Hello Darkness, my new friend

January 25, 2024

Robert Lydecker & Kevin Lax Score Animated Fantasy ORION AND THE DARK for Netflix

Emmy Award-winning co-composers Robert Lydecker and Kevin Lax recently scored DreamWorks Animation’s ORION AND THE DARK, an upcoming American animated fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Sean Charmatz (in his feature directorial debut) and is animated by Mikros Animation. Written by Charlie Kaufman, the movie is based on the children’s book of the same name by Emma Yarlett. The film’s voice talent includes Jacob Tremblay as Orion, Colin Hanks as Adult Orion, Paul Walter Hauser as Dark, Angela Bassett as Sweet Dreams, Ike Barinholtz as Light, Carla Gugino as Orion’s Mom, Matt Dellapina as Orion’s Dad, Werner Herzog as the Narrator, and others. The film is set for release by Netflix on February 2, 2024.

Premise: Orion seems a lot like your average elementary school kid – shy, unassuming, harboring a secret crush. But underneath his seemingly normal exterior, Orion is a ball of adolescent anxiety, completely consumed by irrational fears of bees, dogs, the ocean, cell phone waves, murderous gutter clowns, and even falling off of a cliff. But of all his fears, the thing he’s the most afraid of is what he confronts on a nightly basis: the Dark. So when the literal embodiment of his worst fear pays a visit, the Dark whisks Orion away on a roller coaster ride around the world to prove there is nothing to be afraid of in the night. As the unlikely pair grows closer, Orion must decide if he can learn to accept the unknown – to stop letting fear control his life and finally embrace the joy of living. -DreamWorks

The composers recently won a Children’s & Family Emmy Award for their score of Netflix’s KUNG FU PANDA: THE DRAGON KNIGHT. Lydecker’s notable credits include Paramount’s XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE; Marvel/Netflix’s IRON FIST; Fox/Warner Bros’ Lethal Weapon; and more. Lydecker also co-scored two seasons of ABC’s DESIGNATED SURVIVOR alongside Emmy-winning composer Sean Callery; and co-scored four seasons of the Fox series SLEEPY HOLLOW with Brian Tyler, earning an Emmy Nomination for their main title theme. Lax’s notable credits include Apple TV+’s SEE AND FOUNDATION; Netflix’s THE WITCHER: BLOOD ORIGIN; ABC’s AGENTS OF SHIELD; AMC’s WALKING DEAD; Netflix’s JUANITA; Universal Pictures’ THE FIRST PURGE; and more. 

Watch the ORION AND THE DARK trailer, here