Orion and the Dark (Animation, Adventure) [Based on Book] (2024)
Director: Sean Charmatz
Writer: Charlie Kaufman, Lloyd Taylor, Brandon Sawyer, Emma Yarlett (Based on Book by)
Stars: Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Colin Hanks, Angela Bassett
An overly anxious 11-year-old ridden with irrational fears meets the embodiment of his greatest adversary—The Dark.
Based on a children's novel written by Emma Yarlett, "Orion and the Dark" provides an imaginative journey at night. It's the second film by Charmatz, who has previously worked on many films, such as the "Trolls" franchise, "Penguins of Madagascar" and even the long-running animated TV show "Spongebob Squarepants". It has been produced by DreamWorks Animation and Mikros Animation while being distributed by streaming platform Netflix.
While everyone is asleep and the sky turns to night, an assemblage of entities work their magic. With them, Orion (Charlie Kaufman), an eternally nervous child, is allowed to accompany The Dark "Paul Walter Hauser" in an effort to teach him that his presence is nothing to fear. An extensive journey, challenged by the presence of this boy, begins, and hopefully, this teaches him a bit about a lot—whether it's just a story or something more profound.
With ample experience within animation and storytelling, Charmatz and the writers behind the cinematic re-telling of this children's book provide a message about embracing your fears and accepting the impossible.
During a school day like any other, a young Orion finds himself meandering the playground, intimidated to approach his childhood crush. But that is far from the only thing terrifying to him, as his list of fears is like an encyclopaedia of despair. Even a gentle sleep is out of the picture as the darkness immobilises him, creeping ever-forward towards his bed. This is where an unlikely journey implores to be discovered, The Dark appearing as a wide-grinned entity to guide the following story and ease the anxious mind of our protagonist.
Within a trivial tale about fear, an endearing adventure takes a boy and his supernatural friend across the globe. Joining them are Sweet Dreams, Sleep, Quiet, Insomnia and Unexplained Noises, each an entity of its own. While the narrative yarn doesn't spin far—it does transfer pleasant twists and turns each contained with this brief tenure. The Dark's opposite, in The Light, could be described as the antagonist in any other film, undoing the work The Dark works hard for each night—instead, he's made the likely villain in a short span before re-emerging as the likeable ally. Stretching much further than just being about Orion and his fears, some charm is added, and some is taken away.
Much like The Dark itself, the film as a whole encroaches upon other successful animation properties, most notably Pixar's "Inside Out" with their depictions of the nighttime entities. In terms of a Netflix production, it does exceed a standard often felt; it's uncomplicated, with enough humour accessible for children and adults alike, while some depth would've been welcome.
Verdict
The Darkness makes way for The Light.
6,0
