Korean studios take helm in animating homegrown webtoons

Korean animation studios are expanding domestic feature-film production from homegrown webtoons, while still using some international partnerships. Locus is producing Guardians of the Video Game entirely in Seoul, and Studio N’s Your Letter was presold to 166 countries. Industry leaders say the shift is meant to build local capacity and new revenue models rather than replace co-productions.

Guardians of the Video Game, based on Gasfard’s Naver Webtoon, is scheduled to open in theaters on Oct. 14.

The film is being produced entirely by Seoul-based studio Locus.

Your Letter, based on Cho Hyeon-ah’s webtoon, was presold to 166 countries.

Kim Yun-ji, president of the Korea Creative Content Agency, said the industry must move toward adult-oriented content.

She also said animation should be linked with webtoons and merchandise to create new revenue models rather than relying only on government support.

Published Sep 29, 2026 12:00 pm KST

A scene from an upcoming animated feature “Guardians of the Video Game” / Courtesy of Locus, CJ CGV

Korean animation studios are expanding their strategy to adapt homegrown webtoons into feature films, adding full in-house production alongside global partnerships.

When a hit Korean webtoon got the animation treatment in the past, the actual production usually happened overseas.

"Solo Leveling," based on the hit Korean web novel and webtoon, became the most-watched series on record on animation streaming service Crunchyroll.

It was brought to the screen through a multinational effort involving Japanese studio and Korean companies. This model combines Korean intellectual property with Japan's decades of production infrastructure.

At the same time, a broader movement has been building across the industry, with Korean studios producing theatrical animation domestically from start to finish based on local webtoon stories.

"Guardians of the Video Game," based on Gasfard's Naver Webtoon, is one such project. The animated feature, scheduled to hit theaters on Oct. 14, is produced entirely by Seoul-based studio Locus. It follows the studio's previous film "Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning," an adaptation of a popular 1990s occult novel that performed well with local audiences last year.

Locus has more webtoon projects in its lineup, including "Barkhan" and "Denma," along with an animated version of director Kim Tae-yong's stage play "Kokdu."

A scene from “Your Letter” / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

Separately, "Your Letter," based on Cho Hyeon-ah's webtoon and produced by Studio N, was presold to 166 countries. The film won critical acclaim for its breathtaking hand-drawn visuals and warm, emotional storytelling, proving that a gentle Korean story can connect deeply with audiences worldwide.

However, domestic box office numbers still show a tough reality for local animation. "Leafie, A Hen into the Wild” garnered about 2.2 million tickets in 2011 and still remained the best-performing Korean animated films. That figure is small compared to the more than 5 million admissions drawn by imported Japanese titles such as "Suzume" and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: The Infinity Castle” in Korean theaters. Homegrown animated films remain a niche market at home, even as Korean webtoons reach massive audiences worldwide.

Industry experts view the recent shift as a step toward building domestic capacity rather than competing directly with Japan.

Kim Yun-ji, president of the Korea Creative Content Agency, pointed to intellectual property expansion as a key breakthrough for the struggling domestic animation industry.

"As we have focused heavily on children's content, the declining population and shrinking broadcast market are accelerating these difficulties," Kim said during a press conference on Sept. 17. "It is clear that we must move toward adult-oriented content."

To overcome these challenges, Kim emphasized building new revenue models by linking animation with webtoons and merchandise rather than relying solely on government support.

The goal is not to replace international co-productions like "Solo Leveling," but to give local studios the option to produce films themselves when they have the right story and capabilities.

Audiences may find healing in slow pace of sincerity in 'Your Letter,' says director

韩国动画工作室正扩大本土网络漫画改编动画电影的制作规模，同时仍保留部分国际合作项目。Locus工作室的《游戏守护者》完全在首尔制作完成，而Studio N的《你的信》已预售至166个国家。业内人士表示，此举旨在培养本土动画制作能力并开发新的盈利模式，而非取代国际合作制作。

根据 Gasfard 的 Naver Webtoon 漫画改编的电影《电子游戏守护者》定于 10 月 14 日在影院上映。

该片完全由位于首尔的 Locus 工作室制作。

根据赵贤雅的漫画改编的《你的信》已预售至166个国家。

韩国文化产业振兴院院长金允智表示，该行业必须向成人内容转型。

她还表示，动画应该与网络漫画和周边产品相结合，创造新的收入模式，而不是仅仅依赖政府支持。

发布于2026年9月29日韩国时间下午12:00

即将上映的动画电影《电子游戏守护者》剧照 / 图片由 Locus, CJ CGV 提供

韩国动画工作室正在扩大其战略，将本土网络漫画改编成电影，除了全球合作外，还增加了完整的内部制作。

过去，当一部热门韩国网络漫画被改编成动画时，实际制作通常是在海外进行的。

根据韩国热门网络小说和漫画改编的动画《Solo Leveling》成为动画流媒体服务 Crunchyroll 上观看次数最多的系列。

这部电影是由日本电影公司和韩国公司共同合作，通过跨国合作模式搬上银幕的。这种模式将韩国的知识产权与日本数十年的制作经验相结合。

与此同时，整个行业正在兴起一股更广泛的潮流，韩国工作室开始根据本土网络漫画故事，从头到尾在国内制作院线动画。

根据加斯法德在Naver Webtoon上连载的漫画改编的动画电影《电子游戏守护者》就是这样一个项目。这部动画电影定于10月14日上映，由首尔的Locus工作室全权制作。此前，该工作室曾制作过电影《驱魔编年史：起源》，改编自上世纪90年代一部颇受欢迎的神秘小说，去年在韩国本土取得了不错的票房成绩。

Locus 旗下还有更多网络漫画项目，包括《Barkhan》和《Denma》，以及导演金泰勇的舞台剧《Kokdu》的动画版。

《你的信》剧照 / 图片由乐天娱乐提供

此外，根据赵贤雅的同名网络漫画改编、Studio N制作的动画电影《你的信》已预售至166个国家。该片凭借其精美的手绘画面和温暖感人的故事情节赢得了评论界的一致好评，证明了温情脉脉的韩国故事也能深深打动世界各地的观众。

然而，韩国本土动画电影的票房成绩依然反映出其发展面临的严峻现实。《野鸡莉菲》在2011年仅收获约220万张电影票，至今仍是韩国动画电影中票房最高的。但与《铃芽》和《鬼灭之刃剧场版：无限之城》等引进日本动画电影在韩国影院超过500万的观影人次相比，这个数字显得微不足道。尽管韩国网络漫画在全球范围内拥有庞大的读者群，但本土动画电影在韩国国内仍然属于小众市场。

业内专家认为，最近的这种转变是为了增强国内产能，而不是直接与日本竞争。

韩国文化产业振兴院院长金允智指出，知识产权扩张是举步维艰的韩国动画产业取得关键突破的途径。

金在9月17日的新闻发布会上表示：“由于我们一直以来都非常重视儿童内容，人口下降和广播市场萎缩正在加剧这些困难。显然，我们必须转向面向成人的内容。”

为了克服这些挑战，金强调要通过将动画与网络漫画和周边产品联系起来，建立新的收入模式，而不是仅仅依靠政府支持。

其目标并非取代《我独自升级》等国际合拍片，而是让本土制片厂在拥有合适的故事和能力时，可以选择自己制作电影。

导演表示，观众或许能在《你的信》这部节奏舒缓、真挚动人的电影中找到治愈的力量。