Journey into the surrealistic world of your dreams (and nightmares) with Netflix's newest animated film– In Your Dreams.
In Your Dreams Review
At first glance, In Your Dreams feels very Pixar adjacent with its fantastical elements and desire to teach a meaningful life lesson. No it's not copying the Disney formula, it's because director Alex Woo served as a story artist in Emeryville for titles like WALL-E and Incredibles 2 before leaving there to found Kuku Studios. This film is Kuku's first and based on what we see here, I think their future is bright. Woo along with co-director Erik Benson worked with Stanley Moore and Rita Hsiao to craft this tale about two siblings trying to keep their family together.
In Your Dreams is heartwarming and funny, crafted with magical places, potty humor, and love. Although it follows a predictable path, it's still a great pick for family movie night. The dream world is filled to the brim with wondrous, hilarious, and creepy things from characters to the places the children visit. You can go from talking breakfast food to losing your teeth in a matter of .5 seconds. Woo and his team capture the oddball feelings of our dreams in vivid detail. Not to mention there is an anime-inspired sequence which naturally I adored.
A young girl named Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) is making French toast in the kitchen with her loving parents (Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti). They are a picture perfect Hallmark family, dancing and laughing together as if nothing could ever come between them. Until this dream turns into a nightmare and Stevie's younger brother Elliot (Elias Janssen) begins crying which triggers the parents to go from smiling at one another to arguing. In the present day, Stevie's parents are on the verge of breaking up. Her father is a struggling musician and her mother is set to take a teaching job far away that will pay more than her current position. Stevie is worried her parents will divorce so when she and Elliot learn of the Sandman (Omid Djalili) who promises to grant them a wish, the two embark on a journey through dreams and nightmares to keep their family together.
For anyone who has ever gone through a divorce, separation, or even just “normal” relationship ups and downs, Stevie's reaction to her parents' sudden shift in emotions is understandable. As a child, she sees things in a simple way- they were happy once so they can be happy again and all that will take is some French toast or a new song. Easy enough right? Except, as adults, we know that's not the case. While she stresses out about what could happen and her desire to be a “fixer” (oldest daughters everywhere know this feeling well) cranks into high gear, Elliot is blissfully unaware of everything. She's jealous of him for this, which again is relatable to those of us who are first borns. Stevie's anxiety sends the two siblings into the dreamworld and there is where the fun begins.
Leaving behind the muted hues of the real world, the kids' dreamland is full of life and vivid colors. They float on a river that looks very similar to “it's a small world,” complete with a song although not nearly as brain worm inducing. There is a Breakfast Town, where toast, muffins, bacon, and the like walk around chatting with everyone that passes by. Elliot is reunited with his beloved plush giraffe named Baloney Tony (Craig Robinson), who immediately rats out Stevie as the one who caused him to be lost. Tony knows about the Sandman but he isn't too keen on the kids meeting him. But he still offers to show them around, cracking jokes and farting lasers as they go.
The dream world is visually magical but it's when their dreams turn to nightmares where the animation truly shines. I loved watching how subtly Breakfast Town slowly molded over to create food zombies. Or how the Sandman's “Dune” like temple expands and grows in intriguing ways. Woo and his team clearly had a lot of fun not only with those moments but also bringing some of our collective worst nightmares to life. There's the classic being naked in public to having your teeth fall out. Seriously, why does every human on the planet dream about these things?! Then the animators throw in something crazy like being eaten by a hotdog. I've definitely never dreamt about that but this dream-centric playground means anything and everything goes.
Yes, this is a whimsical, fun animated adventure but it also still carries weight to it and none of this zaniness would mean anything to us beyond a laugh if we didn't know they were manifesting from the children's anxieties about their parents. It's a tough subject matter, but Woo and his team approach it with a gentleness that doesn't shy away from the reality of the situation. It was refreshing that neither parent was villainized (although the dad is slightly portrayed as a slacker) nor were they yelling at each other. Rather the two had some important conversations about how their lives have changed and if time apart would be beneficial for them all.
Verdict
Ultimately, In Your Dreams is a fantastical adventure through the dreamscape that is funny, heartwarming, and understands children notice more than we give them credit for. Stevie takes on this burden to “fix” her parents but only ends up stressing herself out more. This is something a lot of us are guilty of – taking on undue pressure and being crushed by the weight of it. This story is 100% for the young people going through something similar but it also has something to teach us adults as well. Not everything can or needs to be fixed but that's ok and everything will be ok even when it doesn't feel that way.
In Your Dreams is now streaming on Netflix. It is rated PG for thematic content, scary images, action/peril and some rude humor with a runtime of 90 minutes.
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