Orion and the Dark, 2024.
Directed by Sean Charmatz.
Featuring the voice talents of Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Angela Bassett, Colin Hanks, Natasia Demetriou, Golda Rosheuvel, Nat Faxon, Aparna Nancherla, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gugino, Matt Dellapina, Nick Kishiyama, Mia Akemi Brown, Shannon Chan-Kent, Jack Fisher, and Werner Herzog.
SYNOPSIS:
Follows Orion, a young boy who is afraid of heights, pets, and rendered nearly catatonic by the worst of all perils: the dark. The Dark takes Orion on a nighttime trip to prove to the youngster that the only thing to fear is fear itself.
Even though Orion and the Dark is written by mindbending auteur Charlie Kaufman (who has dabbled in directing animation before, although it was much more adult-oriented fare with the brilliant Anomalisa), roughly the first third feels relatively safe and straightforward when it comes to interrogating the titular young boy Orion’s severe anxiety and extreme fear of the dark. Being released onto Netflix but produced by DreamWorks, at first, it’s the kind of good-natured, cutesy, and direct animated feature they might release, but that’s also not to say there is anything wrong with the first 30 minutes or so since all of this as well executed, humorous, and engaging with a terrific voiceover ensemble.
Over time, that script, alongside the direction from Sean Charmatz, reveals new layers, such as expanding on the narrative as a multi-generational tale involving Orion in the future (voiced by Colin Hanks) and with a young daughter. There is a story within the story here, and at one point, a character asks what happens next, except the storyteller is unsure about continuing on, considering the following chapter might be too complicated for someone younger, with our hero making some questionable choices. Through dialogue, Orion and the Dark bluntly makes the point that family-friendly stories shouldn’t be sanitized and that the best way to ensure a child will actually learn something is to allow darker, truthful elements. In some respects, the fact that this film is so willing to indirectly callout how lazy and unambitious mainstream animated figures have become alone is worth praise.
It’s also an intelligent, imaginative work that stands tall without such meta-commentary. Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) is an 11-year-old boy who lives with anxiety, worrying about anything and everything that could go wrong, from small embarrassing mistakes such as incorrectly pronouncing the answer to a question in school to larger problems like somehow flooding the school. He has his bullies, is shy to talk to girls he is interested in, and is deathly afraid of the dark to the point where he still climbs in bed with his parents if things get too scary. It’s also worth pointing out that many of these anxieties are visualized through clever, scratchy, beautifully animated drawings.
One night, Orion is visited by a cloaked, darkness entity simply known as The Dark (voiced by Paul Walter Hauser, who continues to prove that he can adapt and excel no matter what genre, role, or medium a filmmaker places him into) determined to show the boy that there is nothing to be afraid of. Additionally, The Dark wants to visually show off the benefits of darkness, such as how much more detail it allows on a bright movie theater screen.
Dark decides to take Orion on a 24-hour tour of his daily routine, convinced that his fear will disappear. While doing this, he also introduces the boy to other entities such as Insomnia (Nat Faxon) and Sweet Dreams (voiced by Angela Bassett), all of which have their roles in ensuring nightlife goes smoothly for the world’s people. A sequence diving into nightmares in unique and idiosyncratic ways is 100% Charlie Kaufman, as is the manner in which the greater narrative continues to pull itself back and reveal new layers.
The group is occasionally interrupted by Light (another entity, this one voiced by Ike Barinholtz), egotistical about the upsides of helping out society during the daytime. This also fuels some of The Dark’s insecurity regarding not being liked and feared even further, all as his teammates contemplate giving up the night shift to see what daylight is like, especially interested in how much more colorful things are. The script also makes no attempt to hide from younger viewers that this is also a story about how we see each other reflected in others and how our reactions and feelings often have direct consequences on the emotions of others.
There are also some wild, unexpectedly dark jokes to be appreciated here (far more than anyone will ever anticipate for a film rated Y7), such as some rather brutal and unethical means for Sleep (voiced by Natasia Demetriou) to force people to get some Zs. Orion and the Dark is an easily accessible story for younger viewers, with Sean Charmatz’s direction aware of how to implement the zany and profound Charlie Kaufman touches without overwhelming them.
Orion and the Dark has a perfect balance of family-friendly fun, inspired jokes, and a darker, more honest edge. Jacob Tremblay and Paul Walter Hauser are also excellent at selling the emotional beats of accepting one another and overcoming their individual fears and insecurities. It leaves something to be desired in terms of animation compared to recent visually stunning offerings, but more than makes up for that with vital substance for minds of all ages.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
