The trailer for “The Legend of Ochi'', a new work released by A24, whose “Civil War: America's Last Days'' is also a big hit in Japan, is becoming a hot topic. A girl born and raised in a village goes on an emotional adventure with adorable creatures.
The setting is a village in the northern part of a small isolated island floating in the Black Sea. In addition to bears and wolves, this natural area is said to be a dangerous place where even more terrifying creatures lurk. The boys and girls of the village are forced to participate in a survival program at the request of their parents, and through this program Yuri, the main character, will also come face to face with terrifying creatures called “Ochi”.
However, the girl Yuri meets a small child. It's an adorable creature reminiscent of Groogoo from “Gremlins'' and “The Mandalorian.'' The girl goes on a secret journey to bring this creature back to her family, but the adults in the village mistakenly believe that Ochi has kidnapped it and dispatch a rescue team. While escaping from her pursuers, the girl develops a bond with Ochi that goes beyond race…so it seems like there are some similarities with ET.
Starring Helena Zengel, who was born in 2008, as well as Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard and Emily Watson. Willem Dafoe from “The Lighthouse” (2019) plays Maxim, who chases the girl. Anthony and Joe Russo, directors of the Avengers series, are also executive producers. The film is directed and written by Isaiah Saxon, who makes this his first feature film. She comes from a music video background and has worked on works by artists such as Björk.
Furthermore, when this trailer was released, there were rumors on social media that AI might be used, but director Saxon denied this on X. Baby Punchline is 100% animatronic and performed by seven puppeteers. Also, when it was pointed out that the design was similar to Groogoo from “The Mandalorian,'' he replied, “I started writing and designing in 2015, and I have never seen “The Mandalorian.'' are.
“The Legend of Ochi” will be released in the US on February 28, 2025. I also want to wait for news of its release in Japan.
Source:A24,IndieWire