After years of quiet development, Bong Joon Ho has finally pulled back the curtain on his first animated feature. The Oscar-winning director has revealed key details about the project, including its title, story, and release plans, marking a major step forward for a film he has been shaping since 2019.
Titled Ally, the 3D animated feature is slated for completion in the first half of 2027, with a global theatrical rollout expected later that year. Bong co-wrote the screenplay with filmmaker Jason Yu, who previously directed the 2023 horror film Sleep and is considered one of Bong’s protégés. The collaboration echoes Bong’s earlier creative partnerships, including his work with Han Jin Won on the Oscar-winning Parasite.
The film’s story centres on a unique protagonist: a piglet squid named Ally. According to the official synopsis, “At the heart of the story lies Ally, 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 colourful and loyal, yet unlikely, companions, Ally is thrust into an extraordinary journey that will take her all the way to the surface.” The narrative blends spectacle with emotion, exploring themes of friendship, courage, and the impact of human encounters on deep-sea life.
Described by Bong as a long-cherished passion project, Ally draws inspiration in part from The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss. Staying true to his creative process, the director personally sketched the entire storyboard. He has previously called the production “a very wild and tough job,” noting that much of the work was done between international commitments tied to his film Mickey 17.
The ambitious production brings together a global team spanning 12 countries. Among them are animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim, known for work on Toy Story 4 and Inside Out; supervising producer David Lipman of Shrek fame; and production designer Marcin Jakubowski, whose credits include Klaus. Visual effects and animation are being handled by DNEG, the studio behind films like Inception and Dune.
Widely regarded as one of Bong’s most ambitious undertakings, Ally represents a significant shift into animation while continuing his genre-spanning storytelling tradition seen in films like Memories of Murder, The Host and Snowpiercer. Industry speculation has suggested the budget could reach $60 million, potentially making it the most expensive production in South Korean cinema history.