy is going to fall into the obstacle it managed to evade years ago: awarding the most famous movie. It could be Zootopia 2, it could be this one, it doesn’t matter. It’s giving money to the millionaire and love to the beloved. It doesn’t need it at all, and it can tarnish the best animated feature category, leaving it adrift again and giving popular awards by default.

Was Toy Story 4 really better than Where Is My Body? or Klaus? Why Zootopia and not My Life as a Zucchini or The Red Turtle? Did Big Hero 6 deserve it more than The Tale of the Princess Kaguya? We cannot (and should not) allow ourselves to return to that dark era where animation was automatically given to the famous movie of the moment because from there to nominating Avatar for best picture by default is just one step.