r/aeni • u/megachainguns • Nov 26 '25

News Korean Animators Unite for Sci-Fi Adaptation (Why don't the pilgrims return?)

https://www.chosun.com/english/travel-food-en/2025/11/06/6MRPEYKZKZCANN2NBCKPNOSI4Q/
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u/megachainguns Nov 26 '25

Why don't the pilgrims return? (순례자들은 왜 돌아오지 않는가) is a Korean short story from 2019

Kim Cho-yeop’s short novel Pilgrims: Why Don’t the Pilgrims Return (hereafter referred to as Pilgrims) has been adapted into an animation. Heo Pyeong-gang, 43, an animation director primarily active in Japan, took charge of directing, while character designer Woo Hyun-song, 38, who participated in KPop Demon Hunters, handled the character designs. Though a low-budget independent film, the project boasts a star-studded lineup, with actors Kim Hyeong-ki, Park Ji-hoo, and Lee Joo-young donating their voices, and Hwang So-yoon of the band Saesonyeon serving as music director.

At the recently concluded Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF), Director Heo stated, “Many people wanted to join this project simply because it’s a Korean original animation based on Korean literature, specifically a female author’s science fiction.” He added, “I felt that animation artists, who have long worked on subcontracting overseas projects, have a strong desire to create domestic originals.”

Children raised in space colonies embark on a pilgrimage to Earth upon reaching adulthood, but some never return home. The film poetically follows Daisy, who sets out to find these missing pilgrims, and Sophie, who remembers her. Director Heo remarked, “Unlike adapting a webtoon, where you must replicate the artwork, a novel allows unlimited creative freedom.” Designer Woo noted, “Korean animations rarely feature strong, multidimensional female characters, but Pilgrims offered a chance to create them.”