Dannyka Manangan

‘Saving Sally’: The Filipino film that took 10 years to make is now available on YouTube

Article (news)

Alyana De Guzman

Push Team

<p>After almost a decade since its official release, <em>Saving Sally</em> is finally available to watch for free on YouTube.  </p><p>Director Avid Liongoren shared the excitement of this milestone on Instagram: “<em>Saving Sally</em> is now free on Youtube,” he began.  “This film took our team 12 youth sucking years to make. It had a theatrical run in the Philippines back in 2016 then did international festivals in 2017. Distribution is a tricky thing to manage &amp; it was on Netflix for 5 years but only in selected areas. We are glad that it is now free to be seen by anyone &amp; anywhere. &lt;3” </p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-12" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQv7dEGgREX/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A12%2C%22os%22%3A4141503.3%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="510" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-12" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>The movie follows Marty, an aspiring comic-book artist who’s secretly in love with his best friend, Sally, a brilliant gadget inventor. But love is never simple. Sally has monsters for parents and a very unusual boyfriend, while Marty spends most of his time daydreaming heroic adventures he never actually takes. The film blends humor, imagination, and the awkwardness of first love into a visually stunning comic book world. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/8/18/creative-space-a-day-in-the-life-of-filmmaker-avid-liongoren-1457"><strong>READ: Creative Space: A day in the life of filmmaker Avid Liongoren</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>The journey to this release was far from easy. <em>Saving Sally</em> is not just a groundbreaking Filipino animation that blends live-action and animation in a way never seen before, it also represents a historic milestone, taking over 10 years to complete since its initial filming in 2005. </p><p>It first began shooting in 2005 under director Avid Liongoren, with writers Charlene Sawit-Esguerra and Carlo Ledesma. Early production ran into financial and technical hurdles that stalled progress. Over the next ten years, the team faced countless challenges: they had to switch the lead actress, reinvest any extra money they earned from other projects back into the film, and put off major life plans like buying a house or starting a business, to keep the project alive.  </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/2017/1/2/fresh-scoops/rhian-ramos-thanks-fans-for-supporting-her-movie-s-52278"><strong>READ: Rhian Ramos thanks fans for supporting her movie Saving Sally</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>The breakthrough came when French film producer Alain de la Mata, impressed by Liongoren’s dedication, decided to step in and support the production. Years later, the team returned with a fresh vision that transformed the film into a one-of-a-kind hybrid of live-action and animation.  </p><p>By then, the film’s original Sally, Anna Larrucea, was no longer available, leaving the team with the task of finding a new partner for the lead character. After a long audition process, Rhian Ramos was cast as the new female lead, bringing fresh energy to the reimagined film. </p><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="681" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l3SMrKML5Zo" title="Saving Sally  (2016) Full Movie | Rhian Ramos, Enzo Marcos, TJ Trinidad, Rocketsheep Studio" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>After more than ten years, the film finally had its Philippine theatrical release at the Metro Manila Film Festival in 2016, followed by international screenings in 2017. It also spent several years on Netflix but only in select regions, so this YouTube release makes the film fully accessible to viewers worldwide. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/6/25/bobby-pontillas-returns-to-his-roots-to-tell-filipino-stories-through-animation-2321"><strong>READ: Bobby Pontillas returns to his roots to tell Filipino stories through animation</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>The film&#x27;s production company, Rocketsheep Studio, also released its behind-the-scenes that shows how the team turned their wild ideas into a fully realized world.  </p><p>“A long time ago when we were struggling to fund our fim, we did a crowd funding &amp; this e-art book was one of our rewards. This album shows the massive work that went into making this tiny little film,” their social media post read.  </p><div><br/></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.facebook.com%2FRocketsheepStudio%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02vqrtne9hoPaJpuMWr9DRjqoCzhYDwgpnDm8VY1YsjhyZT7StEY4UR9hqXpgQkeZl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="765" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>They also shared some of its deleted scenes and the film&#x27;s creation process on their official YouTube account.  </p><div><br/></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.facebook.com%2FRocketsheepStudio%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02J39HcY6VfpjM2rGmG2j2rKJ1bYooVFrxp9UmMouwxTKq7pA3zLghAJVLpewkWV5wl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="665" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/10/10/mmff-announces-final-four-entries-completes-2025-lineup-1638"><strong>READ: MMFF announces final four entries, completes 2025 lineup<br/></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>After its long-awaited release in 2016, <em>Saving Sally</em> earned multiple local and international recognition, including the MMFF Metro Manila Film Festival, Philippines: Children’s Choice Award and Best Musical Score, 40th GAWAD URIAN, Philippines: Best Production Design, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, USA: Special Jury Award, Audience Choice Award, Brussels International Fantastic Film Fest, Belgium: Jury Prize, among others.</p>

<p><i>Saving Sally, a</i> film that took over 10 years to make, is now finally available to watch for free on YouTube, sharing its unique mix of live-action and animation with audiences worldwide.</p>

Saving Sally, a film that took over 10 years to make, is now finally available to watch for free on YouTube, sharing its unique mix of live-action and animation with audiences worldwide.