When the trailer first dropped and online users accused the film of using generative AI, director Isaiah Saxon came out to defend Ochi as a project as far removed from AI as possible. The effects were largely the result of painstakingly executed puppetry and animatronics, the settings often a combination of Romanian locations and matte paintings. The film makes you wonder "how did they do that?" only to mystify further when you truly learn the details put into the scenes.

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.

Reviews
"It’s a consistently impressive film to simply look at, especially the puppetry, which is expressive without worrying about perfection." –RogerEbert

"The mythic material supplies age-spanning movie magic that doesn’t just speak in the language of emotions. It sings." –Slant