User Reviews

Started okay but fall of really hard and in the end became pure cringe. Not worth.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Orion And The Dark Sean Charmatz (in his feature directorial debut) delivers a fantasy adventure animation based on the 2014 book of the same name. Orion And The Dark tells the story of Orion, a young boy who grapples with various fears, the foremost being the darkness. Personified, the dark pays Orion a visit, extending an invitation for a journey to confront his fears head-on. Littered with metaphors and meaning, Orion And The Dark embodies a journey of self-discovery and confronting one's fears. Storytelling is an important piece here and is done absolutely well. Additionally, the plot is brightened with fun revelations and twists. The relationship between the lead characters is special and explored beautifully. The complex supporting characters also help this layered tale. The animation showcased in this film is outstanding, with a visually immersive and stunning world, particularly during the night scenes. While occasionally nonlinear and featuring a conclusion that may pose some confusion, this animation has broad appeal and serves as an excellent choice for family entertainment. 8/10

Pimp my movies for this one. It's good for night, but useless for daytime movie watching. Dreamworks should work on this one.

It was time for DreamWorks to make a film that resonates with both audiences: children and adults. Inspired by a children's book, it addresses the topic of childhood fears with an intelligent tone and humor. It's only February and it is already one of the best bets of the year, in animated cinema.

IN A NUTSHELL: The story is about a young boy named Orion, who is afraid of everything, especially the dark. When “Darkness” is embodied, the personage takes Orion on a journey of discovery to face his fears. The movie was directed by Sean Charmatz. Writing credits go to Charlie Kaufmaan, Lloyd Taylor, and Emma Yarlett. THINGS I LIKED: Adorable Jacob Tremblay voices Orion. The rest of the characters are voice by talented actors like Angela Bassett, Colin Hanks, Paul Walter Hauser, Nat Faxon, Carla Gugino, Ike Barinholtz, Werner Herzog, and many more. The production companies involved in the project were DreamWorks Animation and Mikros Animation, which explains why the animation is so adorable. I love all of the details. A lot of young kids and their Millennial parents will be able to relate to the main character who has a lot of anxiety. There is a lot of humor, both visual and spoken. It’s funny to watch the character “Sleep” put people to sleep in various, often alarming, ways that always ends with a cute kiss. A little girl’s name is Hypatia, which means “highest” or “supreme.” Hypatia was a real woman who was the leader of the Neoplatonist school of philosophy in Alexandria. Keep watching during the final rolling credits to see some more animation done in the style of a child’s drawings. THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE: A few of the elementary school children have extremely mature vocabulary and insights. The little boy whines and complains the entire time. One of the characters even calls him “judgy.” The characters that are enjoyable are the night creatures. It takes 40 minutes before we hear any music. The movie has a bit of a one-note theme: overcoming fear. I quickly became bored and looked at my watch. There is a time/space continuum that doesn’t make very much sense. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Some “light” profanity like “OMG”. People and characters are in perilous situations.

A solid entry into DreamWork's catalog. The story, much like the animation design, is simple but charming. The voice acting is excellent from all involved. The characters are endearing. It's surprisingly mature for it's target audience at times, although the ending goes into childish territory in certain moments. There are a few surprises here and there, which mostly work. It might not be as amazing as Puss In Boots: The Last Wish but there's much worse animations you could spend 1 and a half hours watching. Overall : 7.3 / 10

Great animation and voice acting, story is simple and sweet, just wasn't really feeling the obvious Inside Out ripoff story.

If Charlie Kaufman had made "Inside Out." Not everything works in this film: the ending may unnerve many; the animation style is not so inspired, and certain moments in the second act do not quite fit with what was previously developed. But it fulfills its objective of presenting themes such as fear and the darkness within to children.

Eu até estava entrando completamente no clima, devido o prólogo super bem construído. Orion é uma típica criança do século XXI, com medos bobos sobre falar em público e todos os gatilhos que uma escola normal pode oferecer, além de percebermos ali uma discussão sendo delineada para crianças ansiosas. Mas quando o filme resolve encaixar os elementos fantásticos no enredo, seria de bom tom o fazer de forma mais genuína. "Dark" até ok, mas toda a composição que vem junto do personagem que representa muito bem a escuridão foi tomada por elementos vistos em "Divertidamente", impossível não comparar. Claro que aqui o alvo é mais específico, mas foram exatamente 5 elementos, inclusive com seus maneirismos, tamanhos e cores, que ficaram tão iguais que é impossível não usar a comparação. A única diferença é que são elementos mais externos. A insônia, o sono, o sonho, a falta de barulho, o personagem que sussurra coisas ruins, funcionam como uma espécie de "sentimentos" que são rodeados pela hora de dormir, e junto com a escuridão e o sol, compõem os personagens fantásticos do filme. Claro que o visual vai agradar as crianças, e tem uma mensagem até satisfatória, mas a partir deles não consegui mais me conectar ao "pobi do Orion", que inclusive teve um tratamento mais superficial do que supunha o prólogo. Visualmente, ao menos, vemos um esforço da Dreamworks em entregar algo acima da média, e aqui foi facilitado pela dualidade "dark x luz". Também gostei que souberam equilibrar a história para não soar maniqueísta como seria fácil o fazer. Assim, entra naquele rol de animações que não necessariamente há um vilão prestes a destruir o protagonista, o que é um ponto positivo. É um filme sim, bem humano, e com muito a dizer sobre os medos da infância. Porém, grande parte da linguagem usada, do modo como o enredo é construído, é uma colagem descarada de "Divertidamente", não apenas o fato de saber controlar os medos/sentimentos, mas a estética dos personagens mesmo, o humor deles, a estatura, a forma como cada um tem uma função. Até o número de personagens é o mesmo!! Orion poderia ser um filme bem melhor se focasse mais no cotidiano do garoto. Assim, ao desenvolver o argumento o filme o conduz numa espécie de paisagem onírica, esquecendo que os elementos são mais viscerais quando em contato com a realidade mesmo. Portanto, "Orion" peca por copiar e copiar mal, e ainda fornecer um mundo à parte que não passar a real sensação do que o filme poderia ter sido. Uma pena.