Into the Unknown

The Legend of Ochi is now in theaters. The movie begins in a small village on a remote island. People there have been raised in fear of a species of creatures called the ochi. A girl, Yuri, finds a wounded baby ochi. She decides to take it back to its family.

The filmmakers used puppets to portray the baby ochi. Sixteen-year-old Helena Zengel, who plays Yuri, says this made scenes challenging but interesting to film. “The ochi had around six puppeteers, so it was a lot of people involved on one character,” she told TIME for Kids. “That meant that the scene had to be done over and over again,” to get it just right.

Director Isaiah Saxon (inset) says the movie is about how people fear what they don’t understand. The Legend of Ochi promotes “curiosity for the unknown,” he told TFK. “Having an open mind allows you to perceive the world more accurately.”