A24's The Legend Of Ochi delayed after director loses home in Altadena fire

Some gutting news for an adorable-looking new movie today. A24 is delaying the theatrical release of fantasy adventure The Legend Of Ochi after its director, Isaiah Saxon, lost his home in the California wildfires. The film will now begin its run on April 25; it was originally scheduled to open on February 28. It will still have its premiere at Sundance this Sunday, with Saxon and the cast—Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, and Willem Dafoe—in attendance.

Saxon, who lived in Altadena, posted his first devastating update on January 8. “we lost our home, our whole street, most of our town. ashes to ashes dust to dust,” he wrote. “altadena we love you forever.” The Southern California town is estimated to have lost over 9,000 structures (many of them homes) in the Eaton fire, which also claimed 17 lives. “altadena was the best place i’ve ever lived. an innocent and magical and above all else beautiful town. from another time. and its all gone,” Saxon wrote in a subsequent post, along with a video of the destruction. He’s also used his platform to share tributes to the victims and GoFundMe pages for businesses like the local hardware store, which he called “the living room of our town.” 

altadena was the best place i’ve ever lived. an innocent and magical and above all else beautiful town. from another time. and its all gone. pic.twitter.com/D1ilpNIGxC

— Isaiah Saxon (@isaiah_saxon_) January 9, 2025

Hopefully the first time feature director will be able to find some joy in his Sundance premiere, or at least the heartwarming tale he’s put together. The Legend Of Ochi tells the story of a young girl (Zengel) living in a remote village on the island of Carpathia (which boldly has medieval armor, cars, guns, and spears), who befriends an adorable baby creature called an Ochi that she’s been taught to fear her whole life. If you’re getting Baby Yoda vibes, you’re spot on. Check out the trailer below: