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Ally (film)

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Ally
Hangul
앨리
RRAelli
MRAelli
Directed byBong Joon Ho
Written by
  • Bong Joon Ho
  • Jason Yu
Story byBong Joon Ho
Produced by
  • Bong Joon Ho
  • Seo Woo-sik
Starring
CinematographyHong Kyung-pyo
Edited byYang Jin-mo
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
companies
Barunson C&C
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • 2027 (2027)
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageEnglish

Ally (Korean: 앨리) is an upcoming English-language South Korean animated adventure comedy-drama film directed and produced by Bong Joon Ho (in his animated feature debut), a screenplay co-written with Jason Yu. The film was inspired by real-life marine creatures, explores themes of friendship and courage as encounters between humans and the creatures of the deep reshape both worlds.[1]

The film features Alex Jayne Go as the titular character, alongside Ayo Edebiri, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Finn Wolfhard, Rachel House, and Werner Herzog as supporting roles. The film is set to be released in 2027.

Premise

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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 colorful and loyal — yet unlikely — companions, Ally is thrust into an extraordinary journey that will take her all the way to the surface.[2]

Voice cast

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Production

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Director Bong Joon Ho in 2025

Bong Joon Ho's first experience producing animation came when he made a stop-motion animated short film, Looking For Paradise, during his university days with the Yellow Door film club as explored in the documentary film Yellow Door: '90s Lo-fi Film Club.[5] Bong, after having previously made all live-action films, had since expressed a desire to revisit animation, making this project a meaningful return to the medium.[6]

The film was announced in 2018, after the completion of Bong's critically-acclaimed film Parasite.[7] Bong and Jason Yu began co-writing the screenplay this year and completed it in early 2021. Seo Woo-sik, producer of Bong's Mother and Okja, stated Bong sketched storyboards for the animation process in his hotel room. Inspired by Claire Nouvian's novel The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss, Bong describes the film as exploring the connection between deep-sea creatures and humans.[6] Werner Herzog will be part of the voice cast in the film.[8] Alex Jayne Go, Ayo Edebiri, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Finn Wolfhard, and Rachel House were also announced in May 2026.[9]

In an Arena Homme + interview on March 20, 2025, Bong said that The Valley (더 밸리) was the film's working title.[10] In April 2026, Deadline Hollywood reported the film would be titled Ally, featuring a piglet squid named "Ally" as the main character.[1]

Animation

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The film will be handled by DNEG.[1]

Music

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Marco Beltrami was announced as the film's composer in April 2026, after previously working with Bong on Snowpiercer (2013).[11]

Release

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The film is set for a 2027 international release.[10] Pathé will directly distribute in France, the Benelux, Switzerland and West Africa and handle international rights outside China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey and Indonesia, where CJ Entertainment and Penture will handle rights.[1] In April 2026, Neon, which previously distributed Bong's 2019 film Parasite, acquired North American distribution rights to Ally.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Goodfellow, Melanie (April 2, 2026). "Bong Joon Ho Shows First Look For Animated Film About Deep-Sea Piglet". Deadline. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  2. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (April 3, 2026). "Ally: First Look at Bong Joon Ho's First Animated Film". IGN. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
  3. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (May 11, 2026). "Bong Joon Ho's Animated 'Ally' Sets Voice Cast With Bradley Cooper, Ayo Edebiri, Werner Herzog". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  4. ^ Rosser, Michael (May 12, 2026). "Bong Joon Ho's 'Ally' reveals voice cast with Alex Jayne Go, Bradley Cooper, Werner Herzog". Screen International. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  5. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (October 16, 2023). "Director of Netflix's 'Yellow Door' Doc Talks Bong Joon-ho's Early Days, Evolution of Korean Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Choi, Jimin (December 9, 2024). "Bong Joon Ho's animated feature is "halfway done" (reports)". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  7. ^ Jeon, Hyung-hwa (May 13, 2021). [단독] 봉준호 감독, '기생충' 이후 韓작품은 CG애니메이션 [종합] [[Exclusive] Director Bong Joon Ho's next Korean project after Parasite is a CG animation [Comprehensive]]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  8. ^ "Werner Herzog Joins Voice Cast for Bong Joon-ho's Animated Feature". Animation Magazine. April 15, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  9. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (May 12, 2026). "Ayo Adebiri, Bradley Cooper, Werner Herzog Join Bong Joon Ho's Ally". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  10. ^ a b Yoo, Jung-min (March 20, 2025). '미키 17' 봉준호 "미키, 뒷골목·밑바닥 출신으로 만들고 싶었다" [화보] [Mickey 17 Bong Joon-ho: "I wanted to make Mickey someone from the back alleys, someone from the bottom" [Pictorial]]. iMBC (in Korean). Retrieved April 2, 2026. 또한 봉준호 감독 최초의 장편 애니메이션으로 알려져 있는, 심해 소재 애니메이션에 대해서는 "가제는 정했어요. '더 밸리 The Valley'예요. 이제 대부분의 서류상에서는 이 제목으로 소통되고 있어요" 라고 처음으로 입을 열었다. [Additionally, regarding his deep-sea themed project—known to be his first feature-length animated film—he spoke up for the first time, stating: "We've decided on a working title. It's The Valley. Most of our paperwork and communication is now using this title."]
  11. ^ "Marco Beltrami Scoring Bong Joon Ho's 'Ally'". Film Music Reporter. April 2, 2026. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  12. ^ Grobar, Matt (April 28, 2026). "Bong Joon Ho Reuniting With 'Parasite' Distributor Neon On Debut Animated Feature 'Ally'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
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