Netflix’s ‘In Your Dreams’ Took Lucid Dreaming ‘To A Point That We’ve Never Seen,’ Says Cast

Ever thought about the world that exists within your dreams?

A new Netflix animated film, In Your Dreams, takes viewers on an adventure that explores life in the dream realm and the profound impact it has on us in real life.

“I was really excited about making an animated movie in the dream world because I hadn’t really seen it done very well, especially in western animation,” In Your Dreams director Alex Woo told Blavity’s Shadow and Act.

“In live-action, obviously, you have Inception, which is probably the best dream movie, but in animation, it hadn’t been explored, and it seemed like just a ripe world for the medium of animation,” he continued. “Because, in your dreams, anything is possible, and in animation you can kind of do anything. The marriage between the two seemed like a no-brainer. But the challenge is that, in a dream world, anything can happen, and so when anything can happen, nothing means anything. You have to give, you know, a dream movie stakes. You have to ground it in some real-world human emotions.

Drawing from a time when his own parents were on the verge of splitting during his childhood, Woo wanted to lend a voice to the emotions that he was experiencing at that time, with the hopes of encouraging others who may have, or are, going through the same thing.

“I wish I had this movie when I was going through that difficult time when I was a kid because I think it would have given me a lot of support and encouragement that things don’t have to be perfect, and they’re not going to be. That doesn’t exist. It’s not real. I think if I had seen a movie like this, it would have given me some comfort and encouragement.”

Meet the dreamers

According to the official In Your Dreams description on Tudum by Netflix, “In this enchanting tale, Stevie (voiced by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her brother, Elliot (voiced by Elias Janssen), venture through an absurd world of their own imagination to make their family perfect again. If the siblings can withstand a snarky stuffed giraffe, zombie breakfast foods, and the queen of nightmares, their dream just might come true.”

“Stevie’s arc throughout the movie is just learning to let go, because, especially at the start, and just part of who she is, she doesn’t really act like a kid. She takes on so much responsibility,” Hoang-Rappaport told Blavity’s Shadow and Act regarding her character, who is the eldest daughter of her parents. “The movie has this nice message of her learning that she doesn’t have to have control over everything.”

Janssen added, “I can relate to Ellie because I’m also a younger brother. I have older siblings, so I know what it’s like. I know how he feels. He really looks up to Stevie, and he just wants to hang out with her. He just wants to spend time with her.”

Adults are still fascinated by dreams, too

Baloney Tony, Elliott’s beloved, abandoned stuffed animal, helps to guide his pal and his big sister Stevie through the (sometimes scary) dream world, and Craig Robinson told us that lending a voice to the character was “so much fun.”

“I was in the booth, going back and forth with the director,” Robinson said. “We were coming up with these jokes and improvising, and then [Baloney Tony] has some moments of tenderness. He got to find some courage after being super scared. It was a lot of fun, and I loved the ride.”

Robinson added, “I’m always fascinated by dreams anyway, but to see this project take it to just the level of lucid dreaming to a point that we’ve never seen is so beyond, and it just reinforces my fascination.”

Cristin Milioti, who voices Mom, and Simu Liu, who voices Dad, added to the sentiment, recalling their own dreams as well as lessons from being part of the animated film.

“We all started as kids with a curiosity and imagination, and then life happens, and I think that’s such an important thing to hold onto, if you can,” Milioti told us.

“The lucid dreaming thing was really cool for me because it was the first time I learned about it,” Liu said. “When I read it in the script, [it] kind of took me down this whole rabbit hole where apparently there are entire communities of people that talk about lucid dreaming, and apparently it’s a skill that if you try hard enough, you could do more and more often, whereas I’m terrible at that. I’ll realize I’m in a dream, but then the moment that you realize it, it’s like water in your hands, right? It’s so difficult to stay in the moment.”