As in the charming children’s book of the same name, by British author and illustrator Emma Yarlett, on which the film is based, Orion then meets a ghostly personification of darkness, known simply as ‘Dark’ (voiced by a garrulous Paul Walter Hauser), and learns to confront his fears. Impressively, though, there’s more here than just that one obvious lesson — something Kaufman’s script itself acknowledges. Yarlett’s book ran to just 40 pages, aimed at preschool-age kids; this film takes those initial ideas and runs with them, introducing a wild meta framing device that examines, among other things, the very act of storytelling.
To its bones, this is a Kaufman joint.
There are tons of bold swings here, and credit must go to DreamWorks Animation, who have shown a willingness to break the mould before (see also: The Bad Guys, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish). Kaufman’s script includes jokes and references that will fly over the heads of five-year-olds: Orion can be seen at one point reading a book entitled ‘Nihilism Vs Existentialism For Kids’; there is a cheeky rib of other animation studios and their fondness for “dance parties”; there is, improbably, a highbrow gag about David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest.
Charmatz’s direction keeps things within Dreamworks’s CG house style, but brings a scruffy, scrappy approach, reflecting the mindset of its hero, in a manner similar to The Mitchells Vs The Machines: Orion’s hand-drawn scrapbook sketches, which document his many fears, bleed pleasingly into the frame. Conceptually, there is a touch of Pixar’s Inside Out to it all, in the way it anthropomorphises abstract ideas (if not quite as successfully) — ‘Sleep’, ‘Insomnia’ and ‘Unexplained Noises’ are all colourful supporting characters here.
But to its bones, this is a Kaufman joint, and while it has an unusual sweetness — there’s a straightforwardly wholesome father-daughter relationship — it is full of existential dread, big ideas, and a strong resistance to anything too neat, too Hollywood. That a major studio has allowed someone like him into the safe enclave of kiddie films should be celebrated; children need to be exposed to more of his dark materials.