Bong Joon Ho has finally revealed the title and first look of his animated debut, and it is called Ally. The film has been in development since 2019, but Bong kept quiet about it until now. It will be completed in the first half of 2027 for a worldwide theatrical release later that year. Bong co-wrote the screenplay with filmmaker Jason Yu, who directed the well-received Korean horror feature Sleep from 2023. The film reportedly has a budget of $60 million, making it the most expensive Korean film of all time.
Bong Joon Ho says making Ally has been “a very wild and tough job”
The film follows a curious and endearing 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 is suddenly thrown into danger. Alongside her colorful and loyal companions, Ally is thrust into an extraordinary journey that will take her all the way to the surface.
Bong described the production process as “a very wild and tough job,” working on it in hotel rooms between festival jury duties and press tours for Mickey 17.
The project was inspired in part by Claire Nouvian’s photo book The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss. Bong hand-drew the entire storyboard himself, as is his custom.
Werner Herzog will be part of the voice cast in the film.
The film brings together creative talents from 12 countries, including animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim from Toy Story 4 and Inside Out, supervising producer David Lipman from the Shrek franchise, and DNEG, the studio behind Inception and Dune, contributing high-end 3D animation.
Bong has also stated that once post-production on Ally wraps, he plans to follow it up with a horror-action film set in an underground subway in Seoul.
Ally is set to hit theaters worldwide in 2027.
