Movie Spotlight: Oren's Way

A princess draws her sword before she says a word. Nobody in Oren’s Way talks much, not in full sentences anyway. The voice cast grunts and gasps and sighs, closer to old silent film performance than modern animated dialogue, and the story still lands: a kingdom sinking under a curse of sorrow, a girl sent to find a fox everyone believes holds the cure, and a discovery that turns out to have nothing to do with magic.

Keika Lee started the film years before she had that premise, doodling a red-headed princess in her spare time. She fell for the character first and built the world around her later. “I instantly fell in love with the character and wanted to create a story and world for her,” Lee said. She grew up watching Cinderella, Snow White, and the run of 90s Disney princess films, and the question underneath Oren’s Way is a simple one: what if the princess doesn’t need saving, and doesn’t especially want the crown to save her either?

A heroine who handles it herself

Princess Oren is introduced as clever, tasked with pulling her kingdom out of eternal sadness before it swallows everything. Lee says she wrote Oren as a composite of herself and the women she has worked alongside. “I wanted her to be a role model for young women watching this film that they can do anything and find their way,” she said. There is no prince arriving to fix things. Oren fixes them, or tries to, on her own terms.

The fox is not the answer

The Golden Fox that Oren chases pulls from East Asian myths of the nine tailed fox, and Lee built it to function as a kind of idol, the thing the whole kingdom has decided will deliver their happiness for them. It doesn’t work that way. “Oren soon finds out that you shouldn’t depend on one soul to bring your happiness, you find that happiness from within,” Lee said. The object of the quest turns out to be a decoy for the real one.

The last obstacle is Oren

The story builds toward a final test, and Lee was deliberate about making it internal rather than another set piece. “The final obstacle was herself because I firmly believe that the greatest obstacle to happiness or making your dreams come true is one’s self,” she said. She wanted to skip the big meaningless battle that closes out a lot of fairy tales and end on something that actually costs the character something.

Grunts, sighs, and a soundtrack instead of lines

Lauri Para voices Princess Oren and a character called The Clever, and Zak Shaffer voices the Squire and the Prince, but neither actor delivers much conventional dialogue. “Even though Lauri and Zak provided sounds and grunts for this film, I developed a strong relationship with the two and would listen to their voices when they spoke as inspiration,” Lee said. Para’s voice, she added, made her fall for Oren all over again. Shaffer brought what she calls boyish charm to the Squire.

A Greyscale fairy tale built on 90s nostalgia

Greyscale Animation gives the short its visual identity, and Lee was chasing a specific feeling: the look and warmth of 90s Disney, the era she grew up on. Viewers have told her the film feels nostalgic, which is exactly the reaction she was hoping to land. The short has already picked up an award, and Lee thinks the connection people are making is with Oren herself, clever and tested and a little unpolished, paired with a style she calls fresh but familiar.

What to know before you press play

“This film is close to my heart and something I’ve been wanting to do since I saw my first princess film,” Lee said. “It was a tough road but I’m so happy this dream became a reality. So many talented people worked on this film with great passion and dedication. I hope whoever watches the film enjoys it and spreads the word.”

Animation

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Streaming now on Relay.