With themes of childhood fears and self-discovery, Orion and the Dark owes a lot to its cast of voice actors. The titular Dark, voiced by Paul Walter Hauser, is a significant character in the Netflix film, a symbolic embodiment of the protagonist’s fears, and Hauser’s recognizable grumble is a vital piece of the puzzle.
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Who voices Dark in Orion and the Dark?
Dark is a character personified by Paul Walter Hauser. Dark makes himself known to the anxious Orion, who is terrified of lots of things, but mainly the dark.
What is Peter Walter Hauser known for?
Hauser has been a mainstay of TV and films for many years, appearing in episodes of shows such as Community, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Key and Peele and Blunt Talk, but he would have a more regular role in Kingdom, Cobra Kai and Reno 911.
Film-wise, you will have spotted him in I, Tonya, Late Night, Richard Jewell, Cruella, and Old Dads.
Paul Walter Hauser | Image via Daniele Venturelli
Who else is voice cast in Orion and the Dark?
The ensemble cast features other metaphysical characters that are from the same dimension as Dark. Ike Barinholze plays Light, Angela Bassett plays Sweet Dreams, Natasia Demetriou plays Sleep, and Nat Faxon plays Insomnia.
Other parts include Carla Gugino who plays Orion’s mum, Colin Hanks as Orion’s father, and the whole shebang is narrated by Werner Herzog. Surprisingly, this is Herzog’s second DreamWorks movie, as he was also involved in 2014’s Penguins of Madagascar.
Orion himself is played by Jacob Tremblay, who you might remember in the puzzling 2015 movie Room.
What is the age rating for Orion and the Dark?
Orion and the Dark is rated TV-Y7. This means that in the US, the film is only suitable for children seven or over. This is because these types of films may contain some elements not suitable for very young viewers, mainly fantasy horror and violence.
This rating is used for many channels in the US that have this kind of programming. Universal Kids, Discovery Kids, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and The Hub will contain shows that support this rating. In theatrically released films, it is usually the equivalent of the MPA’s hard G and soft PG rating.
Is this the first film by Sean Charmatz?
Orion and the Dark is Sean Charmatz’s directorial debut, but previously he has worked on similar productions including The Lego Movie 2, SpongeBob SquarePants, Trolls, and Penguins of Madagascar. He would work on the art department of all of those features, before securing the position of director on Orion and the Dark.
