The Criterion Collection has never been shy about its reputation for austere, cinephile-approved taste, which is what makes this particular addition to its November slate such a notable swerve. “KPop Demon Hunters,” Netflix’s record-breaking animated musical, joins a November 2026 lineup that also includes restorations of “The Right Stuff” and “Harold and Maude,” landing as spine #1333 in a collection that has, until now, made room for barely a handful of animated films, a lineup UPI confirmed when Criterion announced its full slate.
The rarity of this recognition is a major reason the announcement stands out. AOL’s count of Criterion’s catalog, which now includes more than 1,300 titles, shows that only nine animated movies had been selected previously. The list includes WALL-E, Isle of Dogs, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. With its addition, KPop Demon Hunters becomes only the tenth animated film to receive the honor during the label’s 42-year history.
The film’s path there started back in February, when Variety first reported that Criterion had picked up both “KPop Demon Hunters” and del Toro’s “Frankenstein” as part of a broader deal with Netflix, timed to land alongside both films’ awards-season pushes. It’s a pairing that says as much about Netflix’s shifting relationship with physical media as it does about either film individually. Netflix has historically kept most of its catalog off shelves entirely, reserving Criterion releases for a short list that includes “Roma,” “The Irishman” and “The Power of the Dog,” Rolling Stone notes.
What makes “KPop Demon Hunters” stand out from that company is its scale. Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the film became Netflix’s most-watched original release of all time, built around HUNTR/X, a K-pop girl group secretly moonlighting as demon hunters who must confront a supernatural boy band threatening their fans, according to Criterion’s own official synopsis, cited by Bloody Disgusting. Cartoon Brew, which covered the original February announcement, called the selection “an unexpected but telling vote of confidence” in a movie built more for mass streaming audiences than the arthouse crowd Criterion traditionally courts.
That confidence shows up in the physical release itself. The November 3 set, confirmed across three configurations, a $50 three-disc 4K UHD and Blu-ray edition, a $40 two-disc Blu-ray, and a $30 DVD, includes a new 4K digital master approved by both directors, a Dolby Atmos mix, a making-of documentary, and video essays from filmmakers Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou, according to a breakdown from Kotaku. What’s on Netflix reports the release marks the 14th Netflix Original to enter the Criterion Collection overall, joining recent additions like “Nouvelle Vague” and del Toro’s own “Frankenstein.”
Whether “KPop Demon Hunters” holds up as a canonical pick the way Criterion’s classics have is a question only time will answer. For now, its arrival alongside genre staples like “Harold and Maude” says something about how far the definition of a “Criterion film” has stretched in an era when a streaming musical about a demon-fighting girl group can rack up hundreds of millions of views before its first physical release.
