DreamWorks Animation has accrued an eclectic group of talent for their latest film, Orion and the Dark. The fantasy adventure film is written by Charlie Kaufman and based on the novel by Emma Yarlett. This marks Kaufman’s second involvement with an animated movie, his first being Anomalisa. The film even got Werner Herzog to voice the narrator. It’s evident that passion went into the film’s making, with one of the stars, Paul Walter Hauser, sharing this statement.
“This film is great for all ages because so many different dynamics are represented. You have your introverts and your extroverts coming together. You have the child’s point of view and the parents’. I’m a father, I watch movies with my sons all the time, and I’m always looking for movies that are elevated like this. I think parents will see themselves reflected as much as the kids.”
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What is Orion and the Dark About
Orion seems a lot like your average elementary school kid –– shy, unassuming, harboring a secret crush. But underneath his seemingly normal exterior, Orion is a ball of adolescent anxiety, completely consumed by irrational fears of bees, dogs, the ocean, cell phone waves, murderous gutter clowns, even falling off a cliff. But of all his fears, the thing he’s the most afraid of is what he confronts on a nightly basis: the dark.
So when the literal embodiment of his worst fear pays a visit, Dark whisks Orion away on a roller coaster ride around the world to prove there is nothing to be afraid of in the night. As the unlikely pair grow closer, Orion must decide if he can learn to accept the unknown –– to stop letting fear control his life and finally embrace the joy of living.
Cast & Crew
- Jacob Tremblay (Harley Quinn)
- Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird)
- Angela Bassett
- Colin Hanks
- Natasia Demetriou (What We Do in the Shadows)
- Golda Rosheuvel
- Nat Faxon
- Aparna Nancherla
- Ike Barinholtz
- Carla Gugino
- Matt Dellapina
- Nick Kishiyama
- Mia Akemi Brown
- Shannon Chan-Kent
- Jack Fisher
- Werner Herzog
Director: Sean Charmatz
Writer: Charlie Kaufman, based on the book by Emma Yarlett
Producer: Peter McCown
Where to Watch Orion and the Dark
Available to stream on Netflix, February 2nd.
