The new animated feature, “Orion and the Dark,” from DreamWorks Animation and Netflix, was written by none other than Charlie Kaufman, the oddball genius behind the scripts for “Adaptation,” “Being John Malkovich” and his own “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.”
He’s also no stranger to animation, providing script work for “Kung Fu Panda 2” and directing the Oscar-nominated adult animated feature “Anomalisa.” You can watch the brand-new trailer, right now, above.
“Orion and the Dark,” adapted from the book by Emma Yarlett seems to feature Kaufman’s patented existential dread but in a much more manageable, kids-size version. Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is a kid who is afraid of everything, especially the dark. So you can imagine how thrilled he is when the personification of Dark (Paul Walter Hauser) shows up to take him on a nocturnal odyssey that is sure to eliminate his fears.
Along the way, they encounter other nighttime creatures like Dreams (Angela Bassett), Sleep (Natasia Demetriou), Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel), Insomnia (Nat Faxo) and Quiet (Aparna Nancherla). Orion also meets the anthesis of Dark, Light (Ike Barinholtz). And, in a very “Princess Bride” flourish, you realize the entire story is being told by adult Orion (Colin Hanks) to his nervous young child.
The movie looks charming and funny, with a number of Kaufman-y flourishes (like Sleep violently putting people to rest) and some really wonderful, evocative character design and animation. The animation was handled by Mikros Animation, who did wonderful work on “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and the upcoming “The Tiger’s Apprentice,” both for Paramount. This could be a real charmer when it hits Netflix next month.
“Orion and the Dark” was directed by Sean Charmatz and produced by Peter McCown, with Walt Dohrn and Bonnie Arnold executive producing.
“Orion and the Dark” lands on Netflix on February 2.
