Bong Joon Ho is heading into uncharted waters, and this time it’s fully animated.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker has revealed the first look at Ally, his long-gestating animated feature that’s been in development since 2019.
Known for crafting sharp, genre-blending live-action films, Bong is now taking that storytelling style beneath the ocean surface for what sounds like a visually rich and emotionally driven family adventure.
At the center of Ally is a piglet squid with big dreams. Living deep in the South Pacific, Ally longs to reach the surface and somehow become part of a wildlife documentary.
That goal starts to feel possible when an aircraft crashes into the ocean, pulling her into a journey upward with a strange group of companions. The story leans into real marine biology for its creature designs, while mixing humor, action, and heartfelt moments as these deep-sea characters collide with the human world.
Bong co-wrote the script with Jason Yu, known for Sleep, and the project is being produced by Seo Woo-sik, marking his third collaboration with Bong after Mother and Okja.
The film is currently aiming to wrap in the first half of 2027, with a global theatrical release planned later that year.
The creative team behind the animation includes Animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim, who brings experience from Toy Story 4 and Inside Out, while supervising producer David Lipman comes from the Shrek franchise. DNEG, the VFX and animation studio behind Inception and Dune, is contributing the film’s 3D animation work.
For Bong, this marks a major shift after the global success of Parasite, which made history at the Academy Awards as the first film to win both Best Picture and International Feature, while also earning Bong Oscars for directing and original screenplay.
His filmography already spans everything from crime thrillers like Memories of Murder to sci-fi like Snowpiercer and his recent project Mickey 17, but Ally is a fresh creative lane for him. If his track record is anything to go by, this underwater journey could end up being something really fun.
