First Trailer for Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Orion and the Dark’ Animated Film
by Alex Billington
November 10, 2023
Source: YouTube
“You come watch me do my job for one night, and you’ll finally see that I’m nothing to be afraid of!” 😨 Netflix has revealed the first official trailer for the animated film Orion and the Dark, which is one of the most fascinating animation creations coming in 2024. The screenplay is written by none other than Charlie Kaufman, yes Eternal Sunshine Kaufman, trying his hand at a story for kids (based on the book) about being scared of the dark. It’s produced by DreamWorks Animation, directed by a longtime storyboard artist for “SpongeBob”, and animated by Mikros Animation (Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie). Join Orion and his new best friend on the adventure of a nighttime! Orion is afraid of heights, pets, and the worst of all perils: the dark. One day, The Dark takes Orion on a nighttime trip to prove to the youngster that the only thing to fear is fear itself. Starring the voices of Jacob Tremblay as Orion, Paul Walter Hauser as The Dark, and yes even Werner Herzog. Yeah this looks fantastic, as delightfully creative as you’d expect from Kaufman & this team. They nailed it with Hauser’s voice. Yes it’s for kids but it still looks outstanding.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Sean Charmatz’s Orion and the Dark, from Netflix’s YouTube:
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, 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 what he confronts on a nightly basis: the dark. So when the literal embodiment of his worst fear pays a visit, Dark whisks Orion away on a roller coaster ride around the world to prove there’s nothing to be afraid of in the night. As the unlikely pair gets closer, Orion must decide if he can learn to accept the unknown – to stop letting fear control his life and finally embrace the joy of living. Orion and the Dark is directed by the animation filmmaker Sean Charmatz, director of Trolls Holiday in Harmony, “Pinky Malinky”, a storyoboard artist on “SpongeBob SquarePants”. The screenplay is written by the one-of-a-kind Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, I’m Thinking of Ending Things), based on the book of the same name written by Emma Yarlett. Produced by Peter McCown & DreamWorks Animation. With the actual animation work by Mikros Animation. Netflix will debut Orion and the Dark streaming on Netflix starting on February 2nd, 2024 early next year. Who wants to watch?
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