Director Bong Joon-ho’s first full-length animated film was a hit with overseas buyers, earning him a multiple contract with Pathé.
Released at the Marché du Film, Ally was acquired by Neon for the US ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, reuniting the Oscar-winning director and the distributor following their highly successful collaboration on Parasite, which won the Palme d’Or and four Academy Awards.
Recent sales for this picture include I Wonder Pictures (Italy), Plaion (Germany), YouPlanet Pictures (Spain), Madman Entertainment (Australia and New Zealand), The Searchers (Benelux), Pathé Films AG (Switzerland), Monolith Films (Poland), Feelgood Entertainment (Greece), Cinemanundo (Portugal) and Nachshon Films. (Israel), Blitz Film & Video Distribution (former Yugoslavia), Arthouse Traffic (Ukraine), A-One Films (CIS), Kino Pavasaris Distribution (Baltic States), Vertical Entertainment (Eastern Europe, excluding Poland and former Yugoslavia), Marhudar Entertainment (Middle East and India), Shinesaeng Ad.Venture (Thailand), 66CC (Taiwan), Filmbridge Mongolia (Mongolia).
Meanwhile, Pencher Invest has also completed deals in Japan (Bitters End), Hong Kong and Macau (Edco Films).
Set in the uncharted depths of the South Pacific, “Allie” revolves around a curious and adorable little squid who dreams of one day seeing the sun and becoming the star of a wildlife documentary. However, her peaceful world is suddenly put in jeopardy when a mysterious plane sinks into the ocean. Ally, along with her colorful, loyal, and unlikely companions, is sent on an extraordinary journey that will take her to the surface.
The film boasts an A-list lineup of English voice cast, including stars such as Ayo Edebiri, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Finn Wolfhard, Rachel House, and Werner Herzog. Ally is voiced by Alex Jayne Go.
Ally also brings together top creative talent from 12 countries, including animation director Jaehyun Kim (Toy Story 4, Inside Head), supervising producer David Lipman (Shrek), production designer Marcin Jakubowski (Klaus), and DNEG, the VFX studio behind Inception and Dune.
The film is financed by CJ ENM, Penture Invest and Pathé, and produced and directed by Barunson C&C and producer Seo Woo-sik. It is currently in production and is scheduled to be released in theaters worldwide in 2027.
Pathé will be responsible for distribution in France, Benelux, Switzerland and West Africa, while CJ and Pencher will be responsible for distribution in South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey and Indonesia.
