A24’s filmography has been predominantly geared toward more adult audiences (recent entries like MaXXXine, Babygirl and Heretic being prime examples), but its upcoming The Legend of Ochi looks like it may be trying to emulate classics like E.T., The Goonies, Paddington and others, ones that all members of the family can enjoy.
The Legend of Ochi hails from Isaiah Saxon, who is making his feature directing debut with the movie and also wrote the original screenplay. Add in some popular and well known actors and a creature that is sure to win over some people with its cuteness, and you have an enticing option among the slate of 2025 new movies.
Find out more about The Legend of Ochi, from when it’s releasing to its cast and the first official trailer for the movie right here.
The Legend of Ochi release date
The Legend of Ochi will premiere exclusively in US movie theaters on February 28, 2025; whether that will also be when the movie arrives for UK and other international audiences is TBD, but we'll update this post when we have that information.
The Legend of Ochi joins a slate of February 2025 movies that includes Marvel movie Captain America: Brave New World, Stephen King adaptation The Monkey and more.
The Legend of Ochi cast
Helena Zengel takes on the lead role of Yuri in The Legend of Ochi, the young girl that finds and befriends a baby ochi. This is Zengel’s second major Hollywood movie, following her starring role opposite Tom Hanks in the 2020 movie News of the World.
She’s being join by an impressive lineup of Hollywood veterans, including Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard (most recently seen in Saturday Night); Emily Watson, who is starring in the HBO series Dune: Prophecy; and the always busy Willem Dafoe, who starred in four 2024 movies, Kinds of Kindness, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Saturday Night and Nosferatu.
The Legend of Ochi plot
Here is the official synopsis for The Legend of Ochi from A24:
“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.”
The Legend of Ochi trailer
Check out the official trailer for The Legend of Ochi right here:
The Legend of Ochi | Official Trailer HD | A24 - YouTube
The Legend of Ochi behind the scenes
Isaiah Saxon may be making his feature directing debut with The Legend of Ochi, but he already has a reputation among the filmmaking community. His work in music videos and short films, particularly his 2008 Björk: Wanderlust music video when he was part of a duo known as Encyclopedia Pictura with Sean Hellfristch. He was named to Filmmaker’s Magazine 25 New Faces of Independent Film and was a Sundance Fellow in 2018.
Saxon is also a producer on the movie, but he has support from some big names in Hollywood, as the Russo brothers (Joe and Anthony Russo), famous for their role in MCU, are executive producers on The Legend of Ochi. Production company Neighborhood Watch is also involved in the movie, with Traci Carlson and Richard Pete as producers.
When the trailer was released, some online speculated that generative artificial intelligence was used to create the titular ochi creature. However, Saxon told
IndieWirethat no AI was used in the movie, that the ochi was created using animatronics. He also tried to stamp out any comparisons to The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda, saying he started writing and designing the movie in 2015, four years before The Mandalorian premiered.
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Michael Balderston
Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.
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