Domestic Animation 'Red Shoes' Challenges for the Academy Award

Joined the Academy Feature Animation First Round Nominees
Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with 'Soul' and 'Onward: A Day's Miracle'

The Korean animated film "Red Shoes" is challenging the Academy Awards. Sidus Animation, the production company, announced on the 9th that the film was named as a first-round nominee for Best Animated Feature at the 93rd Academy Awards, announced at the end of last month.

The 26 films forming the nominee pool alongside "Red Shoes" include Disney-Pixar's "Soul" and "Onward," DreamWorks' "The Croods: A New Age" and "Trolls World Tour," among others. This is the first time a domestically produced commercial work has joined the first-round nominees for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Sidus Animation commented, "The qualifications and procedures for nomination are strict. Since entering the U.S. market, a powerhouse in animation, is difficult in itself, this nomination holds great significance."

"Red Shoes" is a 3D animation produced with domestic technology. Director Hong Seong-ho was responsible for the screenplay and direction, while designer Kim Sang-jin directed character design and animation. It was released in Korea in 2019, attracting 817,729 viewers, and won the President's Award, the highest honor in animation, at the Korea Content Awards.

The film was also screened in 123 countries including Europe and Australia. Thanks to achievements such as ranking first at the Spanish box office, it entered the North American market last September through Lionsgate, one of Hollywood's six major distributors. It demonstrated the strength of Korean animation by being the most streamed in the Family & Kids category on Apple TV.

Hwang Su-jin, producer at Sidus Animation, said, "It is an honor to challenge the Academy Awards after the difficult entry into the U.S. market," adding, "If we keep knocking on doors, we expect that Korean animation and studios will soon achieve a high status."

Meanwhile, three Korean animated films were also named as first-round nominees for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: "Opera" directed by Eric Oh, "Dream" directed by Kim Kang-min, and "The Tiger and the Ox" directed by Kim Seong-hee.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.