What do you get when you cross the manifestation of non-living ideas from Inside Out and the various forces of both day and night with a child seemingly afraid of every single thing to ever exist? Well, you get Netflix’s new animated comedy Orion and the Dark.
Orion, the titular character voiced by Jacob Tremblay, is a young boy who seems to be afraid of everything. At least that’s what the opening monologue and montage go over. Everything from bullies and bad dreams to outlandish examples of his own imagination. But, most of all, Orion is afraid of the dark. But when The Dark (Paul Walter Hauser) shows himself, Orion gets swept up in an adventure to rid him of all his wacky fears.
Orion and the Dark surprised me with how fun the concept actually is. They explain away the fantastical nature of The Dark and his compatriots Sleep, Strange Noises, Quiet, Insomnia and Sweet Dreams well. Each one has a unique, fun personality that stand out. It worked best with all of them on screen, performing their usual nighttime duties. The Dark stood out to me most. He had some interesting depth to him that doesn’t feel forced or overdramatic, but genuinely made me feel sad for him.
Orion and the Dark also boasts an incredibly interesting animation style. The era of non-standard animated stylings is officially here, thanks to movies like the Spider-Verse films. Here, it blends 2D, hand drawn style backdrops with computer generated character models in a way that feels natural and looks good.
Where I have the most problems with the movie comes in the final third. There’s a strange narrative that is intercut with the main story that feels okay. But by the end of the film, some very strange things occur that just don’t fit with the entire rest of the movie. It’s a shame because the actual emotional climax really works. But it is disregarded for the wackier, “true” ending.
Final Thoughts
Orion and The Dark is a perfectly solid, family-friendly animated comedy. There was genuinely good humor that surprised me. It told an interesting story that kept me engaged. It’s not nearly as good or as well voice-acted as similar movies like Inside Out. But regardless, it made for a good time and didn’t drag itself out longer than it needed to be.
3/5
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