Pathé Closes Major International Sales for Bong Joon Ho’s Animated Feature ‘Ally’
Skwigly
Pathé have announced that it has concluded a string of major international sales for Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s highly anticipated animated feature Ally after recently launching the project at the Marché du Film in Cannes, underscoring strong global demand for the director’s first animated film
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As previously announced, the film was acquired by NEON (USA), reuniting with Bong Joon Ho following their landmark collaboration on Parasite, winner of four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, and the Palme d’Or at Cannes. The latest sales include I Wonder Pictures (Italy), Plaion (Germany), YouPlanet Pictures (Spain), Madman Entertainment (Australia & New Zealand), The Searchers (Benelux), Pathé Films AG (Switzerland), Monolith Films (Poland), Feelgood Entertainment (Greece), Cinemundo (Portugal), Nachshon Films (Israel), Blitz Film & Video Distribution (Former Yugoslavia), Arthouse Traffic (Ukraine), A-One Films (CIS), Kino Pavasaris Distribution (Baltics), Vertical Entertainment (Eastern Europe, excluding Poland and the Former Yugoslavia), Marhudar Entertainment (Middle East & India), Shinesaeng Ad.Venture (Thailand), 66CC (Taiwan), and Filmbridge Mongolia (Mongolia).
In parallel, Penture Invest has also closed deals for Japan (Bitters End), Hong Kong and Macau (Edko Films).
Directed by Bong Joon Ho and co-written alongside Jason Yu (Sleep), Ally marks Bong’s first foray into animation. The voice cast includes Alex Jayne Go, Emmy Award® winner Ayo Edebiri, Academy Award® nominee Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Finn Wolfhard, Rachel House and Academy Award® nominee Werner Herzog. The film also brings together leading creative talents from 12 countries, including animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim (Toy Story 4, Inside Out), supervising producer David Lipman (Shrek franchise), production designer Marcin Jakubowski (Klaus), and DNEG, the world-renowned studio behind Inception and Dune.
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. 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. Set against visually stunning underwater worlds and epic action sequences, the film is a family adventure blending humour and emotion.
The film is financed by CJ ENM, Penture Invest and Pathé, with production overseen by Barunson C&C and producer Seo Woo-sik. The film is currently in production and will be released theatrically worldwide in 2027. Ally is currently in production and will be released theatrically worldwide in 2027.
Pathé will handle distribution in France, Benelux, Switzerland and West Africa while CJ and Penture will distribute in South Korea, Vietnam, Turkey and Indonesia.