{
  "id": 10598594,
  "title": "Korean studios take helm in animating homegrown webtoons",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/korean-studios-take-helm-in-animating-homegrown-webtoons-10598594",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T03:37:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20260929/korean-studios-take-helm-in-animating-homegrown-webtoons"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Korean animation studios are increasingly taking the lead in animating homegrown webtoons, shifting towards full in-house production instead of relying solely on overseas collaborations. Historically, adaptations of popular Korean webtoons into animated films were produced abroad. The success of \"Solo Leveling,\" derived from a Korean web novel and webtoon, set the stage for a different approach. This popular series, touted as the most-watched on animation streaming platform Crunchyroll, was brought to life through a multinational collaboration involving Japanese and Korean entities. This traditional model, which merges Korean intellectual property with Japan's extensive production infrastructure, is evolving. Simultaneously, there is a growing trend within the industry as Korean studios embark on the production of theatrical animations from start to finish, based on local webtoon stories. \"Guardians of the Video Game,\" a project stemming from Gasfard's Naver Webtoon, exemplifies this shift. Scheduled for release on October 14, this animated feature is entirely produced by Seoul-based studio Locus. This endeavor follows the studio's previous film, \"Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning,\" further demonstrating Korea's growing prowess in the animation industry.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Korean studios take helm in animating homegrown webtoons",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/korean-studios-take-helm-in-animating-homegrown-webtoons",
        "published": "2026-09-29T03:12:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}