Orion and the Dark

 Holiday season also means watching lovely animation movies with the kid, and the latest one we watched through Netflix was Orion and the Dark.

 

Released during 2024, this was a movie that received very positive reviews, so it seemed a good bet to sit down and enjoy.

 

The story is about Orion, an 11 year old with anxiety issues and a low self-esteem.  He fears being rejected by his school crush Sally during a trip to the observatory, when he is one night greeted by Dark, the embodiment of his biggest fear, in his bedroom.  Tired about Orion blaming everything on him, he offers to take him on a trip to help him overcome his fears by showing the benefits and wonders of the night.

 

It is also revealed that the story is actually told by an adult Orion to his daughter Hypatia, to help her with her own fears.  Dark introduces Orion to the other entities of the night, and as he warms up to them he helps them in their tasks.  He also briefly meets Light, who is Dark's nemesis who brings the daylight.

 

The other entities seem to softly shift towards working during daytime, causing Dark to opt to be engulfed by Light, and vanishing from existence.  The story now ended, Hypatia is shocked by the ending her dad tells her, taking hold of the story for another, better ending.  Through a poem and with the help of the night entities, Orion travels into his own mind and memories.  Facing his fears, he manages to bring Dark back to restore the balance of the day, but this strands Hypatia 20 years in the past.  A boy named Tycho, using a time machine, comes to save her however.

 

The story ends again, and now it is revealed it is being told by an adult Hypatia to her son Tycho, before she goes outside to say goodnight to her parents, the now elderly Orion and Sally, as they look back at their day at the planetarium all in the beginning.

 

This was just an awesome movie to watch with your kid and tell them that the night is not a bad thing at all, definitly worth the watch as it is one of those lovely, warm children's animation films!