France opens the film on July 14, Korean investment comes from the Penture K-Content Fund and NEON handles U.S. distribution

Director Bong Joon-ho's animated feature Ally. <CJ ENM>

Ally, an animated feature directed by Bong Joon-ho, will open in Korean theaters in July 2027. Production company Barunson C&C announced the schedule on Oct. 9. France is the only overseas market with a confirmed date, July 14, and a theatrical release is also planned in the United States.

Barunson C&C oversaw the production, and crews from 12 countries including Korea, France and Britain worked on the film. The Korean investment came from the Penture K-Content Fund, which CJ ENM and Penture Invest operate jointly.

Jason Yu Co-Wrote the Script, With CJ ENM, Penture Invest and NEON Handling Distribution

The story begins in an undersea canyon where deep-sea creatures who long for the human world live together. The title character, Ally, is a piglet squid who dreams of seeing the sun with her own eyes and appearing on television. When an aircraft crashes into the sea, Ally and her friends are thrown into danger and set out on a journey toward the surface. Jason Yu (Yoo Jae-sun), who directed Sleep (2023), joined as co-writer.

The voice cast is made up of international actors. Finn Wolfhard, Bradley Cooper, Rachel House, Ayo Edebiri, Alex Jayne Go and Dave Bautista voice the characters. German director Werner Herzog also joined the voice cast.

Distribution is split by territory. CJ ENM and Penture Invest handle Korea, Vietnam, Türkiye and Indonesia. NEON distributes the film in the United States.

First Animated Feature After 'Parasite' and 'Mickey 17,' With Crew From 'Toy Story 4' and 'Klaus'

Ally is the first animated feature from Bong, who directed Parasite (2019) and Mickey 17 (2025). The production lineup was also announced. Animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim worked on Inside Out and Toy Story 4. Marcin Jakubowski of Klaus serves as production designer, and David Lipman, who worked on Shrek and Shrek 2, also joined. Visual effects are handled by DNEG, the studio behind the VFX for Inception and Dune.

Sources

• Kookmin Ilbo, "Bong Joon-ho Is Coming: First Animated Feature 'Ally' to Open Next July," 2026.10.09

• Yonhap News Agency, "Bong Joon-ho's New Animated Film 'Ally' to Open in Korea Next July," 2026.10.09

• Etoday, "Bong Joon-ho's First Animated Feature 'Ally' to Open in Korea in July 2027," 2026.10.12