Orion and the Dark Parent Guide

Eleven-year-old Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is incredibly anxious. He has a long list of fears and constantly imagines what could go wrong in any scenario. These worries have a tendency to get in the way of his life, as he struggles to make friends, tries to stay invisible at school, and can’t get through the night without waking up his parents because of his crippling fear of the dark. One particularly scary night, Orion is visited by Dark (Paul Walter Hauser), who is sick and tired of kids being afraid of him.

Determined to prove that he’s not as scary as people think, Dark takes Orion with him as he brings night to the world. But when their adventure takes a turn, Orion will have to face his fears and save more than just himself.

Orion and the Dark is a perfect example of a great concept that the writers don’t know how to execute. The overall premise is excellent, with a helpful message for kids, especially those who can relate to Orion’s anxiety. At no point is Orion told by the adults in his life that he’s being silly or should “just get over it”. He’s taken seriously but is lovingly reminded that fear is a part of life and he’ll never experience anything if he lets fear control him. The idea of having a personification of a common fear, Dark, lead Orion through an adventure is a fabulous idea. Orion discovers the beauty in the darkness and learns that sometimes our fears come from a place of misunderstanding or unfamiliarity. This storyline should have been powerful for young audiences: unfortunately, the writers ran out of ideas about 30 minutes in.

The remainder of the film is convoluted, confusing, and often boring. It very much has the feel of elementary students with a creative writing assignment. When they can’t come up with an ending, they just start throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Time machines! Laser guns! Monsters! That’s how a third act works, right? The layers of the framing device quickly go past “creative” to “frustrating” - and that complaint is coming from an adult with an English degree. I can appreciate a meta-narrative, but not when it’s done in an obvious cop-out to avoid writing a full story.

That all said, the animation is fantastic. The animators expertly use light and shadow to convey the story and they integrate 2D drawings into the 3D world to differentiate between Orion’s imagination and reality. The voice acting is also overall superb, especially from Paul Walter Hauser and a very brief, but hilarious, cameo from Werner Herzog.

Unfortunately, the skillful production is hugely let down by a weak script. The messages are still impactful, and I do think children with a tendency for anxiety could feel represented and understood and maybe even find courage to face their own fears. There isn’t much in the way of negative content, save some minor peril and some mild language, but that also isn’t enough to overcome the story problems. Although it has some shining lights, Orion and the Dark might be better off staying in the shadows.