Point
Korean studios are adapting proven webtoon and science fiction IP into animated features that build on existing fan bases
Key Issues
• A webtoon with 340 million views: 'Guardians of the Video Game', Gasfard's webtoon serialized from 2014 to 2021, will open in Korean theaters on October 14 as an animated feature. Its ace agent is demoted and sent to an outdated 8-bit game.
• Balancing pixels and expression: Director Uhm Young-sik says he worked to keep the charm of the 8-bit pixel characters while making their facial expressions readable on screen, and he varied frame rates by character.
• Science fiction on the festival circuit: 'Pilgrims', based on Kim Cho-yeop's story, won the Korea Animation Industry President's Prize at BIAF2025 and was selected for the 50th Annecy International Animation Film Festival. It screens at POSTECH SF DAY on October 31.
Point
Holiday screenings and the 40th anniversary of the 'Ureme' series are renewing interest in the history of Korean animation
Key Issues
• Four classics for Chuseok: From September 24 to 27, Gangneung's Shinyoung cinema and the Korean Film Archive screened four films, with tickets priced at KRW 3,000, from 'Hong Gil-dong' (1967), Korea's first animated feature, to 'A Little Dinosaur Dooly: The Adventure of Ice Planet' (1996).
• Ureme at 40: Released in 1986, 'Ureme from Beyond' starred comedian Shim Hyung-rae and mixed live action with animation. It grew into a long-running series, gained popularity through the home-video market, and helped establish Shim as a film star.
• A mixed legacy: An OhmyNews critic argues its success pulled the market toward live-action children's films as feature animation declined after 1986. In 2026, Ureme toy crowdfunding raised KRW 100 million in an hour.
※ For more detailed information, please see the attached file (PDF).