Bong Joon Ho’s debut animated feature Ally has been set for release in 2027, distributed by CJ ENM, Penture Invest and Pathé.
It has been known for several years that the Oscar-winning South Korean director of Parasite has been working on an animated film about deep-sea creatures, but details of the project – including its title – have only been revealed today. A first look at the film can be seen above.
The family adventure follows Ally, a curious piglet squid living in the uncharted depths of the South Pacific Ocean. She dreams of one day seeing the sun and becoming the star of a wildlife documentary. But when a mysterious aircraft sinks into the ocean, her peaceful world suddenly becomes dangerous.
Her journey extends to the surface and features encounters between humans and the creatures of the deep, which reshape both worlds. The film promises “visually stunning underwater worlds” and “epic action sequences”.
In development since 2019, Bong co-wrote the script with Jason Yu, an assistant director on his 2017 film Okja who went on direct Sleep, which was selected for Cannes Critics’ Week in 2023.
Financing and distribution are handled by South Korea’s CJ ENM and Penture Invest alongside French studio Pathé, with Korea’s Barunson C&C overseeing production. It marks Pathé’s first project with Bong.
Producer is Seo Woo-sik, marking his third collaboration with Bong, following Mother and Okja.
The film is set to be completed in the first half of 2027, with a worldwide theatrical release in the same year.
Pathé will handle distribution in France, Benelux, Switzerland and West Africa, while CJ and Penture will distribute in South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey and Indonesia. Pathé handles international sales excluding Japan, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which will be represented by CJ and Penture.
The creative team behind the film spans 12 countries with key contributors including animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim (Toy Story 4, Inside Out), supervising producer David Lipman (Shrek franchise) and production designer Marcin Jakubowski (Klaus).
DNEG, the UK VFX giant behind Inception and Dune, is also on board to provide high-end 3D animation to the project
It marks the first feature from Bong since Mickey 17, an English-language science fiction film for Warner Bros, which starred Robert Pattinson.
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