The Legend of Ochi
| The Legend of Ochi | |
|---|---|
 Teaser poster | |
| Directed by | Isaiah Saxon |
| Written by | Isaiah Saxon |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Evan Prosofsky |
| Edited by | Paul Rogers |
| Music by | David Longstreth |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million |
The Legend of Ochi (/ˈoʊtʃi/) is a 2025 American fantasy adventure film written and directed by Isaiah Saxon in his feature film debut. The film stars Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, and Willem Dafoe. It is scheduled to be released by A24 on April 25, 2025.
Premise
[edit]In a remote northern village, a young girl, Yuri, is raised to never go outside after dark and to fear the reclusive forest creatures known as the ochi. When a baby ochi is left behind by its pack, she embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to reunite it with its family.
Cast
[edit]- Helena Zengel as Yuri
- Willem Dafoe as Maxim
- Finn Wolfhard as Petro
- Emily Watson as Dasha
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]On November 10, 2021, it was reported that Isaiah Saxon would write and direct The Legend of Ochi, a fantasy adventure film starring Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Finn Wolfhard, and Helena Zengel, with A24 fully financing and serving as worldwide distributor.[2][3]
Filming
[edit]Some scenes of the film were shot in Transylvania, in the Apuseni Mountains, at the Bâlea Lake and on the Transfăgărășan road. Principal photography started in Romania on November 1, 2021, and continued at the Castel Film Studios until December 15, 2021.[4][5]
Visual effects
[edit]The films makes use of puppetry, animatronics, computer animation and matte paintings. The titular creature was a puppet, operated by 7 performers.[6][7]
Release
[edit]The Legend of Ochi premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2025, and will be theatrically released in the United States on April 25, 2025.[8][9] It was previously scheduled to be released on February 28, 2025, but it was delayed in January 2025 after Saxon lost his home in the Southern California wildfires.[10]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 19 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[12]
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "The Legend of Ochi, the rare A24 family film, is a charming throwback to adventure movies of the '80s like The Neverending Story and The Dark Crystal, complete with original puppetry that reportedly contains not an ounce of CGI manipulation."[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "The Legend of Ochi (2024)". Moviefone. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (November 10, 2021). "A24 Greenlights Fantasy Epic 'The Legend Of Ochi' From Director Isaiah Saxon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Welk, Brian (November 10, 2021). "Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Finn Wolfhard to Star in Fantasy Epic 'The Legend of Ochi' for A24". The Wrap. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ FNE Staff (November 19, 2021). "The Legend of Ochi Shooting in Romania With Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson". www.filmneweurope.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ Fodor, Simona (November 16, 2021). "Scenes from fantasy adventure starring Willem Dafoe filmed in Romania". www.romania-insider.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Saxon, Isaiah. "this film took 6 years to make on $10m budget. i personally made 200+ matte paintings. i've been making handmade films that feel painted since 2005. along came AI, and now we have crusaders like you shitting on people who've dedicated their life to craft". X. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ Saxon, Isaiah. "those sheep are fully in camera. every shot of the baby ochi in the trailer is 100% animatronic puppet operated by 7 people live. no AI was used in this film". X. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 24, 2025). "Sundance A24 Movie 'The Legend Of Ochi' Pushed To April After Filmmaker Loses House In L.A. Fires". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
- ^ Schimkowitz, Matt. "The exciting original films of 2025: Soderbergh, Coogler, and Paul Thomas Anderson return". AV Club. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^ "The Legend of Ochi". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- ^ "The Legend of Ochi". Metacritic. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (January 27, 2025). "The Legend of Ochi". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
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