Director Bong Joon-ho's first feature animation, "ALLY," has confirmed its theatrical release in South Korea for July next year. In France, the release is scheduled for July 14 next year.

"ALLY" tells the story of deep-sea fish living in an underwater canyon who are curious about the human world.

Ally, a baby squid protagonist who wants to see the sun directly and dreams of appearing on television, and friends find themselves suddenly threatened when an unidentified aircraft crashes into the ocean. Swept up in an unexpected grand adventure and beginning a journey toward the world above the surface, "ALLY" is set to deliver fantastic visuals, thrilling action, delightful laughter, and warm emotion.

"ALLY" is Director Bong Joon-ho's first venture into feature animation and a global project involving top-tier production crews from 12 countries, including South Korea, France, and the United Kingdom. Director Jason Yu of "Sleep" participated as a co-writer, and the voice cast features world-class actors including Alex Jayne Go, Emmy Award winner Ayo Edebiri, Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Finn Wolfhard, and Rachel House, alongside Academy Award-nominated director Werner Herzog.

In addition, Kim Jae-hyung, who worked on "Toy Story 4" and "Inside Out," serves as animation supervisor, while Marcin Jakubowski, production designer for the Netflix animation "Klaus," serves as production designer. David Lipman, who participated in "Shrek" and "Shrek 2," also joined the production team. Furthermore, DNEG, a global studio that handled VFX for "Inception" and "Dune" and possesses world-class 3D animation know-how, participated to elevate the visual perfection of the work.

"ALLY" will continue its theatrical release worldwide alongside global partners representing each region. Investment and distribution in South Korea will be handled by CJ ENM and the Penture K-Content Fund operated by Penture Invest, with CJ ENM and Penture Invest managing distribution in South Korea as well as Vietnam, Turkey, and Indonesia.

France's major studio Pathé Films, one of the oldest film companies in the world, participated in the co-investment and distribution of "ALLY," taking charge of distribution in France, the Benelux region, Switzerland, and West Africa. In the United States, distribution will be handled by NEON, which has introduced global hit films to North America, including Director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite," as well as other Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winners and Academy Award Best Picture winners.

(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kim Ji-hye)