Director Bong Joon-ho has showered praise on the homegrown animated film "Free Dogs".

A new remastering version of "Underdog," "Free Dogs" depicts the heartwarming journey of "Moongchi," an abandoned dog left on the streets overnight, as he teams up with friends carrying their own scars—such as "Jjang-a," an experienced veteran of the streets, and "Bami," a girl-crush stray dog who escaped a dog farm—to set out in search of true freedom.

Directors Oh Sung-yoon and Lee Chun-baek of "Leafie, a Hen into the Wild," which holds the record for drawing the largest audience in Korean animation history, have teamed up once again to showcase the unique potential of K-animation.

Heartfelt praise for the film from Director Bong Joon-ho is raising expectations among prospective audiences. Showing special affection from the original "Underdog" to this newly remastered work, Director Bong expressed a deep lingering emotion, saying, "It is moving even upon second watch." He added, "The unique color palette, different from other animations, is beautiful, and the story, blended into a Korean background, touches the heart," sending a deep message of respect and support to the two directors.

The "beautiful colors" and "Korean scenery" highlighted by the master are the fruit of the sweat and tears poured out over a long period by as many as 178 production staff members. A total of 145,440 frames were meticulously crafted one by one to achieve fluent visual success. In addition, adopting the unusual pre-recording and post-animation method in the domestic animation industry, the subtle breaths and perfect chemistry of star-studded actors such as Do Kyung-soo, Park So-dam, and Park Chul-min were seamlessly imbued into the characters.

"Free Dogs" is set to premiere exclusively at Lotte Cinema theaters nationwide on August 19.

 

(SBS Star News, Reporter Kim Ji-hye)