Reflecting a global trend, animations remain a draw in Korea with the latest animated film Heartsping: Teenieping of Love (2024) having struck a chord with viewers. It has accumulated more than 880,000 admissions since its release on August 7th and has surpassed its break-even point of 600,000 viewers. This makes it the fourth Korean film to do so this summer following the success of Escape (2024), Handsome Guys (2023) and Pilot (2023) in what is a further sign that the industry is being less driven by tentpole features.

Directed by Kim Su-hoon, Heartsping is the first feature film of the animation series Catch! Teenieping produced by SAMG Entertainment, which centers on Princess Romi of the Emotion Kingdom. The princess comes to earth to catch creatures called Teeniepings that have unique powers that are connected to emotions.

In the film Romi is desperate to find her soul mate and happens to meet Heartsping who she initially responds to, but he doesn’t necessarily react in the same way. It tells a story of trust even in challenging circumstances.

While it’s been popular among children especially, it has also attracted older audiences – much like the recent Disney Animations Inside Out 2 (2024) and Elemental. Both of which have also captured complex emotions selling 8.4 million tickets and 7.2 million tickets, respectively.

This week, we profile Korean animated films and televisions shows that have targeted children beginning with animated features that were released theatrically in the 1970s, then moving on to the TV shows of the late 1980s and early 1990s before culminating with some of the animated characters that have captured children’s imaginations in the 2000s.

Animated Films of the 1970s & 1980s: Robot Taekwon V (1976), Maruchi Arachi (1977) Golden Wings 1.2.3. (1978), General Ttoli (1978), Galaxy Fleet Earth (1979), Space Three Musketeers (1979), The Great Adventure of Haedol (1982)

Robot Taekwon V (1976) is the most famous of Korea’s early animations. Directed by Kim Cheong-gi and produced by Yu Hyun-mok (Obaltan (1961)), it was a massive hit in cinemas attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers despite the industry being in much turmoil amidst intense government censorship. The film’s story revolves around a rogue and disgruntled scientist leading a Red Empire threatening civilization. In response, his former colleague develops Robot Taekwon V to counter the attack.

Given the film’s nationalistic and anti-communist themes, it didn’t encounter the same problems with censorship many directors experienced at the time. It was also remastered owing to financial support from the Korean Film Council and re-released in local cinemas 2007.

Released in July of 1977 and directed by Lim Jeong-Gyu and viewed by more than 160,000 people in Seoul, Maruchi Arachi is based on a popular MBC drama series called Taekwondo Boy Maruchi. It follows two children called Maruchi and Arachi who are discovered in a cave and are brought back to civilization to learn Taekwondo. Voices from the original drama series are thought to have taken part in the theatrical production.