Going practical in "The Legend of Ochi" was important to director Isaiah Saxon — and it turned out that was true for A24, too. Saxon was asked about the benefits of leaning into puppetry in his upcoming film about a girl who befriends an alien species called an Ochi rather than creating them through VFX.

A24 has delayed the release date of 'The Legend of Ochi' due to the impact of the LA fires on director Isaiah Saxton.

A child befriending a creature everyone else thinks is too dangerous to befriend is the backbone of many memorable coming-of-age stories, from Free Willy and The Black Stallion to E.T. and How to Train Your Dragon. It’s the ultimate fantasy for young people: just getting a strange, misunderstood, unique creature in a way no one else can.

Willem Dafoe, Finn Wolfhard and Helena Zengel star in Isaiah Saxon's Sundance premiere about a young girl who encounters a fascinating new species.