The Legend of Ochi

You can practically feel the meticulous textures of the team’s creations. But the journey itself largely slips through your fingers. No matter how you try to hold tight to its promise, it amounts to very little.

“Ochi” prompts one to think, “How did they do that?” only to be even more incredulous when realizing the techniques employed. That’s film sorcery.

It feels like a family film made by flesh-and-blood people in an era when computers are doing so much of the work.

It’s evident that The Legend of Ochi’s production values far exceed what might be expected from a reported $10 million budget, and demonstrate that Saxon can deliver a fully realized vision of a highly original concept.

Carpathia is a strange and enchanted place that I’m thrilled to have visited, but I hope the next world Saxon creates allows us to feel the land a little more deeply while we’re there, and gives us a little more to take back home with us when we leave.

Music-video director Isaiah Saxon’s feature debut sometimes wobbles when balancing its impish sense of humour with darker tone, but ultimately, the picture’s peculiarity becomes part of its charm -- as difficult to resist as that adorable titular critter.

This film is music video director Isiaiah Saxon's first feature, and it certainly won't be his last: What he has created here is pure, out-of-the-box imagination.

This felt like old school film making with a modern lens. There’s definitely a lot of inspiration here and homage being made to things we’ve seen from Amblin films or even studio ghibli, with vibes of labyrinth and the dark crystal meets Coraline.

Combines aspects of family films of the '80s with A24's arthouse aesthetic. The unique combination proves charming.

Saxon brings a keen visual eye to The Legend of Ochi. Even when Saxon’s film stumbles narratively or leaves character motivation occasionally wanting, the visuals are ready to elevate The Legend of Ochi into wonder and awe territory.