Distributor and studio A24 is gearing up for a busy lineup at the theater in 2025 with upcoming movies such as “Death of Unicorn,” “Warfare,” “Friendship,” and “Materialists.” Another pic that is sure to get audiences exited is a new fantasy adventure, “The Legend of Ochi,” that boasts a cast that includes actors Helena Zengel (“News of The World”), Finn Wolfhard (“Stranger Things,” “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”), Emily Watson (“Dune: The Prophecy”), and Willem Dafoe (“Poor Things,” “Nosteratu”).
“The Legend of Ochi” harkens back to the era of mostly in-camera practical effects of the 1980s and 1990s in kid-friendly movies. A new video released by the studio focuses on how writer/director Isaiah Saxon accomplished this old-school way of world-building with modern techniques and teases what is in store when the visually eye-popping pic releases exclusively in theaters on April 25.
Pop culture adores cute creatures like Grogu (affectionately referred to as Baby Yoda) brought to life with puppetry and helped re-energize the “Star Wars” franchise in “The Mandalorian” (coming to the big screen next year). It’s hard to notice the similarities to the Mogwai from Joe Dante’s “Gremlins” and a little bit of the “Mack & Me” aliens (McDonald’s failed attempt at moviemaking) making it into the ochi design.
The Playlist reviewed the film back during the Sundance Film Festival earlier in the year, and you can read our thoughts on the fantasy flick right here.
An official logline for “The Legend of Ochi” via A24:
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.
You can watch that behind-the-scenes featurette below, and we’re excited to see what the general public will say about the film as
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://theplaylist.net/the-legend-of-ochi-first-look-new-video-a24-april-25-20250325/&media=https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/25112242/THE-LEGEND-OF-OCHI_FIRST-LOOK_A24_.jpg&description=A24 has released a new video focusing on the behind the scenes filming of 'The Legend of Ochi," which employs practical VFX and sets.){kind=link}