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Orion and the Dark is a unique and edgy film that addresses topics people don't usually want to talk about. The film blends CGI and 2D animation styles, with the challenge of coordinating work done in India and creating a hand-made, raw feel. Netflix provided the freedom and support to explore darker and different themes, making it an ideal platform for the film's release.

Orion and the Dark helps children overcome fear and thoughtfully handle existential crises. Acclaimed screenwriter Charlie Kaufman adapts Emma Yarlett's novel about a nervous boy (Jacob Tremblay) taken on a spectacular adventure by immortal darkness (Paul Walter Hauser). He's completely misunderstood and tired of being hated. They meet other Night Entities who explain the critical nature of their jobs and why Light (Ike Barinholtz) is hilariously overrated.

Director Sean Charmatz, stellar in his feature debut, "loved" Kaufman's script and was excited to make a "brave...

As DreamWorks Animation shifts to a new production-sharing model with Sony Pictures Imageworks (“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), we get a taste of the studio’s indie vibe at its best with “Orion and the Dark” (co-produced with Netflix and currently streaming). It’s an imaginative fantasy-adventure about confronting adolescent fears, thanks to the mind-bending script by Charlie Kaufman (“Anomalisa“).

“I think Kaufman’s whimsy and humor are brilliant for this family film space,” producer Peter McCown told IndieWire. “I think it’s a great match and I hope that he continues in this space.”

Kaufman spent about a year adapting Emma Yarlett’s 2014 children’s picture book about a fear-conquering adventure involving the titular adolescent and Dark, his nemesis, setting it in ’90s Philadelphia and making Orion (Jacob Tremblay) a neurotic, artistic fifth grader and Dark (Paul Walker Hauser) a hulking, insecure figure with an existential crisis. Dark invites Orion...

Taking a page out of the Pixar playbook and animating entities turned into characters, DreamWorks Animation’s latest feature Orion and the Dark recalls ‘toons like Inside Out and Elemental as it tells the story of a young kid and his encounters with his greatest fear, the Dark.

Fortunately for adults who will likely have to sit through this with their kids, Dwa was smart enough to hire Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman to take on the task of bringing Emma Yarlett’s book to the screen. Basically the premise is intact, but Kaufman has expanded this world into Pixar territory where instead of Inside Out’s gang of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Anxiety and Disgust we get entities like Dark, Light, Insomnia, Quiet, Sleep, Unexplained Noises, and Dreams to help tell the tale of Orion, a kid full of neuroses and unchecked fears...

The Netflix streaming service has just unveiled their 2024 line-up of film and TV show releases – and the list is so long, we’ve had to split it into two separate articles. While the TV show line-up can be found in another article here on JoBlo.com, in this one we’re focusing on the films Netflix will be releasing, including the long-awaited fourth entry in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, a sequel to The Platform, a time travel slasher movie, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, an animated film scripted by Charlie Kaufman, Zack Snyder’s second Rebel Moon movie, and much more.

Here we go, with thanks to Deadline:

Orion And The Dark (Feb 2)

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,...

Here, in all its glory, is Netflix’s long list of movies premiering on the streamer in 2024, and there’s quite a few gems. While Netflix tries to program an event film each quarter, there’s clearly more star-studded pics than that as that’s what gets subscribers to click.

Of note, dates have been announced for five features including the Eddie Murphy fourthquel Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (July 3), the animated Nickelodeon Latino title The Casagrandes Movie, (March 22), the cartoon movie Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp (April 12), the Mark Waters-directed Brooke Shields and Miranda Cosgrove title Mother of the Bride (May 9), and the Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry action title The Union (August 16).

Also on deck is Amblin’s first movie under its Netflix deal, the Taron Egerton Tsa thriller Carry On, the Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz action movie Back in Action, franchise movies like Zack Snyder...

The latest trailer for Netflix and DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming animated film, Orion and the Dark, has Ike Barinholtz voicing the role of Light, Dark’s nemesis, as Orion, voiced by Jacob Tremblay, learns there’s nothing to be afraid of in the night.

“Everyday I bring brightness and hope to the world, and you bring the exact opposite,” Light tells Dark, voiced by Paul Walter Hauser, as their comic light versus darkness battle plays out while an anxious Orion confronts his greatest fears in life.

“Oh, whatever!” a gloomy Dark responds as his unlikely friendship with Orion grows as Tremblay’s character must shed his adolescent anxiety over much in life to overcome his worst fear: the dark. The moral of their journey together is stop letting fear control your life and embrace the joy of living.

Based on Emma Yarlett’s book and written by Being John Malkovich scribe Charlie Kaufman,...

Charlie Kaufman is bringing more neuroses to Netflix, this time with an animated twist.

The “Adaptation” screenwriter penned the adaptation of YA novel “Orion and the Dark” for the streaming platform. Jacob Tremblay voices the title character Orion, who is an anxiety-ridden elementary schooler trying to get over his fear of the dark. Turns out, the Dark is actually a physical entity (Paul Walter Hauser) who brings Orion on an adventure to confront his fears, ranging from clowns, fireworks, and ghouls.

“Orion, I’m going to get you to overcome your fears if it kills me,” the Dark says in the trailer.

Angela Bassett, Colin Hanks, Natasia Demetriou, Golda Rosheuvel, Nat Faxon, Aparna Nancherla, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gugino, Matt Dellapina, Nick Kishiyama, Mia Akemi Brown, Shannon Chan-Kent, and Jack Fisher also star. Werner Herzog narrates the film.

Animator Sean Charmatz marks his feature directorial debut with the DreamWorks and Netflix film.

Charlie Kaufman’s (animated) existential ode to overcoming fears is finally here.

“Orion and the Dark,” written by Kaufman and adapted from a YA novel, follows anxiety-ridden elementary schooler Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) as he tries to cope with being afraid of the dark — which actually becomes a physical entity played by Paul Walter Hauser. The Dark whisks Orion away to a land filled with all of his fears, including clowns, fireworks, and ghouls. A “Monsters Inc.”-style movie, Orion befriends the things he is afraid of most, and conquers his anxiety.

Animator Sean Charmatz marks his feature directorial debut with the DreamWorks and Netflix film, based on Emma Yarlett’s novel of the same name. Variety previously reported that a Werner Herzog cameo could be in the works for the animated film.

Peter McCown produces the film with Walt Dohrn and Bonnie Arnold serving as executive producers. “Orion and the Dark...

The first look at Netflix’s upcoming film Orion and the Dark promises a sweet adventure from Being John Malkovich scribe Charlie Kaufman.

Led by Jacob Tremblay and Paul Walter Hauser, DreamWork’s latest CG animated movie serves as Sean Charmatz’s directorial debut, and is based on Emma Yarlett’s book of the same name.

Tremblay plays Orion, shy, unassuming, harboring a secret crush — your average kid in elementary school. But underneath that normal exterior, he’s a ball of adolescent anxiety. While harboring fears of things like bees, dogs, the ocean, cell phone waves, murderous gutter clowns and falling off cliffs, there’s one thing above all else that terrifies Orion: the dark.

It’s something he must face on a nightly basis, but when the embodiment of that fear appears at his bedside one night, Orion is whisked away by Dark (Hauser) on a roller-coaster adventure around the globe.

A new sneak peek for Orion and the Dark has been revealed.

In development at DreamWorks Animation for a release on Netflix, Orion and the Dark is based on the original book by Emma Yarlett. The animated movie follows Orion, a young boy whose life changes in a big way when he confronts his biggest fear, the Dark. As part of its Geeked Week celebration, Netflix dropped a new image of Orion and the Dark as seen in the film, which can be viewed above.

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Per Netflix, the synopsis for the animated film reads, "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,...

Exclusive: DreamWorks Animation is making cuts and slashing 4% of its staff. We understand that the cuts are due to the downward cyclical turn in the business, rising production costs and the strikes.

“DreamWorks Animation reduced its workforce by approximately 70 positions,” a Dwa spokesperson told Deadline in a statement. “Roles affected were across corporate functions, feature, television and technology departments as part of an overall cost-reduction.”

The hope is the studio can turn things around with the release of the third installment of the Trolls movie franchise. Trolls Band Together is set to be released November 17 with *Nsync reuniting after 22 years to perform a song for the film’s soundtrack. Voice actors for the animated motion picture include Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Camila Cabello, Eric André, Kid Cudi, Troye Sivan, Daveed Diggs, Amy Schumer, RuPaul, Kenan Thompson and more.

Earlier this year DreamWorks Animation and Netflix partnered for Orion and The Dark,...

A first look has been revealed of the new DreamWorks Animation movie Orion and the Dark. Coming to Netflix in 2024, the film was announced on Tuesday at the Annecy Animation Festival. Three first look images of the animated film have also been unveiled, with one seen above and the other two below.

Orion and the Dark is based on the book by Emma Yarlett. The film is written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Sean Charmatz. Peter McCown is producing, while Walt Dohrn and Bonnie Arnold are executive producing. DreamWorks Animation is the studio behind the project.

An official synopsis has also been released for Orion and the Dark, and that is as follows:

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,...

DreamWorks Animation said Tuesday afternoon during a session at the Annecy Animation Festival that it has teamed with Netflix on Orion and the Dark, an animated feature written by Charlie Kaufman. Scroll down for first-look pics.

The pic will drop on the streamer in 2024. Director is Sean Charmatz, with Peter McCown producing. Exec producers are Walt Dohrn and Bonnie Arnold. Voice cast includes Jacob Tremblay as Orion and Paul Walter Hauser as Dark.

Based on the book by Emma Yarlett, the pic follows Orion, who 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, and even falling off of a cliff. But of all his fears, the thing he’s the most afraid of is...

Dreamworks Animation announced Tuesday during the Annecy International Animation Festival that production of Orion and the Dark, an animated feature penned by Charlie Kaufman, will come to Netflix in 2024.

Based on the book by Emma Yarlett, the story follows Orion, an anxious young boy voiced by Jacob Tremblay, who is afraid of the dark. Then, the literal embodiment of his worst fear — “the Dark” (voiced by Paul Walter Hauser) — pays him a visit to prove there is nothing to be afraid of in the night. Orion must decide if he can learn to accept the unknown and embrace the joy of living.

“It has the Charlie Kaufman stuff in it,” said producer Peter McCown of the offbeat story by the Oscar winner, whose writing credits include Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Anomolisa and Synecdoche, New York.

The filmmakers aimed to give Orion — which is set outside...