From left, Michelle L.M. Wong, Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang pose with the award for Best Animated Feature Film for "KPop Demon Hunters" during the the 98th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, March 15. EPA-YonhapChris Appelhans, co-director of Netflix's hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," is revealing the creative process behind the movie's characters.He will appear MBC every1's travel reality show "Welcome, First Time in Korea?" which will air Thursday evening, marking his first appearance on a Korean entertainment program.Appelhans made his directorial debut with the 2021 animated film "Wish Dragon." The box office success raised his profile, earning him the backing of Sony Pictures to produce any project he desired.To build the narrative and emotional depth of "KPop Demon Hunters," Appelhans analyzed hit Korean dramas including "Boys Over Flowers," "Vincenzo" and "Crash Landing on You." A scene from “Vincenzo” / Courtesy of tvNHe said he specifically referenced actor Song Joong-ki's facial expressions in "Vincenzo" to design Jinu, a member of the demon boy band Saja Boys.Saja Boys' Jinu from the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" / Captured from Netflix's YouTube Channel"KPop Demon Hunters" follows Rumi, Mira and Zoey, members of the fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X, who perform as artists during the day and fight world-ending evil spirits at night. The movie won the two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.