Netflix dropped the In Your Dreams trailer today and I am excited to finally share what I learned from a sneak preview day where we saw select clips and heard directly from the creators about how the music shapes the film. The heartbeat of In Your Dreams is not just its dream logic. It is the soundtrack that anchors memory, mood, and character.
In a Q and A, co-director Alex Woo opened up about the needle drops, a showpiece original song, and how Netflix’s support helped the team license era-perfect tracks that feel like family history spinning on a living room stereo.
The Mix Of Needle Drops And An In Your Dreams Original
Woo did not hedge about the musical firepower that is baked into the film.
“There are both. How many more needle drops? I don’t know, like two? There’s some pretty great ones. Yeah, there’s a really great one. I can’t tell you what it is, but you’ll be very happy when you hear it. I think we’ll have to hold you in suspense until the film comes out.
I don’t have the total number off the top of my head. And there is an original song that’s really great. Simu and Cristin actually sing it. They perform it. And I don’t know if you know, but Cristin’s like an incredible singer. Simu is actually also very, very good. So we’re excited for the world to hear his performance.”
That answer sets expectations clearly. The soundtrack is doing character work and spectacle at once, and an in-story performance from Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti is positioned as a crowd moment designed to land both narratively and emotionally.
Licensing With Purpose, Not Just Nostalgia
Woo also explained how specific songs and a specific era palette serve the film’s world and the family at its center.
“Yeah, I mean, I think we were really lucky. We got a lot of support from Netflix. So there wasn’t any song that I wanted that we couldn’t get. Obviously, the rhythmic song was like first on my list. And then Outkast came in later, but I mean, such a great song and it’s got so much energy and it’s a great way to open the movie. And so we kind of looked at music that the parents, because they’re musicians, music that they kind of grew up with that they would be listening to and playing in the household.
So it’s a lot of stuff from like the late 80s and late 90s, early 2000s. So, yeah, there’s another needle drop in there that’s like a really big song. Again, we’re going to hold you in suspense, but that one. Yeah, it was expensive, but we got the support because I think it made a lot of sense narratively. And props to the Netflix music team. They were amazing to work with and our music supervisor, Chris Doritas.”
In Your Dreams Trailer Reveals Magical Animated Chaos
This is not random crate digging. It is curation with character logic. A late 80s to early 2000s palette reflects what the parents would actually spin, which means the needle drops double as backstory and texture. The “great way to open the movie” note suggests a statement track that sets the film’s rhythm from frame one.
Why This Soundtrack Strategy Works
A small handful of well placed needle drops can do more than a playlist of deep cuts if every cue is serving story needs. Here, each licensed moment connects to who these characters are and where they came from. The original song then becomes a hinge that turns the plot and gives the cast a chance to show range in character, not just vocal fireworks.
In Your Dreams premieres November 14, exclusively on Netflix. The countdown to chaos, heart, and hilarious deli-fueled dreams has officially begun.
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.
Which needle drop era hits hardest for you, late 80s, late 90s, or early 2000s? What kind of scene do you think the Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti performance will power? Which opening track would you pick to set a dream movie’s tone? Tell me in the comments or @Me your thoughts.
KEEP READING: In Your Dreams Builds Surreal Cities From Breakfast Town to Broccoli Forest
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