There are a host of fears that can plague us, from the understandable like snakes to the irrational like Arachibutyrophobia - the fear of getting peanut butter stuck on the roof of your mouth. One of the most common however is nyctophobia, fear of the dark.
That (amongst other fears) is what troubles the hero of Netflix's upcoming Orion and The Dark. An original animated movie from Dreamworks that hits the streaming service on February 2nd.
Based on a picture book, the movie follows the fearful Orion as he is taken on a journey by the dark itself to prove that there's nothing to fear, performing his usual rounds of bringing the nighttime across the world. Along the way he meets the other 'night entities' and hopefully learns to be braver not just at night, but in life.
It all sounds incredibly novel and heartwarming family fun but what has me, a 28-year-old man, interested is a couple of things. The first, is the fact that Charlie Kaufman is on screenwriting duties. Yes, that's the same Charlie Kaufman responsible for Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. While I'm not expecting John Malkovich to appear, Kaufman loves to take things in an unusual direction.
The second marker of the movie's quality is early review scores. At the time of writing it boasts a perfect 100% critic's score on Rotten Tomatoes, a rare feat. With Jacob Tremblay and Paul Walter Hauser in the lead roles and Angela Bassett and Werner Herzog among those in a supporting capacity, there are plenty of great omens that Orion is going to shine bright.
If you love animated films and shows then Netflix is fast becoming the place to go. For starters, it's home to arguably the best-animated movie in years, The Mitchells vs. the Machines and Richard Linklater's superb Apollo 10 and a Half. For TV fans, last year saw a pair of amazing shows arrive with Blue Eye Samurai and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
