Sweet dreams for these kids, their parents, and their toy giraffe friend.
“In Your Dreams” is a Netflix animated feature aimed for kids, and it works wonders for them and their parents. If only they can cut back on the cynicism of kids movies always being noisy. Full of farts that shoot lasers, a toy giraffe with one eye and Craig Robinson’s voice, and talking cereal, it fits the description of a children’s dream. And maybe it can shoot some positive messages for them about the distinction between dreams and nightmares and the meaning of family at the same time. Or maybe I’m sounding corny, but kids need some good children’s entertainment around here.
I’m pretty sure Netflix released “Orion and the Dark” last year, which was about a boy who was afraid of the dark, who turned out to be a character showing him the positive things to come out at night. And since it was written by Charlie Kaufman, it transitioned into something else, which even made it appealing for adults, too. I guess “In Your Dreams” and “Orion and the Dark” might be considered to be bedtime movies.
It tells the story of a young girl named Stevie (voiced by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her little brother Elliot (voiced by Elias Janssen), whose parents are on the verge of separation. They used to be a rock group, but the mom (voiced by Cristin Miloti) gave up, while the dad (voiced by Simu Liu) is struggling as a soloist. If their mom can get a new job in another state, then they would have to move and the sister and brother would have their own rooms. But their dad doesn’t want to move there, so it might be in that unfortunate stage.
One day, Elliot finds a book about the Sandman, takes it home, and he and Stevie read it and get transported in the land of dreams, but only when they’re both sleeping. This is where that Craig Robinson toy giraffe comes in. His name is Baloney Tony, and he smells like old meat, especially when Elliot leaves a trail of cold cuts for him to find his way back. He tells the kids that reaching the Sandman (voiced by Omid Djalili) won’t be that easy when the nightmare lady Nightmara (voiced by Gia Carides) throws “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Shining” inspired nightmares at them.
I’m an adult in my thirties, but I can still read between the lines of “In Your Dreams,” especially when it likes to go for “The Matrix” at one point. Along with its silly and sometimes weird sense of humor, I’m delighted by the flexible animation, especially when we get some nice anime shots and some animatronics that I almost think are in a different dimension of animation (this one tries to add “pizza” in The Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha”). Not all the gags work, but maybe I’m seeing this animated movie for different reasons, such as the sister-brother relationship, the messages they learn along the way, and the cartoon characters they find themselves dealing with.
After dealing with the immature mother-daughter relationship in “Regretting You,” I have seen two entertaining movies aimed for different audiences, but still handling their family dramas with honesty and heart. “Sentimental Value” dealt with the outcome of an actor father leaving his daughters behind and then coming back to them, while “In Your Dreams” takes these kids in the real world and the dream world. I don’t know if this will reach “KPop Demon Hunters'” global phenomenon level, but it does find a nice spot in Netflix’s screening room, and I think it’s a charmer. And I don’t even eat baloney.
Now Streaming on Netflix