Orion and the Dark (2024)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A severely anxious boy is taken on a journey by the embodiment of his worst fear to discover the wonders of the night.
The story
Orion is a severely anxious 11-year-old with an extensive list of irrational fears. He journals his fears in his diary and is nervous about being rejected by his school crush, Sally, at an upcoming planetarium field trip. One night, after a sudden blackout, Orion is greeted by Dark, the embodiment of his worst fear, in his bedroom. Tired of Orion's constant complaints about him, Dark offers to take Orion on a trip to help him overcome his fears by showing him the benefits and wonders of nighttime.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sean Charmatz
- Writers
- Charlie Kaufman · writer; Lloyd Taylor · additional screenplay material; Brandon Sawyer · additional screenplay material
- Cast and characters
- Jacob Tremblay · Orion Mendelson; Paul Walter Hauser · Dark; Colin Hanks · adult Orion; Angela Bassett · Sweet Dreams; Ike Barinholtz · Light; Natasia Demetriou · Sleep; Golda Rosheuvel · Unexplained Noises/Debbie; Nat Faxon · Insomnia; Aparna Nancherla · Quiet; Carla Gugino · Orion's mother; Matt Dellapina · Dom Mendelson, Orion's father; Mia Akemi Brown · Hypatia, adult Orion's daughter
- Genres
- animated; fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- overcoming fear; acceptance; the nature of dreams
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- animated; fantasy; comedy; children's book adaptation; nonlinear narrative
- Source material / true-story basis
- Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett (2014)
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 23
- Awards and nominations
- Annie Award · winning films · win; Children's and Family Emmy Award · winning broadcasts · win
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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