One Movie Later: In Your Dreams Was Surprisingly Pleasant

by James Coulter

Netflix animated movies are a real mixed bag. Sometimes you get animated gems like Over the Moon or K-Pop Demon Hunters. Other times, you get real duds like Spellbound or Fixed. But then you have movies like In Your Dreams.

Have you ever started watching a movie expecting it to be terrible, only to find that while it doesn’t impress at first, halfway through you realize it’s actually better than you anticipated—even offering some surprisingly profound moments, despite still not being a great film overall?

That’s what In Your Dreams was for me: a real diamond in the rough, something that shows real promise even though it’s still rugged and unpolished. So, what made me reverse my initial impression of this movie from bad to just kinda, sorta okay?

In Your Dreams follows Stevie, a young girl whose family life fractures (or so she claims) after the birth of her brother, Elliot. The siblings find a magic thrift-store book that lets them share each other’s dreams. Guided by a ragged childhood toy called Baloney Tony, they journey through the dream world to find the Sandman and ask for one wish: to hold their family together. Will they be able to overcome the evil Nightmara and have the Sandman make their dream come true?

What initially turned me off from the movie was its animation. Although the animators have clearly stated that no generative AI was involved in the production—particularly as the project began before the widespread use of such technology—the visuals nonetheless possess an over-polished quality reminiscent of AI-generated imagery. That uncanny smoothness, at times, diminishes the sense of intimacy in certain scenes and renders some aspects of the dream world comparatively generic.

However, some sequences proved rather striking: Baloney Tony looks and moves with the tactile awkwardness of a puppeted felt toy. The animatronics within the Chuck E Cheese knock-off Pizza Polly nail that slightly uncanny, cheap-animatronic look. And a brief anime-styled scene proved to be really cute. Those moments show the animators taking bold, playful risks.

Where the film falters are with the story and premise. Dreamscapes have endless possibilities for creative potential, with the only limit being the animator’s own imagination. However, the movie’s overall scope appears rather limited. Some of the more creative uses of dream logic are relegated to montages rather than woven into sustained, inventive sequences, and the world-building is often safe instead of surprising.

But where the movie shines most is with the story. No spoilers, but as can be expected, the movie delves into the topic of dreams—about whether or not we really want our dreams to come true, whether or not it’s worth having them come true at the expense of others, and whether or not people who claim the ability to grant your heart’s desires truly have your best interests in mind.

Are these novel topics? Not at all. Does the movie do its best to explore these topics uniquely or creatively? Perhaps not. But they are still profound subjects that I was surprised were tackled as well as they were.

Overall, In Your Dreams falls somewhere in the middle—not the greatest film, but certainly not the worst either. Much like Elio, it’s just okay. Kids are likely to enjoy it, and their parents might, too. Some may realize, as I did, that this isn’t just another silly children’s movie; at times, it even offers meaningful insights.But if you want to watch a better animated movie on Netflix, there’s always K-Pop Demon Hunters.