It was directed by Sean Charmatz and written by Charlie Kaufman, based on the 2014 children's book of the same name by Emma Yarlett.

The film stars the voices of Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Colin Hanks, Mia Akemi Brown, Ike Barinholtz, Nat Faxon, Golda Rosheuvel, Natasia Demetriou, Aparna Nancherla, Carla Gugino, Matt Dellapina, and Angela Bassett.

During their travels, Dark introduces Orion to his fellow night entities Sleep, Insomnia, Quiet, Unexplained Noises and Sweet Dreams.

She recites a poem she has written based on the story so far and the night entities return, having witnessed the chaos brought by endless daylight without nighttime to maintain the natural balance of the world.

Finally learning to accept his fears, Orion jumps in to save Dark, while Quiet softly wakes him up right in time for them to get out of the dream.

[2] In January 2024, additional voice cast was announced, including Ike Barinholtz, Angela Bassett, Colin Hanks and Carla Gugino.

[5] Orion and the Dark had its world premiere on January 27, 2024, as the opening night matinee of the TUDUM Theater presentation in Los Angeles.

The website's consensus reads: "An uncommonly ambitious animated film, Orion and the Dark benefits from a Charlie Kaufman screenplay that isn't afraid to tangle with existential ideas.

"[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.