After a year that included her first Academy Award, KPop Demon Hunters creator Maggie Kang can now add a key to her hometown to her now sizeable collection.
Mayor Olivia Chow presented Toronto’s Key to the City last night to animator and filmmaker Kang, creator of the Oscar-winning animated film in a ceremony at the Departure Festival and Conference 2026.
Kang, who was born in Seoul and raised in Toronto, studied classical animation at Sheridan College before building a career in the animation industry in the United States.
She worked as a story artist on films including Shrek Forever After, Kung Fu Panda 3, Trolls and Minions: The Rise of Gru. She also served as head of story on The Lego Ninjago Movie.
In a statement, Chow said Kang’s work reflects both her Korean heritage and her Toronto upbringing, and praised the filmmaker for creating stories that have reached audiences around the world.
“Toronto is a city where creativity and culture come together in powerful ways. Maggie Kang is one of the artists who brings that to life, with storytelling that is both personal and globally recognized,” said Chow. “One of those stories, KPop Demon Hunters, has connected with households across our city and around the world, bringing families together through themes of friendship, identity and belonging. Her work reflects both her Korean heritage and her Toronto roots. On behalf of the people of Toronto, I am proud to present her with the Key to the City.”
Kang had immense success with KPop Demon Hunters, which is the most streamed Netflix show ever. The film has drawn attention for its themes of friendship, identity and belonging, as well as its incorporation of Korean culture and music.
“It was what sparked everything at the beginning, I was just thinking about how how wonderful it would be to see Korean culture represented through the lens of animation,” said Kang, in a previous interview. “That’s really why I landed on the idea of Korean demons to start. It means a lot for people to know that when people click the play button on Netflix they get transported to Seoul”
According to the city, the Key is the highest honour awarded by Toronto’s mayor. It recognizes people or groups deemed to have made significant contributions to civic life.
Earlier this year, a second season of KPop Demon Hunters was confirmed.
“I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters,” said Kang. “There’s so much more to this world we have built and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning.”
