Bong Joon Ho’s debut animated feature “Ally” has found a home.
Neon, which released Bong’s Oscar-winning thriller “Parasite,” has acquired North American rights to the film. This marks the sixth collaboration between Neon CEO Tom Quinn and the filmmaker.
“Ally” has been in development since 2019 and follows the title character, “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 — yet unlikely — companions, Ally is thrust into an extraordinary journey that will take her all the way to the surface. Inspired by remarkable real-life marine creatures, the film explores themes of friendship and courage, as encounters between humans and the creatures of the deep reshape both worlds,” according to the official synopsis.
The script for “Ally” was co-written by Bong and Jason Yu (whose “Sleep” Bong produced). Financing and distribution are handled by CJ ENM, Penture Invest, and Pathé, with Barunson C&C overseeing production. Seo Woo-sik serves as producer on the film, marking his third collaboration with Director Bong, following “Mother” and “Okja.”
According to the official release, the film will be completed in the first half of 2027. Neon will give the film a wide theatrical release in North America in the same year.
A true international production, the film brings together creative talents from 12 countries, including South Korea, with key contributors such as animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim (who worked on Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” and “Inside Out”), supervising producer David Lipman (from DreamWorks’ “Shrek” franchise) and production designer Marcin Jakubowski (Netflix’s “Klaus”).
DNEG, the visual effects and animation studio, will be the vendor studio, providing the high-end computer animation.
Neon’s Sarah Colvin, SVP Acquisitions, negotiated the deal with WME on behalf of the filmmakers.
Pathé will handle distribution in France, Benelux, Switzerland and West Africa while CJ and Penture will distribute in South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey and Indonesia. Pathé represents international sales excluding Japan, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, for which CJ and Penture are handling sales.
NEON already saw Bong win Best Picture and Best International Feature at the Academy Awards (along with Best Director and Best Original Screenplay); expect them to push “Ally” towards a Best Animated Feature trophy next.
