Lightning flashes in the stormy night sky, casting sharp shadows on the walls. Outside, bent branches scratch the window. The boy pulls the covers tighter as the dark corners of the room seem to loom large just beyond the safety of his bed.
Scenes like these convey the all-too-real childhood fears at the heart of DreamWork Animation’s latest film, Orion and the Dark. The film, which will be released on February 2, 2024, follows Orion (voiced by Luca, Wonder’s Jacob Tremblay), a young boy who is scared of almost everything. The night he meets Dirk (Paul Walter Hauser, voice of “I, Tonya” and “Cruella”), a friendly embodiment of his worst fears, the two embark on an interworld adventure with an eclectic cast of characters. I’m leaving for , “Sweet Dreams” (Angela Bassett), “Quiet” (Aparna Nancherla), and “Unexplained Noises” (Golda Rochevel), show Orion that the world may not be as scary as it seems. Masu.
Based on the children’s book of the same name written and illustrated by Emma Yarett, Orion and the Darkness conveys a message about embracing fear and learning to love the night. An ambiguous mass of darkness in the shape of a grinning man, Dirk provides comic relief for the anxious Orion, characterizing Dirk as a goofy but caring middle-aged man with insecurities of his own. I am. As Orion gradually opens up on a continent-spanning adventure, the two explore the wonders of the night, from the colorful creations of Sweet His Dreams to the peace-bringing powers of Quiet.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation and animated by Miklos Animation, known for films such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Captain Underpants, the film features pencil-like The scenes are drawn with a sketchbook aesthetic, characterized by contours and wobbles. incomplete shape. Early scenes establish the film’s imaginative, character-driven plot, with Orion’s notebook doodles coming to life and terror creeping around every corner of the comic.
As well as the celebrated nighttime qualities, the story’s shadowy setting allows the film’s lighting to shine, making the most of the nocturnal theme to brilliantly illuminate every scene. From neon billboards to suburban streetlights to the gentle full moon, every shot has subtle highlights and a loving sense of serenity. As Dirk flies around the world, dusk spreads across the page like a watercolor painting, dotting the sky with countless stars. The film is interspersed with similar serene shots and quiet compositions, such as a lonely cafe in the desert or characters surrounded by a glowing moon, which visually complement the thematic message of the beauty of the night. doing.
Perhaps due to its origins in children’s books, the film’s settings and characters feel like they were pulled from the pages of a picture book. The young characters fly around the world in their pajamas, and fantastical elements like flying turtles remind them of the dreams they visit. Every shot is played with a sense of scale, further creating a dream-like atmosphere. Characters like Dirk change from the size of mosquitoes to giants striding through the clouds, and scenes are sometimes confined to the confines of a bedroom and sometimes spread across entire cities.
But in such a lovingly depicted world, the human characters’ waxy, VeggieTales-reminiscent faces often stand out, drawing viewers away from the film’s heartfelt themes and moving visuals. It will distract you. In a film where colorful characters are at the center of much of the story, viewers are constantly thrown out of the story by buggy eyes and cartoonish noses. To the animators’ credit, their stylization adds a certain childish imperfection that allows for individuality in the characters. Animation and facial expressions retain a simple yet powerful emotional impact that is often lost in animation.
Imperfections also appear elsewhere in the film. At first it feels off-putting, but in the second half it becomes meaningful and engaging, the story punctuated by dual perspectives from both Orion’s whimsical journey and his adult self telling the story to his daughter. In her moving ode to storytelling as an art, he tells her his story and her creative vision shapes the rest of her film. The power of storytelling across generations seems to be at the core of “Orion and the Darkness.” The plot feels alive, enveloping the audience in its winding, imaginative narrative and inviting them to shape the story alongside the characters. But eventually the story, which was once self-propelled, becomes a little too long, and the story begins to feel out of control and unrelated. The film regains its emotional tone with a moving ending, but the viewer is never left wondering if perhaps the characters’ stories should have ended the scene sooner.
Overall, Orion and Darkness is a heartfelt film that empowers viewers, whether they’re young adults or college students, to imagine their own stories. His visual style paints the world in the colors of his childhood crayon set, transporting audiences back to a time when imagination carved the future and the darkness of a bedroom closet seemed incredibly frightening. Those fears may have faded over time, but “Orion and the Darkness” reminds us that, like the silent embrace of the night sky, the power of imagination never completely leaves our lives. reminds us.
“Orion and the Dark” is available for streaming on Netflix.