Bong Joon-ho reveals debut animated film Ally, set for 2027 release

The film centres on Ally, a piglet squid living in the uncharted depths of the South Pacific Ocean who dreams of reaching the surface and becoming the star of a wildlife documentary. When a mysterious aircraft sinks into her world, she is propelled into an unlikely journey upward alongside a group of mismatched companions. Bong co-wrote the screenplay with Jason Yu, the filmmaker behind the 2023 Korean horror feature Sleep, continuing his practice of collaborating with younger Korean writers established on Parasite, which he co-wrote with Han Jin Won.

The production draws on talent from 12 countries. Animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim brings credits from Toy Story 4 and Inside Out. Supervising producer David Lipman comes from the Shrek franchise. Production designer Marcin Jakubowski worked on Klaus. DNEG, the British VFX company behind Inception and Dune, is contributing the 3D animation work. Marco Beltrami, who composed Bong’s Snowpiercer, returns as the film’s composer. Werner Herzog is among the confirmed voice cast. Production company is Barunson C&C, with Seo Woo-sik producing in his third collaboration with Bong following Mother and Okja.

Financing is shared by CJ ENM, Penture Invest and Pathé. The French studio will distribute in France, Benelux, Switzerland and West Africa, and will handle international sales for all territories outside Japan, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan — markets that CJ and Penture will manage directly, alongside South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey and Indonesia. Remaining territories are expected to be a focal point at the Marché du Film in Cannes.

Bong began developing the project in 2019, inspired by marine biologist Claire Nouvian’s photo book The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss. He hand-drew the complete storyboard himself, as is his established practice, working on sequences in hotel rooms during the festival circuit and the press run for Mickey 17. He described the production process to Deadline as “a very wild and tough job.”

The move into animation extends a body of work already notable for its investment in non-human protagonists. Okja built its emotional core around a genetically engineered super-pig. Mickey 17 placed its sympathies with a cloned expendable. Ally continues that pattern, this time within the family film format — a commercially distinct territory from anything in Bong’s prior filmography.

Korean cinema’s international reach has expanded significantly since Parasite’s Academy Awards sweep in 2020. Ally represents a different kind of expansion: not prestige live-action drama but a globally co-produced animated feature built for theatrical family audiences. If the film performs, it will demonstrate that the Korean auteur brand can travel beyond the festival circuit into one of theatrical exhibition’s most durable markets.

Ally is scheduled to complete production in early 2027. A worldwide theatrical release is confirmed for later that year, with distribution now in place across the major markets.