No one knows what causes dreams and what they really mean, but everyone can relate to the fantastical way in which things often manifest themselves when we’re asleep. In his feature directorial debut, In Your Dreams, filmmaker Alex Woo, a seasoned animator and the founder of Kuko Studios, imagines the power of dreams as more than just potentially symbolic through the magical journey of two siblings desperate for what they remember of happier family times.
In Your Dreams, which is set to release on Netflix on November 14th, is busting with color and imagination. Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her younger brother Elliot (Elias Janssen) are struggling as their dad (Simi Liu) and mom (Cristin Milioti) are no longer getting along like they used to, and even the perfect French toast breakfast, whipped up with a healthy serving of nostalgia by Stevie, can’t reignite the passion that they’ve lost. Making a wish to the mysterious Sandman catapults them on a wild rollercoaster through manifestations of their sharpest memories and most closely-held favorite possessions, all in pursuit of getting back to a moment they can remember but just can’t quite recapture.
Woo’s past as a story artist at Pixar, contributing to Oscar-winning classics like Ratatouille and WALL-E and well-received sequels like Cars 2 and The Incredibles 2, is evident in his approach to this project. For the screenplay, which Woo wrote with Erik Benson, he cited the hairbrained schemes he and his brother tried to get his parents back together when they were going through a tough time (they’re still together after fifty years!) when they were kids as his main inspiration. There’s plenty else from his own experiences that prompted him to design hints of youth and hope that take mesmerizing forms in this animated offering.
A key component that divides Stevie and Elliot as they both work towards the same outcome is Baloney Tony, an old stuffed animal of Elliot’s that has long since been lost but comes to life in the dreamworld that the siblings travel. Voiced by Craig Robinson, he has an excitable energy that immediately reminds Elliot of why he loved him so much and annoys Stevie to no end. He’s a driving comedic force for the film that will surely remind audiences of Toy Story and the way in which characters like Woody and Buzz feel so real. Sketches of Tony reveal the very specific visual crafting of this critical personality who provides such enthusiasm that propels its protagonists on their adventures.
There is much to be unpacked even within the partial cut of the film shown to press, but one extended sequence stands out for the wondrous manner in which it’s conceived and portrayed. Stevie and Elliot find themselves in a place where breakfast foods are life-size, with eggs and French toast walking around on legs and imitating human behavior that speaks to their qualities as beloved dishes that serve as familiar comfort food. The details are well worth experiencing without seeing or knowing too much beforehand, but one still provides a tasty appetizer of this clever culinary anthropomorphizing.
In Your Dreams has the potential to appeal to a wide range of audiences, including children who may be legitimately frightened by some of the more terrifying concepts the film uses and adults who can remember the dreams they had repeatedly that never quite made sense but still couldn’t be dismissed as potent and lingering. After the Emmy-winning kids’ program Go! Go! Cory Carson, Woo’s Kuko Studios delivers something that can truly be enjoyed and appreciated by the whole family, a celebration of youthful imagination bursting with eye-popping visuals that really do speak to the things we all dream about that would be quite something to behold if they actually came to life.
In Your Dreams premieres on Netflix on November 14th.
