Bong Joon Ho, the Academy Award-winning director of Parasite, has finalised the voice cast for his upcoming animated feature, Ally. The announcement, made on the opening day of the Cannes Film Market, reveals a high-profile lineup that includes Bradley Cooper, Ayo Edebiri, Dave Bautista, Finn Wolfhard, Rachel House, and the veteran German filmmaker Werner Herzog.
The film represents a major departure in format for Bong, marking his first foray into 3D animation. The project is a long-term passion piece that the director has been developing quietly since 2019. It has also secured a North American theatrical release for 2027 through the independent distributor Neon, reuniting the label with Bong for the first time since their historic Oscar campaign for Parasite.
The story of Ally takes place deep beneath the surface of the South Pacific Ocean. It follows a curious piglet squid, voiced by the newcomer Alex Jayne Go, who spends her days dreaming of seeing the sun and appearing in a nature documentary. Her quiet ecosystem is disrupted when a mysterious aircraft crashes into her habitat, forcing her to embark on a perilous journey to the ocean surface alongside a group of unlikely companions.
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While the film is aimed at families, it reportedly carries a budget of $60 million. If confirmed, this figure would make Ally the most expensive feature film ever produced in South Korea. The financial scale underscores the confidence that investors and international distributors have in Bong’s global appeal.
To achieve the dense, atmospheric visual style required for an underwater setting, Bong has assembled a technical team with extensive experience in Hollywood animation. The visual effects studio DNEG, known for its work on Inception and Dune, is managing the 3D animation.
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The creative team includes animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim, a veteran of Toy Story 4 and Inside Out, alongside the supervising producer David Lipman from the Shrek franchise. Bong co-wrote the script with Jason Yu, the filmmaker behind the recent South Korean horror feature Sleep, while his frequent collaborator Seo Woo-sik is on board to produce.
International Distribution Details
The project has already generated significant interest among global buyers in Cannes. The French media company Pathé is overseeing international sales and will handle direct theatrical distribution across France, Switzerland, Benelux, and West Africa.
Meanwhile, CJ ENM and Penture Invest will manage the film’s release in South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey, and Indonesia. With production expected to wrap up in the first half of 2027, the film is positioned to be one of the most anticipated cinematic releases of that year, proving that Bong’s name remains a major draw across multiple genres.
