With the trailer now released, Netflix viewers can begin to dive into the whimsical world of In Your Dreams, a visually stunning animated film that blends real-life experiences with surreal dreamscapes. I had the chance to watch 30 minutes of the film and go behind the scenes with Director Alex Woo and Producer Tim Hahn to explore the creative journey that brought this story to life.

By combining humor, heartfelt moments, and playful nightmares, In Your Dreams captures the magic and unpredictability of childhood imagination. The film takes audiences on a dreamlike journey that feels both familiar and fantastical, offering a unique animated adventure for viewers of all ages.

In Your Dreams has been a passion project for nearly a decade. “We first came up with the idea in 2016, pitched it, shelved it, and then Netflix brought it back to life in 2020,” Woo shared. “From that initial spark to production through the pandemic — it’s been a long road.”

CREATING MEMORABLE CHARACTERS AND WORLDS FOR, IN YOUR DREAMS

IN YOUR DREAMS – Visual development art by Mike Dutton Cr: Netflix © 2025
IN YOUR DREAMS – Visual development art by Eric Benson and Daniel Arriaga. Cr: Netflix © 2025
IN YOUR DREAMS – In Your Dreams is a comedy adventure about Stevie (12) and her little brother Elliot (8) who 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. Cr: Netflix © 2024

A key part of the film’s charm lies in its memorable characters, particularly Baloney Tony. Woo explained, “My brother used to have this stuffed animal with a big grass stain — we called him Butthole Bear. That was a huge inspiration. Everyone has had a stuffed animal they loved to death. We knew we had to put one into the story.”

Equally impressive is the film’s rich, imperfectly crafted world. According to Hahn, the goal was to make everything look imperfect in the CG animated film, because “if everything looks perfect, it looks fake,” Hahn said. “The goal was to make everything look imperfect. That dovetailed beautifully into the story — a child trying to make everything perfect, but life doesn’t work that way.”

In an era where AI is a hot topic in animation, the team made a deliberate choice to keep the work fully human. “The whole point of making art is to bring the human side, the human soul, into the work,” Woo emphasized. The story team even drew from their own dreams: “We had the whole story team write down their recurring dreams — scary ones, funny ones, the best ones. Then we picked the ones that fit. I’ve had the teeth-falling-out dream way too many times,” he said.

Produced by Netflix Animation and Kuku Studios, In Your Dreams is set for a limited theatrical release on November 7, 2025, before streaming on Netflix on November 14, 2025.

In Your Dreams Official Trailer Teases Netflix’s Heartwarming Family Comedy