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Many people like to throw around the phrase “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore” when it comes to movies, but there would be no more apt description for Isaiah Saxon’sThe Legend of Ochi. Although its story is a bit thin,The Legend of Ochiis one of the most visually stunning family films in years.
The Legend of OchiReview
The Legend of Ochifollows a shy girl who rebels against her father’s wishes to help save a wounded baby of a mysterious species of animal that she has been trained her whole life to fear. It’s an old-school adventure in the vein of movies likeE.T.andThe Goonies. In many ways, it feels like a relic of the past, but with a refreshingly distinct artistic and visual style from Saxon.
The hallmark of this genre of family films is that they use relatively simple stories as a way to explore more mature, emotional storytelling. Unfortunately,The Legend of Ochiisn’t fully there when it comes to diving into its themes of family. Saxon’s script sets up many parallels when it comes to the concept of chosen family, but these threads never tie together in a way that feels as emotionally rich as the movie needed to truly resonate.
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Ultimately, this disjointedness ends up being the Achilles heel ofThe Legend of Ochi. The protagonist’s journey follows the formula pretty closely, and it struggles to find the flow between its more exciting moments. Because of this, the film feels like it drags — even with a brief runtime of just 96 minutes.
The movie is much more effective as an environmentalist fable, reminding audiences of the need to live in better harmony with nature. It’s not a particularly subtle or original message, but it is one that will connect with today’s young audiences much in the way that movies about the connection that forms between a child and their animal have for decades.
In the lead role is young actress Helena Zengel (News of the World), who is very charming and likable here. Many of her scenes are with a puppet co-star, not a human, which makes the role even more challenging. Yet, she stands up to the challenge, selling each scene with an undeniable authenticity and a commanding screen presence.
Zengel is surrounded by a recognizable supporting cast that includesEmily Watson(Dune: Prophecy), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man). However, none of their roles are particularly interesting. The only actor whose character really has an arc is Dafoe, but it is conventional. That being said, all three — Dafoe, in particular — do each get a few scenes that resonate emotionally.
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Ultimately, the main reason to seeThe Legend of Ochiis its technical strength, starting with the puppet, animatronic, and costuming work that brings these fictional creatures to life. The amount of love and care that went into crafting the film is evident in every frame, and it contributes to the feeling of immersion that audiences will feel while watching the movie. And the amount of emotion that Saxon gets out of the creature through the puppeteering and sound design is frankly awe-inspiring.
Beyond the creature design,The Legend of Ochiis just a beautiful film to behold. The use of hand-painted backgrounds creates a dreamy, whimsical landscape for the movie to exist in. The cinematography and production design layer on top of that in an incredible way, as does the score by David Longstreth, which has a perfectly adventurous quality to it.
IsThe Legend of Ochiworth watching?
The story ofThe Legend of Ochimay be a bit by-the-book, but Isaiah Saxon’s visual style is so unique and gorgeous that this adventure still stands out as a worthy homage to family classics. Although it took many years for this one to come to fruition, Saxon’s debut was well worth the time and effort that went into making it, and hopefully, we can look forward to seeing another hand-crafted film in a few more years.
The Legend of Ochiis screening at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 22-February 2 in Park City and Salt Lake City, UT, and January 30-February 2 online.
The Legend of Ochi Sundance Review — Gorgeous Visuals Carry Lush Family Adventure
Sean Boelman
Managing Editor for Film and TV
Articles Published :441
Sean is the Managing Editor for Film and Television, working to determine editorial strategy for the critics team. He has been on the FandomWire team since 2022.In addition to writing reviews himself, Sean helps match writers on the FandomWire team with assignments that best fit their interests and expertise.
