Netflix’s upcoming animated movie In Your Dreams goes to strategy the matter of goals in a complete new means, using the animated format to its fullest. The film follows a younger brother and sister, Elliot and Stevie, as they journey into the realm of goals in an effort to have their goals granted in actual life: the excellent household.

The Direct was invited by Netflix to attend an occasion in Los Angeles with In Your Dreams director Alex Woo and actor Craig Robertson, who attended a stay Q&A (moderated by Selection’s Katcy Stephan) shortly following the screening of two unique clips and early trailer for these in the viewers.

When approaching the story he was aiming to inform, director Alex Woo defined that he “actually wished to make a film that explores the query of, ‘What do you do when your goals truly do not come true?'”

Woo stated that “goals have at all times kind of fascinated me, and a dream film in the animated area has kind of been a white whale.” In response to Woo, main animation studios have been unable to greenlight and launch their movies about goals on account of them being unable “to determine find out how to give a dream film stakes.”

In Your Dreams additionally has a heavy thematic and narrative focus on siblings, with Woo noting that he “assume[s] a lot of this film was [him] kind of making an attempt to grasp and respect [his brother] and his distinctive perspective and take on life.”

A key part of In Your Dreams is the inclusion of the mythological determine The Sandman, whom the film’s principal characters discover out from an previous guide they uncover (a scene proven off at the occasion to these in attendance).

“Sandman is like this Scandinavian folklore,” Woo defined, noting that they realized that if their characters “might discover Sandman in the dream world, we are able to make the goals come true,” one thing that “linked these two realities” and “gave the movie stakes.”

In the new animated Netflix characteristic, Craig Robinson performs Baloney Tony, a stuffed animal of Elliot’s (considered one of the main characters of the movie) who his little one proprietor had the behavior of stuffing along with his favourite lunch meat.

The actor described the course of as “such a collaboration of jokes and simply improvising in the second, including that In Your Dreams “is a love letter to our brothers and sisters.“

A few of the most notable tidbits from Netflix’s Q&A with In Your Dreams filmmaker Alex Woo and actor Craig Robinson will be learn in full beneath.

The movie releases on Netflix on November 14, 2025.

In Your Dreams Director Alex Woo on Approaching Dreams In a Distinctive Means

“A Dream Movie In the Animated House Has Kind of Been a White Whale.”

• Moderator: “What are you able to inform me about why this was the undertaking the place you wished to make your characteristic directorial debut, and what was particular about it?”

Alex Woo: Yeah. I imply, considered one of the principal the explanation why it was my directorial debut was as a result of this was the solely film that received greenlit. No. I imply, I believe goals have at all times kind of fascinated me, and a dream film in the animated area has kind of been a white whale. I believe each animation studio in the world has had a dream film in improvement in some unspecified time in the future over the final couple of a long time. However none of them have ever been made as a result of I believe no one might determine find out how to give a dream film stakes.

And so after we began our firm and we had been dreaming up totally different film concepts. Once we cracked it, we had been like, oh my gosh. We have gotta make this actually rapidly. In any other case, someone else is gonna determine it out earlier than us. So, that additionally helped. After which I believe personally, I kinda grew up on films that informed me that if I needed laborious sufficient, if I wished one thing badly sufficient, that my goals might come true. And as I grew up, I kinda realized, properly, generally that is true, however generally it is not.

And I actually wished to make a film that explores the query of, ‘What do you do when your goals truly do not come true?’ How do you discover hope? How do you retain shifting ahead in life? How do you discover a means by? In order that was kind of the large inspiration for me for this film, and that is why I wished to so desperately to make it.

In Your Dreams Is a Love Letter to Siblings

Alex Woo’s New Movie Might Be an Elaborate Option to Inform His Brother He Loves Him

• Moderator: “So, I am curious how that relationship between the siblings got here collectively and why that grew to become such the emotional crux for this movie?”

Alex Woo: Yeah. I imply, I’ve a little brother, and Elliot may be very a lot primarily based on him. I am very a lot Stevie. And me and my brother, we have had kind of our epic battles all through our childhood. I am kind of the perfectionistic, overbearing older sibling. He is the carefree, fun-loving, charming little brother. And I believe a lot of this film was me kind of making an attempt to grasp and respect him and his distinctive perspective and take on life.

Certainly one of my good mates who is aware of me a little too properly noticed the film, and he stated, you realize, this movie is simply a actually circuitous means of you telling your brother that you just love him. And I used to be like, I assume. So, yeah, I assume I do not know. Making films is simpler than coping with your emotions.

Craig Robinson on Why He Grew to become a Stuffed Giraffe Named Baloney Tony

“I May See Me As This Loopy Stuffed Animal For Some Motive.”

• Moderator: “Now, Craig, you will have had some iconic voice roles. You’ve got been concerned in so many iconic comedy initiatives. What’s it about Baloney Tony that you just stated, that is the man for me? That is the giraffe for me.”

Craig Robinson: , this script is simply, it touches all of us. Proper? All people goals of when you do not—All of us do dream about dreaming. So it was, simply to be a a part of it was like, you realize, one thing actual. And Tony was simply so humorous and foolish. And, I might see me as this loopy stuffed animal for some motive. .

• Moderator: “I believe it is secure to say Baloney Tony goes to grow to be a type of subsequent iconic characters from a film that children are going to actually join with. What did you faucet into in crafting the voice for him? And did you will have baloney with you on set if you had been recording?”

Robinson: Did not have baloney with me, however, yeah, you realize, you each touched on like, it is such a collaboration of jokes and simply improvising in the second… It was a lot enjoyable. And, additionally, it’s a love letter to our brothers and sisters. ?

So, as a result of I’ve a youthful brother and an older sister. So, that was all actual. Joanne, Joe, and my brother and I are had been relentless in teasing our sister with all love and religion, nevertheless it’s like, the textual content messages like, she— you’ll be able to’t misspell a phrase in our textual content. It is over. what I am saying?… So, it is all in there.

After which, even my mom and father, when he is gotta be the hero, I am my dad or my mom when he is him, and Joanne truly do, you realize, he does must be candy to her, Stevie. So, it is a large, between the collaboration and simply, like, leaning on household.

Bringing The Sandman Into ‘In Your Dreams’

“It Helped Us Crack the Movie…”

• Moderator: “Now, after all, this provides an fascinating take on the legend of The Sandman general. What was it about the lore surrounding The Sandman? I like that we get that needle drop of listening to. What was it about that lore that made you interested by making that the backdrop for the story about goals and household?”

Alex Woo: It helped us crack the film, to be sincere. The Sandman is like this Scandinavian folklore about how, or why youngsters have goals after they sleep. Proper? So the mythology is that if you fall asleep, Sandman comes over you, sprinkles sand over your eyes whilst you get up with a little little bit of espresso in the morning. However that is the way you get goals.

So the story about the [Sandman], I used to be kind of restricted to that. The origin story of why we now have goals. And so, like, what we did was we prolonged that and stated, properly, what if we might discover Sandman in the dream world, we are able to make the goals come true. After which immediately, you’ll be able to have one thing in the dream world have an effect on the actual world. And that is how we linked these two realities after which gave the movie stakes. So, it was actually a nice plot gadget. That is what actually drew me to the Sandman.

Additionally, considered one of my favourite films in the world is ‘Again to the Future.’ And that music, by The Chordettes is utilized in that film. And so there’s kind of like a secret, you realize, homage to that movie for me, with the Sandman and that music.

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