Orion and the Dark

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1:14

Orion and the Dark

2024

1h 32m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

78 Reviews

58%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

The thing Orion fears the most is the dark. When the 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 at night.

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Critics Consensus

An uncommonly ambitious animated film, Orion and the Dark benefits from a Charlie Kaufman screenplay that isn't afraid to tangle with existential ideas.

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Radheyan Simonpillai

CTV's Your Morning

Turns into the Being John Malkovich of kids movies. Not saying it works. But I was certainly having more fun watching this unfold while my kids turned to me multiple times being like, “what is this??!!”

Feb 9, 2024

Full Review

Kristy Puchko

Mashable

Whether you have a kid in your life who could use some catharsis or an inner child in need of a lullaby, check out the chaotic yet comforting Orion and the Dark.

Feb 7, 2024

Full Review

Robert Levin

Newsday

This is a smart movie that addresses real and universal childhood fears in an original way.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 6, 2024

Full Review

Marta Medina

mundoCine

Orion and the Dark is a film that shines in the dark. An animated story that invites us to confront our own fears, delivering a message that resonates equally with children and adults. [Full Review in Spanish]

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 7, 2025

Full Review

Kyle Amato

Boston Hassle

The concept of a Charlie Kaufman kids movie is more interesting in theory than practice.

Jul 31, 2025

Full Review

John Daniel Tangalin

The Cinema Spot

I can tell Kaufman is the proper choice to bring this book to life. This is a storyteller known for delving into psychology and psychoanalysis. Simply put, in the words of the late French philosopher, Anne Dufourmantelle: “The night is our truth”.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jul 18, 2025

Full Review

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John K

Worst Netflix film ever! Seriously, the animation is terrible, the story is generic, the main character is unlikable, the character designs look bad and the film kinda rips stuff from Monsters Inc. Maybe that's just me.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/17/25

Full Review

Audience Member

I’m not saying this movie is terrible by any means but really? 91%? Really critics?? Besides that, this movie is just such a nothing movie. The things that happen are just so confusing and unpredictable. Sometimes unpredictable can be a good thing but not for this film. It’s so unpredictable that everything that happens in this movie just makes me go “What the hell is even happening??”. And the worst part, this movie tries to play it off as a good thing like oh having the movie make no sense is a good thing and makes it more interesting like no this is just bad writing. Could of been good but the execution is just bad.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/06/25

Full Review

Christopher W.

This was one of the cutest movie concepts I’ve ever heard of, so I had to watch it. WOW. That’s all I can say. Everything was on point. Such a powerful message! Have no idea why so many said bad things about this, this is an absolute must-watch for everyone, old and young!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/15/25

Full Review

Noel L

What a sweet and inspiring story about overcoming your fears and how sometimes it's how you look at things.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/10/25

Full Review

Emerson H.

It’s an emotional and fairly beautiful film, with an interesting concept and unique story, even though most of jokes don’t really land. It also has pretty clever writing.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/06/25

Full Review

Abe S

Orion and the dark is hot garbage. This whole thing just feels like the Walmart version of inside out and fails to be this movie in every possible way with illumination style of animation. Don’t watch this movie! It’s a pretty basic dreamworks movie and could’ve been worse

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/26/25

Full Review

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Sean Charmatz

Director

Jacob Tremblay

Orion

Paul Walter Hauser

Dark

Werner Herzog

Voice

Angela Bassett

Voice

Colin Hanks

Voice

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Orion and the Dark: Trailer 2

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Orion and the Dark: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The thing Orion fears the most is the dark. When the 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 at night.

Director: Sean Charmatz
Producer: Peter McCown
Screenwriter: Charlie Kaufman, Lloyd Taylor, Emma Yarlett
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: DreamWorks Animation, Mikros Animation
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 2, 2024
Runtime: 1h 32m

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