Director Bong Joon-ho has released his debut feature-length animated film “Allie” for the first time. The project has been in development since 2019 for director Bong Joon-ho, and marks an important new creative direction after a career built on films in the live-action genre.
Bong co-wrote the script with Jason Yu (Sleep) and produced by Barunson C&C. CJ ENM, Penture Invest, and Pathé jointly invested in and are selling the product. This is Seo Woo-sik’s third collaboration with director Bong to produce, following “Mother” and “Okja.” The film is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027 and released in theaters worldwide in the same year.
The story centers on a little squid named Allie, who lives in the little-explored depths of the South Pacific Ocean and has ambitions of one day reaching the surface and appearing in wildlife documentaries. When her plane crashes into the ocean, her world changes forever and she embarks on an unexpected journey into the sky with a group of mismatched friends. Drawing on real-world marine biology in its creature design, the film explores themes of courage and connection, with deep-sea characters’ encounters with the human world driving the story. The picture is envisioned as a family-friendly adventure that combines large-scale underwater action with humor and emotional storytelling.
This production brings together talent from 12 countries. Animation director Jaehyun Kim has previously worked on “Toy Story 4” and “Inside Head,” director-producer David Lippman is a former director of the “Shrek” series, and production designer Marcin Jakubowski worked on “Klaus.” VFX and animation company DNEG, whose credits include “Inception” and “Dune,” contributes to 3D animation productions.
Bong is best known internationally for Parasite (2019), which made history as the first film to win both Best Picture and Best International Feature at the Academy Awards, as well as the Bong Trophy for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. It was the first Korean film to win an Oscar. His extensive filmography includes “Snowpiercer,” “Memories of Murder,” “Mother,” and most recently, “Mickey 17.”
Pathé will release “Ally” theatrically in France, the Benelux countries, Switzerland, and West Africa, and will also be responsible for overseas sales outside of Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. CJ ENM and Penture Invest will manage distribution in South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey and Indonesia, and will oversee sales in excluded Asian regions.
