Alex Woo and Erik Benson’s In Your Dreams is a charming animated film about the power of family bonds in the face of adversity.
Directors: Alex Woo & Erik Benson
Genre: Animated, Family, Fantasy
Run Time: 90′
Rated: PG
Theatrical Release: November 7, 2025 in select U.S. theaters and U.K. cinemas
Streaming Release: November 14, 2025 globally on Netflix
“But lately, all my dreams are turning into nightmares […]. Maybe they were trying to tell me something, or maybe it’s just a dream,” says the main character at the beginning of In Your Dreams. As suggested by the title, this animated film focuses heavily on dreams and, more specifically, on the protagonist’s desire to keep her family happy and together. Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) is twelve years old, a straight-A kid, and believes that she has to fix everything, including her family’s problems.
Once a popular indie folk duo, her parents, Michael (Simu Liu, of One True Loves) and Jennifer (Cristin Milioti, of Black Mirror Season 7), are now struggling to adapt to life with two kids. Michael is still chasing the dream of stardom, but Jennifer decided to pursue a more stable career in teaching after giving birth to Elliot (Elias Janssen), Stevie’s fun-loving and messy eight-year-old brother. As their parents’ dreams and desires do not seem to match, Stevie is terrified about how their relationship could transform and, therefore, impact all of their lives.
But everything changes when Elliot finds a book about the Sandman (Omid Djalili), a supernatural individual who can grant anyone their wishes. As Stevie and Elliot embark on a journey to find the Sandman, they will have to venture through their dreams and face their nightmares sent by the terrifying Nightmara (Gi Carides).
The relationships between the main characters are the driving force behind In Your Dreams. Not only are they very well developed, but the family relationships also feel very real, from Stevie’s annoyance with her younger brother to her parents’ disagreements. In the end, the movie is not about how you can make your dreams come true, but rather, about the strength of family relationships that can survive the hardest challenges, and the change that Stevie is so scared of.
Visually, In Your Dreams does an excellent job at literally transporting the audience into the world of dreams, and even nightmares. The different and over-the-top scenarios that we see in the characters’ minds keep the format original and interesting to see, despite the relatively repetitive concept of travelling through multiple dreams. This is matched in the soundtrack, which mirrors the protagonists’ emotions as they travel through dreamscapes and have to face their biggest fears. This helps the film constantly build tension and keep a tight pace until the very end, delivering an action-packed movie with an unexpected but welcome twist and charming ending.
The worldbuilding of In Your Dreams is very fascinating, especially in the third act when both the viewers and the protagonists find out that there is more to the Sandman’s promise than meets the eye. However, I could not help but feel that some of it was not explored thoroughly in the movie. While the family relationships are very well thought out, some of the supernatural characters and their backstories remain a mystery. This is especially true of Nightmara, who might very well be the most interesting character of all, but the least explored throughout the film.
A lot of the jokes also fall flat, making the film’s humour feel forced and unnatural. Some of it is clearly primarily aimed at kids, and yet they still feel too simple and overused for any audience to actually appreciate. The adventure part of the story is incredibly strong, but the comedy, which predominantly relies on Elliot and his beloved stuffed toy, Baloney Tony (Craig Robinson), is not as successful, and it is a shame to see this element of In Your Dreams fail.
Overall, In Your Dreams is a sweet and heartwarming film. With its positive message of embracing adversity rather than shying away from it, the movie is perfectly suited for kids who make up the primary audience of this film. It is also a positive feature directorial debut for Alex Woo and Erik Benson, who are able to use the animated format to tell otherworldly stories about very real feelings and experiences.
In Your Dreams (Netflix): Movie Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
In order to make their dreams come true and keep their family together, twelve-year-old Stevie and her little brother Elliot must face their fears in their worst nightmares.
Pros:
- The relationships between the different characters and their reaction to the events in the story feel very real.
- The soundtrack works really well to support the emotional part of the story.
- Visually, the film does a good job of portraying the world of dreams and nightmares.
Cons:
- The humour is predominantly aimed at kids and could easily fall flat with an older audience
- Some of the world-building and character development could have been better explored.
In Your Dreams will be released in select US theatres on and UK cinemas on November 7, 2025 and will be available to stream globally on Netflix from November 14.
