Netflix’s In Your Dreams invites audiences into a meticulously crafted universe where imagination blurs the lines between reality and dreams. I had the chance to preview 30 minutes of the film and go behind the scenes with Director Alex Woo, Producer Tim Hahn, VFX Supervisor Nicola Lavender, and Production Designer Steve Pilcher, gaining insight into the remarkable nine-year journey that brought this story to life.

The creative team designed the world to reflect how dreams often borrow from real-life experiences, making each sequence feel both fantastical and grounded. “When you’re in dreams, it feels totally real until it changes,” Woo explained. Pilcher added, “Sometimes you don’t want all the characters to know they’re in a dream. When the bed comes alive, it kind of clues you into it being a dream.” 

These subtle cues allow audiences to navigate the shifting reality of the story without breaking the spell of the dreamscape. A centerpiece of the film is Breakfast Town, a playful French medieval-style town inspired by Stephen Elliot’s childhood memories. The town is imagined as if constructed from craft materials, reflecting the whimsical logic of a child’s imagination. 

“We made the town a memory a child might construct, so it feels playful yet structured,” Lavender said, while Hahn described it as “crafted from popsicle sticks and milk cartons — like a memory she might play with as a kid.”

Creative Rules and the Art of Dream Logic

IN YOUR DREAMS – Visual development art Cr: Netflix © 2025

To further channel creativity, the team established clear rules for the dream world. While food could come alive, buildings couldn’t be made of it. These imaginative boundaries allowed the filmmakers to explore limitless scenarios while keeping the world internally consistent and believable.

Dreams in the film often shift from lighthearted to intense, reflecting the unpredictable nature of imagination. Breakfast Town, for example, transitions from a cheerful environment into a more sinister version as mold spreads across the landscape, ball pits transform into glowing lava, and storms introduce darker, atmospheric elements. Lavender noted, “To move into a nightmare, we drain color, create storm-like settings… It’s uncomfortable, cold, dark.” These visual transformations heighten tension while maintaining the playful tone of the story.

Blending Styles and Playful Details

In Your Dreams also blends 3D animation with anime-inspired visuals, carefully balancing shading, facial lines, and movement to maintain coherence while amplifying the surreal, dreamlike quality. The film’s attention to playfulness extends to tiny visual touches, from croissant artists to horrified eggs, and even clothing is thoughtfully designed, with textures and colors chosen to reflect character and narrative context.

In Your Dreams offers a vibrant, chaotic, and heartwarming animated adventure. Netflix viewers are invited this November to explore this imaginative universe, where the boundaries between reality and dreams dissolve in the most delightful ways.

In Your Dreams: Netflix Brings a Nine-Year Animated Journey to Life