An Overlooked Fantasy Movie Not Even 2 Years Old Is Already Destined For Cult Classic Status

The fantasy genre lends itself perfectly to cult classics. That’s partly because mystical, magical movies can be tricky to inhabit right from the beginning, and any good fantasy movie contains layers of meaning that warrant multiple viewings to fully grasp. It’s also because a well-constructed fantasy universe never lets go once you’ve embraced it, staying with the viewer for life.

From great movies that failed to light up the box office (like The Princess Bride) to unloved movies reappraised more positively in later years, (like Tom Cruise’s Legend), every decade boasts a small handful of cult classics from the realms of fantasy. The 2020s will be no different, and one overlooked 2024 release has already secured its place.

Why Orion And The Dark Wasn’t A Bigger Hit For Netflix

Orion and the Dark didn’t exactly slip by unnoticed when releasing on Netflix in early 2024, but neither was it a landmark drop for the platform. The animation space is a crowded one – especially on streaming, where kids typically prefer to watch their favorites for the 244th time. Not everything can be the next Encanto or KPop Demon Hunters.

Orion and the Dark was a particularly tricky proposition. On one hand, very much a kids’ movie; on the other, very much a Charlie Kaufman movie. Surprisingly, those two things can coexist, but trying to separate Orion and the Dark‘s all-ages appeal from its existential message was an impossible task. Even at a glance, Orion and the Dark made Inside Out look psychologically superficial.

It’s hard to say whether Netflix subscribers were actively deterred by Orion and the Dark‘s promise of thematic depth – a story that would resonate as much with adults as children – but the movie certainly wasn’t an easy sell. And with Inside Out 2 arriving only a few months later, the appetite for animated musings over the emotional spectrum perhaps didn’t stretch far enough.

Critical reaction was positive, with Orion and the Dark sitting at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the same criticism followed it: complexity. Orion and the Dark is filled with side characters, different perspectives, and past and future eras. Trying to juggle those against the backdrop of a DreamWorks movie results in an imbalance, potentially explaining why the audience score rests at a much lower 57%.

Why Orion And The Dark Is A Cult Classic In The Making

Orion scared with a blanket in Orion and the Dark — Orion and the Dark Orion scared

A “cult classic” isn’t just a brilliant movie nobody saw. More often, it’s a flawed movie that wins over audiences because those flaws come from a good place, and Orion and the Dark falls neatly into such a category.

It’s an earnest and well-intentioned attempt to capture the typical themes of a Charlie Kaufman movie – the anxiety, the isolation, the negative self-image – and translate them into a story that not only entertains young viewers, but speaks to them. It’s a mission Orion and the Dark follows to a fault. With each rewatch, however, the multi-stranded plot becomes less opaque, the characters become easier to love, and the overall messages get louder.

Just as Orion himself learns to accept his anxieties, the viewer learns to accept the story’s flaws, until they soon become part of its charm. This isn’t a polished, tight Pixar narrative, but it isn’t trying to be. Orion and the Dark wants to be the best version of itself, and what it lacks in immediate impact it makes up for in honesty, inventiveness, and a desire to reach beyond the obvious without expecting easy answers.

In an increasingly complicated world, Orion and the Dark feels like a movie that future generations will return to, relate to, and wonder why it wasn’t celebrated more enthusiastically at the time.