Orion and the Dark | Review
Orion and the Dark – Paul Walter Hauser as Dark and Jacob Tremblay as Orion. Cr: DreamWorks Animation © 2023
Charlie Kaufman’s work as an award-winning writer is celebrated and adored by critics and film enthusiasts alike, having written scripts for such films as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Being John Malkovich, and Synecdoche, New York. But he also wrote his first script for animation with a stop-motion feature film back in 2015, Anomalisa, which, like his other works, was geared towards a mature audience. Orion and the Dark may be his second script for an animated production, but it’s also his first one aimed exclusively at younger audiences and families.
Dreamworks’ animators attempt to bring out the most charm, humour, and colourful world of the night-time from Kaufman’s pages for everyone to enjoy at home. With a collaboration of talented individuals who’ve previously worked on multiple productions within the studio, including some shorts associated with the Trolls franchise, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, there are certainly plenty of experienced people to potentially create a fun journey for families to enjoy. But does this collaboration of talent create a film that can shine as bright as a star amongst Dreamworks’ best or does it get lost in the depths of darkness?
Orion and Dark – Cr: DreamWorks Animation © 2023
Adapted from the pages of Emma Yarlett’s 2014 picture book of the same name, Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) is a boy who suffers from a plethora of fears and anxious thoughts from his everyday life like bullies and talking to girls to imaginary ones like evil killer clowns. During one night-time, he comes face to face with the personification of his greatest fear of all, Dark (Paul Walter Hauser,) who is tired of so many people being scared of it. To shake him out of it and show him the wonders of darkness, they take Orion on a journey that they hope will make him more confident to confront those other scary thoughts and worries along the way.
The friendship between Orion and Dark throughout the film is an endearing and entertaining one to watch as the two grow closer to one another and develop conversations regarding their insecurities and openness towards their feelings. Despite having very different personalities, it’s enjoyable to watch the two onscreen and see how natural and mature their dialogue evolves throughout the film, which is refreshing for an animated family film to tackle openly. And both actors perform brilliantly to bring their characters to life which adds to their chemistry and their facial and body expressions.
As enjoyable as their chemistry is though, the story can lose focus at times, whether it’s because of the invented characters in the film or how the sub-plot eventually takes over, moving away from the focus on the leading protagonists and their journey of overcoming personal fears and anxieties. While the inclusion of the Night Entities (a group of beings who help to bring night-time to life) and Light (Dark’s chilled “nemesis” who brings sunshine) makes them visually interesting and have some great voice talent behind them, they are not as entertaining as the friendship between Orion and Dark and at times, they don’t contribute much to the overall story and theme as I would have liked. Although the direction of the story certainly takes some unexpected turns, it came off as too tangled by the final third of the film and did lose the themes and overall message it was trying to say.
Orion and the Dark – Angela Bassett as Dreams. Cr: DreamWorks Animation © 2023
However, while the story and its journey may stumble at times, the animation and the worlds are varied and great to watch. The character designers took amazing care and detail in the look of all the characters; whether human or non-human, that give way to their unique expressions and ways of moving. The look from the pages of the picture book has not only changed drastically but also allows the models to portray much more complicated emotions and fit into the comedic stylings of Dreamwork’s plethora of existing characters. From Orion’s skinny body and elongated limbs to Dark’s large and bulky muppet-like build, these two can perform and move in their unique ways while also being able to share similar emotions that shine through as their story of overcoming obstacles grows and blossoms.
With a journey around the world in one night, the production designers have created plenty of great locations that fit well within the greater story. The mixture of real locales in different time zones, the brightness and warm colours of the city lights, Orion’s night light-filled bedroom, and the dreams of other people offers variety and unique settings that not many films would attempt.
Orion and Dark – Cr: DreamWorks Animation © 2023
Its story may lose its footing on what it’s trying to tell to younger viewers on confronting fears and embracing who or what something is at times, but it is a fun and entertaining film for those with a Netflix subscription that they can enjoy on the sofa with a cosy blanket.
Orion and the Dark is available on Netflix UK from 2nd February 2024.