By Baek Byung-yeul/The Korea Times

"Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning," "Bad Girls: Run Hani" and other Korea-made animations are preparing to breathe new life into the 2025 theatrical landscape, seeking to ride on the rising popularity of the animation genre.

Animated films are no longer a niche or a children-only genre, becoming a medium enjoyed by all. Two American animations — "Inside Out 2" and "Moana 2" — made it into the top 10 box office hits in Korea last year. In 2023, the American animation "Elemental" and two Japanese animations — "Suzume" and "The First Slam Dunk" — featured on this list, demonstrating the popularity of animated movies across various age groups.

Meanwhile, "Heartsping: Teenieping of Love," a movie version of the popular TV animation series "Teenieping," attracted over 1.2 million viewers last year, making it the second most-watched domestic animated film in history, following the 2011 animation "Leafie, a Hen into the Wild."

While animations from traditional powerhouses like the United States and Japan continue to achieve box office success, Korean animations are also trying to make their mark this year.

This year, several domestic animated features are slated for theatrical release, appealing to a wide range of age groups and expanding its audience beyond just children.

The most anticipated domestic animation of the year, set to hit theaters in February, is "Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning."

Based on author Lee Woo-hyuk's popular 1994 fantasy novel "Toemarok" (the Korean word for exorcism book), this animated movie follows four exorcists, including a defrocked priest, a martial arts expert and seers, as they engage in exorcism activities.

The novel version, set in modern Korea, pioneered a new genre by blending various elements such as martial arts, exorcism, religion, mythology and legends. It sold over 10 million copies and opened new horizons for the occult genre in Korea, where such themes were previously unpopular.

The novel was adapted into a film in 1998 but didn't receive much attention. Lee, the author, participated as a creator in the animated version, in a bid to make the theatrical animation just as successful as the original novel.

Another highly anticipated domestic animation is "Bad Girls: Run Hani," which will hit local theaters in the latter half of 2025.

This animated feature is based on cartoonist Lee Jin-joo's original comic "Run Hani." The comic was serialized in a comics magazine from 1985 to 1987, and in 1988, KBS TV turned it into a popular television animation.

The original comic and TV animation detail the story of Hani, a genius track and field athlete who grew up in unfortunate circumstances but has a strong will, along with her caring teacher, and her rival Aeri.

Its distributor NEW revealed that this animated film will focus on Hani's high school years. The protagonist Hani returns from an injury sustained in middle school and becomes entangled with her rival Aeri.

Another animated movie, "Gill," is based on author Gu Byeong-mo's novel of the same title.

This film, set to be released in the first half of this year, follows a boy who suddenly develops gills and begins breathing through them when on the brink of death. "Gill" received acclaim after being selected for the feature film competition at last year's Annecy International Film Festival.

"Ggoma," expected to hit theaters in the second half of this year, is a joint production by Myung Films, which produced "Leafie, a Hen into the Wild," and Studio Roomer, famous for its 2021 animation "Chun Tae-il."

Ggoma, which is "little child" in Korean, is the name of a young Asiatic black bear cub. The story unfolds as this bear cub escapes from the zoo in search of his mother-like zookeeper who suddenly disappears.