Dad who wept over daughter's book brings 'Long, Long Night' to Busan

Director Youm Kyu-bock brings Long Long Night to the Busan International Film Festival competition section. Based on Ru Ri’s bestselling children’s book, the film follows an aging white rhinoceros and a young penguin searching for the sea. The filmmakers added villains, chase and action scenes, humor, and narration by Suzy after early screenings found the 99-minute film too subdued for children. It is scheduled for release early next year.

Long Long Night is the only animated film among the 13 titles in the competition section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival.

Ru Ri’s 2021 children’s book has sold more than 800,000 copies and was also adapted into a musical and a pansori musical theater production in Korea.

Youm Kyu-bock spent 20 years directing commercials for brands including Samsung Electronics, BMW and Canon before making his feature-film debut.

The film was invited to the Centrepiece section of the Toronto International Film Festival, marking the first invitation of a Korean feature-length animated film to the festival in 13 years.

The winner of the Busan competition’s Busan Award Grand Prize will qualify for submission to the Academy Awards’ International Feature Film category.

Published Oct 10, 2026 11:20 am KST

A poster for "Long Long Night" / Courtesy of The Contents On

An animated film made by a father who burst into tears while reading his elementary school-aged daughter's book has been invited to the competition section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival.

“Long Long Night” is the only animated film among the 13 competition titles. Based on author Ru Ri's 2021 children's book of the same name, the film follows the journey of Norden, the last white rock rhinoceros on Earth, and a young penguin born from an abandoned egg.

The original book has sold more than 800,000 copies, becoming a megahit in children's literature and a rare children's story that has also won enthusiastic support from adults.

Director Youm Kyu-bock and producer Jung Kyoung-hee discussed the film's four-year journey to the screen at a press conference held Friday at the Busan Cinema Center in the city's Haeundae District.

Director Youm Kyu-bock, left, and producer Jung Kyoung-hee attend a press conference for the animated film "Long Long Night" at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae District, Busan, Friday. Yonhap

The project began with a book Youm's daughter brought home. Youm said he cried uncontrollably while reading "Long Long Night" to his daughter and became captivated by the friendship between the aging rhinoceros and the young penguin.

"I felt I had to make it into a film," Youm said.

"'Long Long Night' isn't a Hollywood-style story of salvation or a superhero movie," he said. "I was drawn to how small forces, which can be seen as metaphors for ordinary people around us who are suffering, come together to give one being tremendous momentum."

The cover of the children's book "Long Long Night" / Courtesy of Munhakdongne

"Long Long Night" has also been adapted into a musical and a "pansori" musical theater production in Korea. Turning it into a film, however, proved challenging.

"A 3D animated film based on a children's book was virtually unprecedented in Korea, so when we said we were making this film, no one believed us," Jung said. "The difficult parts were convincing people and having no references to work from."

The film closely follows the journey depicted in the original story. Norden and the young penguin rely on each other as they set out in search of the sea.

"I absolutely wanted to preserve the emotional arc of a protagonist who has suffered a tremendous loss but gives love to a smaller being, as well as the long nights they endure along the way," Youm said.

But an early version of the film, which sought to preserve as much of the original book's emotional tone as possible, was so subdued that children could hardly sit through its 99-minute running time.

The filmmakers consequently created African wild dogs as villains and added a chase sequence, along with a new action scene in which Norden and his companions find themselves in danger while surrounded by a herd of wildebeests. They also added humor involving farts and poop — subjects that tend to elicit immediate reactions from children — to make the animation enjoyable for audiences of all ages.

Singer and actor Suzy provides narration from the young penguin's perspective, adding another layer of familiarity to the film.

Commercial director's first feature after 20 years

A scene from "Long Long Night" / Courtesy of The Contents On

Youm invited his daughter, now in her second year of middle school, and her friends to his home to watch the film.

"When the movie ended, my daughter's friends came out of the room with their eyes completely swollen because they had cried so much," he said. "That was the most thrilling moment."

“Long Long Night” was also invited to the Centrepiece section of the Toronto International Film Festival last month. It marked the first time in 13 years that a Korean feature-length animated film had been invited to the festival, following director Yeon Sang-ho's “The Fake” in 2013.

Youm said the response from Korean students studying in Canada was particularly memorable.

"Students in their 20s came up to me after watching the film and showed me wads of tissues they had used to wipe away their tears," Youm said. "I think that will stay with me longer than any words of praise. I think the film offered some comfort to students who had felt lonely while living in an unfamiliar country."

Youm spent 20 years directing commercials before making his feature film debut. He directed advertisements for global brands including Samsung Electronics, BMW and Canon, and made his debut as a children's book author in 2017.

Youm said he "couldn't believe his ears" when he learned that “Long Long Night,” his first feature-length film, had been invited to the Busan festival's competition section because he had not expected it.

The winner of the competition's top honor, the Busan Award Grand Prize, will be announced at the closing ceremony Thursday. The winning film will qualify for submission to the Academy Awards' International Feature Film category.

“Long Long Night” is scheduled to hit theaters early next year.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

导演严奎福携《漫漫长夜》入围釜山国际电影节竞赛单元。影片改编自鲁莉的畅销儿童绘本，讲述了一头年迈的白犀牛和一只小企鹅寻找大海的故事。由于早期试映发现99分钟的片长对儿童来说过于沉闷，制作团队在影片中加入了反派角色、追逐和动作场面、幽默元素，并由秀智担任旁白。影片预计将于明年初上映。

在第31届釜山国际电影节竞赛单元的13部影片中，《漫漫长夜》是唯一一部动画电影。

Ru Ri 2021 年出版的儿童读物销量超过 80 万册，并在韩国被改编成音乐剧和盘索里音乐剧。

在执导首部故事片之前，严奎博曾为三星电子、宝马和佳能等品牌执导了 20 年的广告。

该片受邀参加多伦多国际电影节的中心单元，这是 13 年来韩国动画长片首次受邀参加该电影节。

釜山国际电影节釜山大奖的获得者将有资格角逐奥斯卡金像奖最佳国际影片奖。

发布于2026年10月10日上午11:20（韩国标准时间）

《漫漫长夜》海报 / 图片由 The Contents On 提供

一位父亲在给小学生女儿读书时泪流满面，他创作的动画电影入围了第31届釜山国际电影节的竞赛单元。

《漫漫长夜》是13部参赛作品中唯一的动画电影。该片改编自如日2021年出版的同名儿童绘本，讲述了地球上最后一只白色岩犀牛诺登和一只从废弃蛋中诞生的小企鹅的冒险故事。

原著销量超过 80 万册，成为儿童文学界的超级畅销书，也是一部罕见的既受儿童喜爱又受成年人热烈欢迎的儿童故事。

导演柳奎福和制片人郑京熙周五在釜山海云台区釜山电影中心举行的新闻发布会上，讨论了这部电影历时四年才最终搬上银幕的历程。

导演柳奎福（左）和制片人郑京熙周五在釜山海云台区的釜山电影中心出席动画电影《漫漫长夜》的新闻发布会。（韩联社）

这个项目始于尤姆的女儿带回家的一本书。尤姆说，他在给女儿读《漫漫长夜》时，泪流不止，被年迈的犀牛和年轻的企鹅之间的友谊深深吸引。

“我觉得我必须把它拍成电影，”尤姆说。

“《漫漫长夜》不是好莱坞式的救赎故事，也不是超级英雄电影，”他说。“我被影片中微小的力量所吸引，这些力量可以被视为我们身边正在遭受苦难的普通人的隐喻，它们汇聚在一起，赋予一个人巨大的力量。”

儿童绘本《漫漫长夜》封面 / 图片由 Munhakdongne 提供

《漫漫长夜》在韩国也被改编成音乐剧和盘索里音乐剧。然而，将其改编成电影却困难重重。

郑先生说：“根据儿童绘本改编的3D动画电影在韩国几乎是前所未有的，所以当我们说要拍这部电影时，没人相信。最难的是说服大家，以及没有任何参考资料可以借鉴。”

这部电影忠实地还原了原著故事中的旅程。诺登和小企鹅在寻找大海的旅途中互相依靠。

“我非常想保留主人公遭受巨大损失后仍然给予弱小生命爱的情感历程，以及他们一路走来所经历的漫漫长夜，”尤姆说道。

但该片的早期版本力求尽可能保留原著的情感基调，却过于平淡，以至于孩子们很难坐稳99分钟的片长。

因此，电影制作人员将非洲野狗设定为反派角色，并增加了一段追逐戏，以及一段新的动作场景：诺登和他的伙伴们被一群角马包围，身陷险境。他们还加入了一些与放屁和排泄物相关的幽默元素——这些话题往往会引起孩子们的强烈反应——以使这部动画片老少咸宜。

歌手兼演员秀智以小企鹅的视角进行旁白，为影片增添了另一层亲切感。

商业导演时隔20年执导的首部电影长片

《漫漫长夜》剧照 / 图片由 The Contents On 提供

Youm邀请他上初二的女儿和她的朋友们到他家观看这部电影。

“电影结束后，我女儿的朋友们从房间里出来，眼睛都哭肿了，”他说。“那是最激动人心的时刻。”

上个月，《漫漫长夜》也受邀参加了多伦多国际电影节的中心单元。这是继延尚昊导演的《假面》于2013年之后，13年来首次有韩国动画长片受邀参加该电影节。

Youm表示，在加拿大留学的韩国学生的反响尤其令人难忘。

“一些二十多岁的学生看完电影后走过来，给我看他们用来擦眼泪的厚厚一叠纸巾，”尤姆说。“我想，这比任何赞扬之词都更让我难忘。我认为这部电影给那些身处异国他乡感到孤独的学生带来了一些慰藉。”

尤姆在执导电影长片之前，从事广告导演工作已有20年。他曾为三星电子、宝马和佳能等全球品牌执导广告，并于2017年首次担任儿童读物作家。

尤姆表示，当他得知自己的第一部长片《漫漫长夜》入围釜山电影节竞赛单元时，他“简直不敢相信自己的耳朵”，因为他对此毫无预料。

釜山电影节最高荣誉——釜山电影节大奖的得主将于周四的闭幕式上公布。获奖影片将有资格角逐奥斯卡金像奖最佳国际影片奖。

《漫漫长夜》预计将于明年初上映。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。