Netflix and DreamWorks Animation have officially announced their latest collaboration in the form of a brand new animated movie titled Orion and the Dark, which hails from Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman. The coming-of-age fantasy will be available for streaming in 2024, with Jacob Tremblay and Paul Walter Hauser signing on to lend their voices to the respective characters of Orion and Dark.
In addition, the streamer has also revealed the first-look photos from the upcoming movie, providing fans a glimpse of the titular duo.
Orion and the Dark – 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, and even falling off of 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 grows 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. Cr: DreamWorks Animation © 2023 
Orion and the Dark – 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, and even falling off of 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 grows 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. Cr: DreamWorks Animation © 2023 
Orion and the Dark – 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, and even falling off of 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 grows 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. Cr: DreamWorks Animation © 2023
What to Expect in Orion and the Dark
“Orion seems a lot like your average elementary school kid – shy, unassuming, harboring a secret crush,” reads the synopsis. “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, and even falling off of 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 grows 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.”
Orion and the Dark is directed by Sean Charmatz (Trolls World Tour) from a screenplay written by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind scribe Charlie Kaufman. The latter previously worked with Netflix for his directorial feature I’m Thinking of Ending Things back in 2020. The story is based on the novel by Emma Yarlett.
The CG film is executive produced by Walt Dohrn and Bonnie Arnold, with Peter McCown serving as a producer. It hails from DreamWorks Animation, with Tim Lamb set as the production designer and Christine Bian as art director.
