The offices of Sony Pictures Animation presidents Kristine Belson and Damien de Froberville are deliberately understated, a contrast to the blockbuster success they oversee. The pair lead the 600-person division responsible for both the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse franchise and Netflix’s most-watched film, KPop Demon Hunters, yet their workspace on the Miracle Mile features few personal touches, save for a bathrobe draped over a chair.
On February 13, Belson and de Froberville are releasing their next major project, GOAT, an $80 million theatrical basketball-themed film produced by NBA star Steph Curry and featuring Stranger Things actor Caleb McLaughlin as a young goat aspiring to play professional “Roarball.” The film is a collaboration with Sony’s ImageWorks animation division, known for its innovative techniques.
Belson joined Sony Pictures Animation in 2015, revitalizing the studio after a period of underperformance, and recruited de Froberville in 2023, elevating him to co-president last year. In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the duo discussed the strategic decision to release KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix, provided an update on the status of a sequel, and previewed their next potential blockbuster, Beyond the Spider-Verse.
The presidents described a collaborative division of labor. De Froberville focuses on production and operations, while Belson oversees the creative side, though both contribute to creative decisions. A recent example involved removing six minutes of footage from the first act of GOAT based on a suggestion from de Froberville, who felt the opening was too dense. “We pitched it to the filmmakers,” Belson said. “It felt a little bit of a crazy thing to do with so little time to go. And they were like, ‘Really?’ And then within hours they came back and said, ‘We want to do this.’”
Belson and de Froberville emphasized the changing landscape of animation audiences. “If I’m not scared by some of the decisions that we’re making, then we’re not making the right decisions,” Belson stated. De Froberville questioned whether classic animated films like Ice Age and Shrek would succeed if released today, suggesting a shift towards more innovative and boundary-pushing animation, exemplified by KPop Demon Hunters.
The decision to release KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix, rather than in theaters, was a deliberate one. Belson explained that the film’s success hinged on the platform’s reach and data-driven feedback loops. “One million percent, it had to be on Netflix,” she said. “It was the perfect storm of that movie coming together with the power of that platform.” Netflix’s internal metrics provided crucial insights: initial reactions were “OK” after three and ten days, but a call from Netflix Film Chief Hannah Minghella on the fourteenth day indicated something exceptional was happening. “So, it needed time, which you do not get theatrically,” Belson added.
Reports suggesting a KPop Demon Hunters sequel could be ready by 2029 were downplayed by Belson, who indicated that timeline was unrealistic. The directors, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhan, are currently focused on the awards campaign for the first film and will return to developing the sequel once that concludes.
The success of Across the Spider-Verse has raised the stakes for Beyond the Spider-Verse, scheduled for release in 2027. De Froberville expressed confidence in the upcoming film, stating that the art and design he has seen are “really blowing my mind.” He anticipates a similar creative expansion with KPop Demon Hunters, noting the rich world of demons and pop stars established in the first film offers ample opportunities for further storytelling.
Belson asserted that the quality of their films remains paramount, regardless of distribution platform. “I don’t think we have the discipline to care less about one movie than another,” she said. She as well acknowledged the challenges of maintaining creative rigor in streaming, where faster schedules can sometimes prioritize speed over quality.
The studio maintains a close relationship with Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the creative forces behind the Spider-Verse films, who are currently directing MGM’s Project Hail Mary. De Froberville noted that Lord and Miller have been actively involved in the development of Beyond the Spider-Verse, even setting up editing suites near the animation studio to remain closely connected to the project. The studio has also implemented changes to the animation pipeline to accommodate the directors’ iterative approach to filmmaking, bringing on a live-action cinematographer, Alice Brooks, to enhance the visual storytelling.
Development of potential spinoffs focusing on Spider-Punk and Spider-Gwen is underway, though Belson declined to provide specific details. She also noted that while the studio develops numerous projects, not all reach production, emphasizing a concept-driven approach. The studio is also seeking opportunities to collaborate again with Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Hotel Transylvania, though he is not currently involved in the upcoming Buds movie or the Hotel Transylvania television series.
De Froberville acknowledged the potential of artificial intelligence as a tool for animation, but cautioned that current AI technology lacks the directability required for their creative process.