Bong Joon-ho opens up about animated film ‘Ally’ and pressure behind ‘Mickey 17’: 'Sh-t on me if you didn't like it'

South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho has opened up about the inspiration behind his upcoming animated feature ‘Ally’ and the emotional strain of directing the big-budget science-fiction film Mickey 17 during an interview at the Cannes Film Festival.

Bong Joon-ho on his upcoming animated film ‘Ally’

Speaking exclusively to Variety from the Gray D’Albion in Cannes, the director discussed the origins of ‘Ally’, his first animated feature, as well as the experience of working with a major Hollywood studio on ‘Mickey 17’.

Bong said the idea for ‘Ally’ emerged after reading ‘The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss’ by photographer Claire Nouvian. The book, which explores unusual marine life living in the ocean’s depths, sparked the filmmaker’s imagination and eventually developed into a larger story.

“I was inspired by the book ‘The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss’ by photographer Clarie Nouvian. Through these photographs, I noticed so many cool creatures. They’re mysterious, but at the same time already looks like they’re animation,” Bong said.

The director explained that one particular deep-sea creature became the foundation for the story. According to Bong, the animated feature imagines an underwater world where little changes from day to day until a yearly visit from a National Geographic submersible becomes a major event for the creatures living below.

“So just looking through this book, I noticed one particular fish that looked like it was quite conscious and aware of the camera, so I started creating a story about that character and the other creatures,” he said.

“They’re in the deep sea, it’s pitch black and nothing ever happens there, but once a year the Nat Geo submersible goes down and it’s the biggest event of the year — everyone really wants to be filmed. But then a disaster unfolds. There’s a bomb in the ocean, and it becomes an action movie where the creatures have to protect their world and their homeland.”

Although ‘Ally’ marks a significant stylistic shift for the director best known for films such as Parasite, Snowpiercer and Okja, Bong believes longtime audiences will still recognise his filmmaking style.

“I think at first they might be surprised that it’s an animation and they might find it quite refreshing. But once they actually see the film, they’ll be like, ‘Ok, Bong didn’t go anywhere.’ It’ll be quite familiar to them and they might be happy to see my signatures.”

Bong Joon-ho on ‘Mickey 17’

The filmmaker also reflected on the making of ‘Mickey 17’, his adaptation of Mickey7 starring Robert Pattinson. Bong described the project as his first experience working directly with a traditional Hollywood studio on a production exceeding $100 million in budget.

“So technically, Mickey 17 is my third English language film, but Okja was with Netflix, and Snowpiercer was with a Korean studio. So this, that really was my first time working with a classic old Hollywood studio,” he explained.

While Bong said the filmmaking process itself remained largely familiar, the scale of the production created intense pressure.

“But because it had quite a big budget — it was my first film that had a budget above $100 million — I felt a lot of psychological, mental pressure. So I think naturally I’m going to work on smaller films from now on.”

The director also addressed discussions surrounding studio involvement and editorial control over the final version of the film. Bong stressed that he retained creative authority throughout production and post-production.

“Director’s final cut was part of my contract and everyone at the studio and at my agency tried their best to protect me,” he said.

“Of course, during post production, there was lots of discussions and a lot of opinions going back and forth, but it wasn’t ever like someone was forcing something on me or giving me pressure.”

Bong concluded by taking full responsibility for the finished version of ‘Mickey 17’, adding: “And so luckily, all my films have been released as my director’s final cut, even a movie as big as ‘Mickey 17,’ and all the good parts of that film and all the bad parts of that film came from me. I take full responsibility. So s--t on me if you didn’t like it!”

The director’s comments arrive as anticipation continues to build around both ‘Ally’ and the international release of ‘Mickey 17’, which remains one of the most closely watched science-fiction projects associated with the Oscar-winning filmmaker.