Neon has acquired North American distribution rights to Ally, Bong Joon Ho’s debut animated feature, reuniting the Oscar-winning director with the distributor that brought Parasite to American audiences seven years ago and made history with it.
The acquisition marks the sixth collaboration between Bong and Neon CEO Tom Quinn, and the first since Parasite became the first foreign-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020, also claiming prizes for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. The film is expected to complete production in the first half of 2027, with a worldwide theatrical release to follow.
Ally centers on a curious piglet squid of the same name, living in the uncharted depths of the South Pacific Ocean, who dreams of one day seeing the sun and starring in a wildlife documentary. When a mysterious aircraft sinks into the water, her peaceful world is thrown into chaos, and she must travel to the ocean’s surface alongside an unlikely group of companions. The studio describes it as a family adventure that blends humor and emotion, grounded in real marine creatures.
Bong co-wrote the script with Jason Yu, director of the 2023 Korean horror film Sleep — a film Bong himself produced. Producer Seo Woo-sik, CEO of Barunson Entertainment, joins in his third collaboration with Bong, following Mother and Okja. The creative team spans twelve countries: animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim worked on Pixar’s Toy Story 4 and Inside Out, supervising producer David Lipman comes from DreamWorks’ Shrek franchise, and production designer Marcin Jakubowski contributed to Netflix’s Klaus. DNEG, the visual effects studio behind Inception and Dune, is handling the 3D animation.
Marco Beltrami, who previously scored Snowpiercer, has been confirmed as the film’s composer. Korean industry sources have suggested the film’s budget could reach $60 million, which would make it the most expensive Korean production ever made.
Financing is shared among CJ ENM, Penture Invest, and Pathé. Pathé will handle distribution in France, Benelux, Switzerland, and West Africa, while CJ and Penture distribute across South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey, and Indonesia. The deal for North American rights was negotiated by Neon’s Sarah Colvin with WME on behalf of the filmmakers.
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Bong, speaking at the Marrakech Film Festival last year while serving as jury president, described the experience of making animation as “a very wild and tough job.” His most recent film, the Warner Bros. sci-fi satire Mickey 17, earned $133 million worldwide against a $118 million budget — a modest result that makes the reception of Ally all the more consequential for his next chapter.
