Netflix and DreamWorks Animation have shone new light on the upcoming animated feature Orion and the Dark, debuting the official trailer and announcing the voice cast. Based on the book by Emma Yarlett, the pic is written by Charlie Kaufman (Anomalisa), directed by Sean Charmatz (Trolls Holiday in Harmony, Pinky Malinky) and stars the voices of Jacob Tremblay as Orion and Paul Walter Hauser as Dark.
The film will premiere on the streamer on February 2.
Synopsis: 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.
The cast list also features Angela Bassett as Dreams, Colin Hanks as Adult Orion, Natasia Demetriou as Sleep, Golda Rosheuvel as Unexplained Noises, Nat Faxon as Insomnia, Aparna Nancherla as Quiet, Ike Barinholtz as Light, Carla Gugino as Orion’s Mom, Matt Dellapina as Orion’s Dad, Nick Kishiyama as Tycho, Mia Akemi Brown as Hypatia, Shannon Chan-Kent as Adult Hypatia, Jack Fisher as Richi Panichi and Werner Herzog as the narrator.
Orion and the Dark is produced by Peter McCown; executive producers are Walt Dohrn and Bonnie Arnold at DreamWorks.
Don’t miss the March ’24 issue of Animation Magazine (No. 338), available early February, to learn more in our feature story on Orion in the Dark.
