A24 Shifts ‘The Legend of Ochi’ Release Date After Its Director Lost His Home in the LA Fires

As Los Angeles continues to adapt to the disruptions posed by the devastating fires impacting the city, film release dates often feel like one of the least important topics imaginable. But releases must go on, albeit with occasionally altered circumstances.

Such is the case for “The Legend of Ochi,” Isaiah Saxon‘s highly anticipated feature directorial debut that is set to make its world premiere at Sundance this week. The A24 film was originally slated to open on Friday, February 28, but has been shifted to April 25 to accommodate Saxon after he lost his home in the fires.

Saxon, who confirmed the loss of his home in an NPR story, will still be attending the film’s Sundance premiere.

An official synopsis for “The Legend of Ochi” reads: 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.

“The Legend of Ochi” stars Finn Wolfhard, Helena Zengel, Willem Dafoe, and Emily Watson. The fantasy epic attracted early attention for its adorable eponymous mascot, which many were quick to compare to beloved characters like Grogu from “The Mandalorian” and the Gremlins. Saxon spent six years working on the film, making countless matte paintings by hand and overseeing puppetry and animatronics that some online cinephiles baselessly accused of being produced with generative AI.

“Six years of handmade work: puppets, animatronics, matte paintings, and a bit of 3D animation. No AI. There’s the statement,” Saxon wrote on X (formerly Twitter) when the controversy arose.

Anyone looking for ways to help victims of the Los Angeles fires can refer to IndieWire’s list of resources and organizations to support.

“The Legend of Ochi” opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, April 25. Watch the trailer below.