Korean animation Long Long Night to premiere at Toronto film festival

Korean animation studio The Contents On has announced that "Long Long Night" will premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in the Centrepiece section, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The film represents a significant milestone for Korean animation on the international circuit. It is the first Korean animation feature to screen at TIFF in 13 years, since director Yeon Sang-ho's "The Fake" was selected in 2013.

"Long Long Night" is the directorial debut of Youm Kyu-bock, a seasoned advertising producer with roughly two decades of industry experience and a published picture book to his name. The film adapts a children's novel written by Ru Ri that has sold more than 800,000 copies in South Korea. Beyond cinema, the source material has been adapted into a musical and pansori, Korea's traditional operatic form.

The story follows two unlikely companions on a journey across the world: the last remaining white rhinoceros on Earth and a baby penguin hatched from an abandoned egg. Their quest centres on finding the ocean. The narrative explores themes of connection and companionship between the pair as they navigate their voyage together.

This screening places "Long Long Night" among an increasingly visible slate of Korean animation projects gaining recognition at major international festivals. The film's selection to TIFF's Centrepiece section—a tier reserved for significant premieres—signals industry confidence in the project's cross-cultural appeal and artistic merit. A release date for South Korea has not yet been announced.