Chris Appelhans

Chris Appelhans
Appelhans in 2026
Born
Christopher Appelhans

1980 or 1981 (age 45–46)
Firth, Idaho, United States
Occupations
  • Film director
  • writer
  • illustrator
  • designer
Notable work
Spouse
​
(m. 2012)​
Children1

Christopher Appelhans (born 1980 or 1981)[1] is an American film director, writer, illustrator, and designer.[2] He is best known as the writer and director of Wish Dragon (2021) and KPop Demon Hunters (2025), which he co-directed and wrote with Maggie Kang. The latter earned them two Annie Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award.

He has also illustrated two children's books, A Greyhound, a Groundhog and Sparky!, the latter of which won the Children's Choice Book Award in 2015.

Early life and education

Appelhans was born in Firth, Idaho[3]: 2:18  to Kristi and Anthony Appelhans.[1] At the age of four, the family moved to Idaho Falls, where he attended Taylorview Middle School and Idaho Falls High School.[1] Appelhans grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons, and enjoyed writing and storytelling. While he also liked drawing as a part of storytelling, he did not "think it was a passion" growing up.[3]

In his junior year of high school, he was encouraged to pursue visual art as a career by a family friend who taught at Ricks College, which had a feeder program with the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California.[1][3] After graduating from high school in 1998, Appelhans studied illustration at the ArtCenter College of Design.[4][5] By the end of his studies, Appelhans became drawn to the idea of working on children's literature and film, saying that children "don't care who you are... at the end of the day, you would be a little more judged on the merits".[3]

Film career

Appelhans began his career in film as a character designer and concept artist on Monster House (2006);[1] he was hired after his online portfolio was discovered by Lucasfilm production designer Doug Chiang, who, despite having never met Appelhans, referred him to ImageMovers, one of the production companies working on Monster House.[3]

According to Appelhans, he continued to work as a production designer and artist for "seven or eight years" before realizing his strength and passion was in story writing.[6] Shortly after, he pitched a live-action film to the executives at ImageMovers, who bought the idea and, at the direction of owner Robert Zemeckis, hired Appelhans to write the screenplay.[3][6] The job was Appelhans' first foray into screenwriting, which he says was a learning experience and "wasn't particularly good".[6] By the time he had completed and submitted the screenplay, ImageMovers had ended their partnership with The Walt Disney Company and the project did not move forward.[3] In 2012, Appelhans' concept was announced to be the basis of Disney's The Magic Catalogue, a sci-fi adventure film about a group of teens discovering a cache of high-tech weapons. The film was to be produced by Zemeckis' ImageMovers and written by Jason Fuchs.[7] In the following years, Appelhans sold and developed another screenplay for Laika, which was also not greenlit.[6] He described the time in the lead up to his first film as "six to eight years in the wilderness learning how to write – learning what a story was, learning how to construct a 90-minute feature and living through it."[6]

In 2018, Appelhans was announced as the director and writer of the animated film Wish Dragon for Sony Pictures Animation, in his writing and directorial debut.[8] The film is about a college student's encounter with a dragon who has the power to grant three wishes; it was based on his friendship with Michael Wu, a cousin of his colleague he met during a visit to China in 2014.[1][3] Wish Dragon was released theatrically in China on January 15, 2021,[9] and on Netflix internationally on June 11, 2021.[10]

Following the production of Wish Dragon, its producer Aron Warner introduced Appelhans to Maggie Kang, who had first pitched Warner the idea that eventually became KPop Demon Hunters, an animated film about a K-pop girl group that hunts demons secretly.[11] Appelhans had also worked with Kang's husband, Radford Sechrist, on Wish Dragon.[6][12] According to Kang, she and Appelhans met over lunch and "bonded immediately";[12] Appelhans had planned on taking a break after Wish Dragon, but changed his mind after their initial conversation.[13] He stated that he "always wanted to do a film about the power of music—to unite, bring joy, build community".[14] KPop Demon Hunters was officially announced in April 2021 by Sony Pictures Animation with Kang and Appelhans as co-directors and writers.[12][14] Production wrapped four years later in 2025, and the film was released on Netflix on June 20, 2025.[12] In March 2026, Netflix and Sony Picture Animation announced that Appelhans and Kang will return to direct and write a sequel for KPop Demon Hunters, with plans for a release in 2029.[15]

Illustration career

Aside from his work in film, Appelhans has also illustrated children's books. His first book was Sparky! by Jenny Offill, which won the Children's Choice Book Award in 2015.[16] In 2017, he illustrated A Greyhound, a Groundhog, by Emily Jenkins.[17]

Filmography

Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Writer Storyboard artist Other
2006 Monster House No No No Yes Character designer,[18] concept artist[1]
2008 City of Ember No No No Yes Concept artist[18]
2009 Coraline No No No Yes Illustrator[18]
2009 Fantastic Mr. Fox No No No Yes Environment designer[18]
2009 The Princess and the Frog No No No Yes Visual development artist[18]
2011 Puss in Boots No No No Yes Visual development artist[18]
2012 Rise of the Guardians No No No Yes Additional story material, character designer[18]
2016 The Angry Birds Movie No No No Yes Additional artist[18]
2019 Wonder Park No No Yes No [18]
2021 Wish Dragon Yes Yes No Yes Film debut
Voice role: Hot Towel Waiter and Nomani Retailer[19]
2025 KPop Demon Hunters Yes Yes No No

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2025 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Animated Feature KPop Demon Hunters (with Maggie Kang) Won [20]
IndieWire Honors Spark Award KPop Demon Hunters (with Maggie Kang and Ejae) Honored [21]
Korean Association of Film Critics Awards FIPRESCI Award (Foreign) KPop Demon Hunters (with Maggie Kang) Won [22]
SCAD AnimationFest Impact Award Honored [23]
World Animation Summit Movie of the Year Award [24]
2026 Academy Awards Best Animated Feature KPop Demon Hunters (with Maggie Kang and Michelle Wong) Won [25]
Annie Awards Best Direction – Feature KPop Demon Hunters (with Maggie Kang) Won [26]
Best Writing – Feature KPop Demon Hunters (with Maggie Kang, Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan) Won
Astra Film Awards Best Animated Feature KPop Demon Hunters (with Maggie Kang and Michelle Wong) Won [27]
Chicago Indie Critics Best Animated Film Won [28]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Animated Feature Won [29]
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Animated Won [30]
International Cinephile Society Best Animated Film KPop Demon Hunters (with Maggie Kang) Nominated [31]
Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Best Animated Feature Won [32]
North Dakota Film Society KPop Demon Hunters (with Maggie Kang and Michelle Wong) Won [33]

Personal life

Appelhans met author Maurene Goo while they were students at the ArtCenter College of Design.[1] They married in 2012,[1] and have one son.[34]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Nelson, Rett (January 30, 2026). "Filmmaker behind Netflix's 'most-watched original title' grew up in Idaho Falls". East Idaho News. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  2. ^ "Sketchtravel TV, Chris Appelhans". www.sketchtravel.tv. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Appelhans, Chris (June 24, 2021). "First Draft Episode #310: Chris Appelhans". First Draft with Sarah Enni (podcast). Interviewed by Sarah Enni.
  4. ^ Thorington, Jakob (January 21, 2022). "Local filmmaker directs one of Netflix's most watched movies of 2021". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  5. ^ "CHRIS APPELHANS". Sony Pictures Animation. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Appelhans, Chris (September 24, 2025). "Director Chris Appelhans talks 'KPop Demon Hunters' ahead of SCAD AnimationFest". Rough Draft Atlanta (Interview). Interviewed by Sammie Purcell.
  7. ^ Sneider, Marc Graser,Jeff (October 9, 2012). "Jason Fuchs to write 'Magic Catalogue' for Disney". Variety. Retrieved March 8, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Frater, Patrick (April 23, 2018). "Jackie Chan, China's BaseFX Making 'Wish Dragon' for Sony Animation". Variety. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "Wish Dragon". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  10. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 27, 2021). "Netflix Snags Sony's 'Vivo', Previews Summer Animation Slate". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  11. ^ Kim, Regina (July 21, 2025). "'KPop Demon Hunters' Took 7 Years to Make but a Lifetime of Experience". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 21, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  12. ^ a b c d Kay, Jeremy (January 13, 2026). "How pandemic-era BTS concerts and Korean folklore inspired 'KPop Demon Hunters'". Screen Daily. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  13. ^ Gaur, Ryan (June 13, 2025). "The Directors of 'KPop: Demon Hunters' Take Us Backstage of Their Netflix/Sony Showstopper". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on June 17, 2025. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  14. ^ a b Donnelly, Matt (March 8, 2021). "Animated Musical About Demon Hunting K-Pop Girl Group in the Works at Sony (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  15. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (March 12, 2026). "'KPop Demon Hunters 2' Confirmed by Netflix and Sony: 'This Is Only the Beginning'". Variety. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  16. ^ Strickland, Ashley (May 5, 2015). "Meet the Children's Choice Book Award winners". CNN. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  17. ^ "Let's Talk Illustrators #11: Chris Appelhans". Let's Talk Picture Books. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Chris Appelhans". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  19. ^ "Chris Appelhans (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  20. ^ "The 2025 Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) EDA Award Nominations". Archived from the original on December 30, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  21. ^ Jones, Marcus (November 12, 2025). "IndieWire Honors to Toast Adam Sandler, Kristen Stewart, Chase Infiniti, and More". IndieWire. Archived from the original on November 13, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  22. ^ Seong, Chan-eol (November 6, 2025). "시상식은 없었지만 수상 라인업은 화려 ...45회 영평상 수상작·자 발표" [There Was No Awards Ceremony, but the Lineup of Winners Was Impressive ... The 45th Critics Choice Awards Winners Announced]. Cineplay. Archived from the original on November 13, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  23. ^ Davis, Victoria (October 9, 2025). "Chris Appelhans Reflects on 'KPop Demon Hunters' and SCAD Impact Award". Animation World Network. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  24. ^ "The World Animation Summit Reveals 2025 Hall of Fame Honorees". Animation Magazine. October 3, 2025. Archived from the original on October 24, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  25. ^ "The 98th Academy Awards | (2026)". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 8, 2026. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  26. ^ Lewis, Hilary (January 5, 2026). "2026 Annie Awards Nominations: 'Elio,' 'Kpop Demon Hunters' Lead Film Nods". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 22, 2026. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  27. ^ Williams, Aidan (January 9, 2025). "Astra Film Awards Recap: "Sinners," "KPop Demon Hunters" Take Home Top Awards". Los Angeles Magazine. Archived from the original on January 16, 2026. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  28. ^ Chicago Indie Critics. "Chicago Indie Critics Announce 2025 Windie Award Nominations". The Rolling Tape. Archived from the original on January 6, 2026. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  29. ^ Lang, Brent (January 4, 2026). "Critics Choice Awards 2026: 'One Battle After Another' Wins Best Film, 'The Pitt,' 'Adolescence' and 'The Studio' Dominate TV Prizes". Variety. Archived from the original on February 19, 2026. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  30. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (January 11, 2026). "Golden Globes: Winners List (Updating Live)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 6, 2026. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  31. ^ "2026 ICS Awards Nominations". January 18, 2026. Archived from the original on January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  32. ^ "Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA) Film Awards: 'Sinners' Wins 6, Including Best Picture". February 9, 2026. Archived from the original on February 18, 2026. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  33. ^ Neglia, Matt (January 12, 2026). "The 2025 North Dakota Film Society (NDFS) Winners". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on January 14, 2026. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  34. ^ Apeles, Teena (October 4, 2022). "Inside the LA Home of Author Maurene Goo". JoySauce. Retrieved February 2, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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