Have you ever been afraid of the dark? Or how about, anything at all? If so, then the new animated film Orion and the Dark is for you. Based on the book by Emma Yarlett, Orion and the Dark (now playing on Netflix) tells the story of a boy with an active imagination who faces his fears on an unforgettable journey through the night with his new friend: a giant, smiling creature named Dark.

The main character, Orion (Jacob Tremblay), is a smart, shy, fifth grader who’s a typical kid with the exception that he is scared of absolutely everything: heights, bees, giving the wrong answer in class, losing a basketball game, and of course, the class bully, Richie Panichi (Jack Fisher), whose presence adds to the list of things that Orion worries could humiliate him at any turn.

Wildly imagining the worst possible outcomes in his head, Orion obsesses over what could go wrong by sketching these catastrophes in a notebook. One imminent looming fear is the upcoming class field trip to the planetarium – especially since his crush, Sally (Shino Nakamichi), tells him she’s looking forward to sitting next to him on the bus.

Arriving home after another fear-filled day, Orion returns to the thing he’s most afraid of: the dark. After his parents say goodnight, leaving his door slightly ajar…a little more…a liiittle more – perfect!), a towering shadow of a giant intrudes, by the name of Dark (Paul Walter Hauser). He has a towering, shadowy frame, but his wide eyes and huge smile don’t scare him. And this is exactly the reason Dark visits Orion. He knows that he is Orion’s biggest fear, and wants to fix that. Dark offers to bring Orion along with him on his nightly journey to make people fall asleep. Against his better judgment, Orion decides to join, and a fun-filled, supernatural adventure ensues.

Orion and the Dark is a fun family film that offers laughs and life lessons. I enjoyed the animation, which reminded me of Pixar’s Monster’s Inc., in that it’s also about secret worlds that make a huge impact on our daily lives, yet humans don’t know they exist. The characters, such as Dark’s friends, also reminded me of Inside Out, except instead of embodying emotions like “Happy” and “Sad,” we have characters like “Light” and “Dark.”

After joining Dark on his journey, Orion meets the rest of the creatures that positively and negatively affect people’s sleep each night. There’s Insomnia (Nat Faxon), Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel), Sleep, (Natasia Demetriou) Quiet (Aparna Nancherla), and Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett). Orion also meets Dark’s nemesis, Light (Ike Barinholtz), who everyone naturally loves, except for jealous, hurt Dark.

While the movie follows a pretty simple story, there are also a few unexpected layers to it. As his adventure is about to begin, we see an older Orion (Colin Hanks) telling the story of his adventure with Dark to his daughter, to help her fall asleep. It’s a clever way that screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) links people together.

There are several other smart and sophisticated parts to the film that make it more than just a simple kid’s movie. Orion’s message is one of authenticity. He says parents love simple stories, “but real life is complicated. The only stories that really help are the true ones.” By relaying mature, real messages to the audience, we can relate to it more.

There are also big lessons here – some that adults can benefit from too: after wondering why Dark would be needed at all, if everyone loves Light so much, he soon finds that reason: Dark is needed because there is beauty in the contrast of life. What is “light,” except for the opposite of “dark”? Dark is what makes light possible. There is a balance and relationship between all things in life, showing that everything in life is necessary. It’s a very wise observation that young viewers would benefit from.

In the end, Orion and the Dark is a family-friendly movie that shows how taking risks is the only way to overcome your fears. If you’re afraid of the dark, or anything at all, just know you’re not alone, and someday, you may look back and share the story of how you overcame your biggest fears.

1h 33m. ‘Orion and the Dark’ is rated TV-Y7.