Orion And The Dark is an animated feature film directed by Sean Charmatz in his feature film debut. It was made by Dreamworks Animation and released on Netflix after a brief theatrical run. It premiered at the TUDUM Theater in Los Angeles.

An adult Orion (Colin Hanks) is telling his daughter Hypatia (Mia Akemi Brown) about how as a child (Jacob Tremblay) had a lot of fears. One night as he is crying about the power going out, Dark (Paul Walter Hauser) appears and takes him on a journey through the night. He meets the “night crew” consisting of Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett), Sleep (Natasia Demetriou), Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel), Insomia (Nat Faxon), and Quiet (Aparna Nancherla). The kid Orion travels with them and starts to notice how wonderful the night is, even as they stay ahead of Light (Ike Barinholtz).

The film is based on the children’s book by Emma Yarlett. I have not read it, so I will not be comparing it to the movie.

As a movie, I think it is fantastic. The story about a father who wants to pass on his courage to his child, in this case, a daughter is a wonderful tale. I was surprised by how much it focused on family, but it did, and it pulled you into its adventure. It truly does a good job of relaying Orion’s quest to find his courage with the entity that seems to cause the most amount of fear in his heart.

Dreamworks had gotten into a little bit of a rut with their animation, but this one shakes them loose. The way Dark flows when he travels and how he is designed is spot on. That was true of the other entities as well. They were unique and worked well together. The humans were well-designed too and I enjoyed watching them work. Mikros Animation did a majority of the film’s development and they did a fantastic job with everything. It was definitely whimsical and that worked well for it.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the cast. Jacob Tremblay did a fantastic job as the young Orion. You definitely feel his emotions and how he is connecting everything to his frightened state of mind. Likewise, Paul Walter Hauser was amazing as the Dark. He nailed every beat and truly endeared you to the character. The rest of the cast does amazing as well with how their story is told.

Bottom line, Orion In The Dark is a fantastic family film that will pull you into its generational tale and its whimsical animation.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Frightening images

FAVORITE QUOTE: We always want to know the ending because it makes things less scary in the middle parts. But maybe being scared is just a part of life. I think you just need to feel the fear.

Check out the trailer below:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my reviews of The Boy And The Heron and Leo. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

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