The new Netflix animated film “In Your Dreams” is making a bold statement: real families fight, and it’s time children’s media acknowledged it. This central thesis, championed by star Simu Liu, drives the narrative of the adventure-comedy, which lands in theaters this Friday. The film presents a family unit not as a perfect monolith, but as a collection of individuals struggling with conflict, a reality Liu found “fascinating.”
The ‘Shang-Chi’ star, who voices the father, was candid about his motivations. “The way that families are depicted… is this idea that families are always happy,” Liu said. “It’s just not true.” He stressed the importance of providing children with “imagery of families that aren’t perfect,” a goal the film achieves by centering on a couple whose marriage is failing, prompting their children to seek a magical solution.
This quest is the focus of the plot, directed by Pixar veteran Alex Woo (“Ratatouille,” “WALL·E”). Siblings Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and Elliot (Elias Janssen) journey to find The Sandman, hoping he can magically repair their parents’ fractured relationship. This fantastical element, animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks, provides a colorful backdrop for a story about heavy, real-world emotions.
The cast features Cristin Milioti as the Mom and Craig Robinson as a stuffed animal named Baloney Tony. Milioti, an Emmy and Grammy-winning performer, highlighted a duet with Liu as a key emotional beat. The song allows the audience to see the couple in harmony, a “beautiful moment” that underscores the tragedy of their conflict and the children’s desperation to “fix” it.
The film’s message, however, is one of maturation. Stevie, the young hero, must eventually accept that “there is no magic solution to real-life problems.” Her journey, as described by Hoang-Rappaport, is about realizing she can’t “fix this on my own.” “In Your Dreams” concludes on this note of realistic truth, proving that a family film can be both entertaining and emotionally honest.