Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is scared of the dark. Petrified. But then Dark (Paul Walter Hauser) comes to visit him and ask him why he is so scared. 

Orion And The Dark starts as a fairly standard children’s animated adventure. A scared child who is visited by extraordinary figures who will teach him not to be afraid. Dark introduces him to his friends; Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel), Insomnia (Nat Faxon), Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett), Quiet (Aparna Nancheria) and Sleep (Natasia Demetriou). All of these are represented by weird and wonderful figures and they even have a little fun with the idea that Light (Ike Barinholtz) is their nemesis. 

Then, just as you think this will be a fairly run of the mill and standard children’s animation it does something interesting. It begins to nest the story inside another story which is nested inside another. It becomes about parents telling stories to their children and how that story will change depending on the personalities of each child. It also does not take the easy option by simply saying that the dark is not frightening because it can be. Simply by changing this dynamic and making this about the idea that parents can help their children face their fears by giving them agency in their own story it becomes far more interesting for the adults in the room whilst the kids enjoy the more extraordinary aspects on screen. 

I did find myself a little disappointed with the depth and detail of the animation however. Stylistically it has opted for a clean and simple look with backgrounds rarely embellished. It looks fine but will never compete with some more recent Pixar and Disney features. The “wow” factor is definitely absent. 

Otherwise this is above average as far as family home viewing goes. And film fans keep your ears open for a cameo from Werner Herzog!