Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho is known for dark science-fiction stories, twisted monster movies, and dystopian visions of the future.

So his next project is a bit unexpected: A cute-looking animated movie??

First announced several years ago, Bong revealed the official title, synopsis, and first look for his animated film, which is called Ally. (The image above is the first publicity photo for the movie.)

Via The Hollywood Reporter, here is the film’s official plot synopsis:

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 humor and emotion.

That doesn’t necessarily sound like the sort of movie I would expect from the director of Snowpiercer and Mickey 17, but hey, the guy is one of the best living filmmakers. He should do whatever he wants!

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Bong first announced an animated project about “deep sea creatures” back in the spring of 2021. At that time it was revealed that the project had been in development since 2018 — meaning Bong will have been working on his debut animated feature for nearly a decade by the time it finally reaches theaters some time in 2027.

Previously, critics have pointed to a potential parallel between this project and The Host, another Bong film about family and underwater creatures. Of course, this one is an adorable animated movie about a squid that wants to be in documentaries, and The Host was about a family torn asunder by a brutal monster created by human pollution. But otherwise they’re basically the same thing.