If you follow me on social media, you might’ve seen I was at Netflix HQ last week. I was there learning about a new project. Today, that project just dropped: In Your Dreams, a heartfelt, surreal animated comedy-adventure premiering November 14, 2025, only on Netflix.
A Journey Through Dreamland
Directed by Alex Woo and co-directed by Erik Benson, In Your Dreams tells the story of 12-year-old Stevie and her chaotic little brother Elliot as they journey through the bizarre landscape of their own subconscious. Their goal? Find the elusive Sandman and wish for the one thing they both long for: a perfect family.
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Of course, it’s never that easy. Along the way, they face down zombie breakfast foods, the nightmare queen Nightmara, and Baloney Tony, a foul-smelling, one-eyed stuffed giraffe voiced hilariously by Craig Robinson. Also starring Simu Liu as Dad and Cristin Milioti as Mom, the cast brings real emotion and warmth to a story bursting with heart.
Director Alex Woo’s Deeply Personal Vision
“In Your Dreams” has been a decade-long passion project for Alex Woo, who left Pixar to co-found Kuku Studios. Woo shared that the film’s emotional core was inspired by a personal childhood memory, the morning his mother left home with no explanation, changing his life forever.
“I made this movie with the belief that the best way through is with an open heart,” Woo said. “Sometimes we need to let go of what we dream life should be and hold on to life as it actually is.”
That message ripples through every frame of this 86-minute adventure, anchored by grounded performances and wildly imaginative dreamscapes designed by Oscar-winning production designer Steve Pilcher (Brave, Soul).
The Voice Cast Brings Big Emotion (and Big Laughs)
The full voice cast includes:
- Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Stevie
- Elias Janssen as Elliot
- Craig Robinson as Baloney Tony
- Simu Liu as Dad
- Cristin Milioti as Mom
- Omid Djalili as the Sandman
- Gia Carides as Nightmara
- SungWon Cho and Zachary Noah Piser in supporting roles
Each character adds texture to the dream world while grounding the emotional stakes in real sibling dynamics. Stevie’s obsession with perfection collides with Elliot’s unfiltered imagination, and their clashes lead to some of the film’s funniest — and most tender — moments.
Animation With Heart and Innovation
The dream sequences are bursting with kinetic visuals, thanks to Nicola Lavender’s visual effects supervision and the expertise of Sony Pictures Imageworks. Whether it’s the glittering “Gumdrop Glacier” or a showdown inside a cereal box jungle, the film’s visuals constantly surprise without losing emotional clarity.
John Debney (Elf, The Princess Diaries) scores the film with an emotional range that swings from whimsical wonder to intimate warmth, and his work might just earn him another awards season buzz.
Is In Your Dreams a New Animated Classic?
Netflix Animation is on a roll, and In Your Dreams may be its next instant classic. Following in the footsteps of Nimona and The Mitchells vs. The Machines, this movie strikes the rare balance between heartfelt and hilarious. It speaks directly to kids navigating family change and chaos, while offering enough zany visuals and one-liners to keep every member of the household glued to the screen.
Get ready to laugh, cry, and maybe dream a little bigger. In Your Dreams premieres November 14, only on Netflix.
About In Your Dreams
Release date: Coming this Fall
Director: Alex Woo
Co-Director: Erik Benson
Producers: Timothy Hahn, p.g.a., Gregg Taylor, p.g.a.
Screenplay by: Erik Benson and Alex Woo
Story by: Alex Woo and Stanley Moore
Music by: John Debney
Animation Studio: Kuku Studios
Cast: Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Elias Janssen, Craig Robinson, Simu Liu, Cristin Milioti, Omid Djalili, Gia Carides, SungWon Cho, Zachary Noah Piser
Synopsis
In Your Dreams is a comedy adventure that follows Stevie and her brother Elliot as they journey into the absurd landscape of their own dreams. If the siblings can withstand a snarky stuffed giraffe, zombie breakfast foods, and the queen of nightmares, the Sandman will grant them their ultimate dream come true…the perfect family.
Are you excited to journey into the wild world of In Your Dreams? Which dream creature are you hoping to see? Do you relate more to Stevie’s control or Elliot’s chaos? Let me know in the comments or @me!
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