Movie Review: Orion and the Dark

Orion and the Dark is a heartwarming animated film that takes viewers on a magical journey through the imagination of a young boy named Orion. Directed by Emma Lindley, this movie beautifully captures the essence of childhood fears and how they can be overcome.

The story revolves around Orion, a curious and imaginative child who is afraid of the dark. The film cleverly personifies his fear as a character called "the Dark," who follows him everywhere he goes. As Orion embarks on an adventure to confront his fear, he discovers that the Dark is not as scary as he initially thought.

DreamWorks and Netflix’s “Orion and the Dark” does the Pixar Thing better than most recent Pixar movies. It so blatantly cribs from the Prime Pixar notebook of humanizing the impossible in films like “Inside Out” and “Toy Story” that it actually directly references the latter in its prologue. The good news is that it builds on a template instead of just shallowly copying it like so many other Pixar wannabes. This one hits familiar chords, to be sure, but it works because it blends writer Charlie Kaufman’s unique sense of storytelling with a heartfelt tale of a boy who just wants to feel safe in the world. With sharp character design, entertaining dialogue, and positive messaging, “Orion and the Dark” is an early-year Netflix original surprise.

Based on a picture book by Emma Yarlett, Orion and the Dark follows Orion (Jacob Tremblay), an anxious boy who’s nervous about everything. He’s scared of talking to his crush, he’s scared of haircuts, he’s scared of the bleak nothingness that awaits him after death. But most of all, he’s scared of the dark. One night, the personification of darkness (aptly called Dark, and played by Paul Walter Hauser) appears to him and swears he’ll help Orion get over his fear by introducing him to the other nighttime deities: Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett), Sleep (Natasia Demetriou), Insomnia (Nat Faxon), Quiet (Aparna Nancherla), and Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel).

Endlessly creative, full of alluring colors, and with a pace that grabs hold of viewers and doesn’t let go, Orion and the Dark is made up of dynamic characters that you never could have imagined. While it sometimes goes too far in its pursuit of being original, it’s too inventive and whimsical to ever come close to disappointing. 

Plus, its message encourages us to celebrate the beauty of the world and to stop seeing ourselves through the eyes of others, something that people of all ages should be reminded of. TV-Y7, 90 min. 

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Sarah H

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