In Your Dreams (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – Stevie and her little brother Elliot journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family.

My Take – Though Netflix‘s animation wing are continuing to prove that they have what it takes to compete with bigger studios like Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks and others, at least visually, their overall output has been a set of hit-or-miss, with some landing hard with real emotional weight, while others end up like being those standard fluff out there, simply made to drawn in a family crowd.

However, this latest from the streaming giant lands somewhere in between. In the sense, it is a harmless, feel-good watch–it’s warm, visually pleasant, and sprinkled with enough heart to keep you engaged, even if it never breaks new ground. It’s simple. But it works.

Most importantly, the story, co-written by Alex Woo, Erik Benson and Stanley Moore, hits something we rarely talk about honestly: accepting that life isn’t supposed to be perfect and the power of family bonds in the face of adversity.

Sure, for anyone hoping for something fresh or inventive, it may feel too familiar, but with its positive message of embracing sorrow rather than shying away from it, the film is perfectly suited for little ones who make up the primary audience of this film. It is also a positive feature directorial debut for director Alex Woo, a former Story Artist at Pixar and founder of Kuku Studios, and Erik Benson, who are able to use the animated format to tell otherworldly stories about very real feelings and experiences.

The story follows Stevie (voiced by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport), a 12-year-old straight-A kid, who believes that she has to fix everything, including her family’s problems. Once a popular indie folk duo, her parents, Michael (voiced by Simu Liu) and Jennifer (voiced by Cristin Milioti), are now struggling to adapt to life with two kids.

While Michael is still chasing the dream of stardom, Jennifer has decided to pursue a more stable career in teaching after giving birth to Elliot (voiced by Elias Janssen), Stevie’s fun-loving and messy 8-year-old brother. And as the distance between her parents seem to be growing, Stevie continues to be 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 (voiced by Omid Djalili), a supernatural individual who has the power to grant anyone their deepest 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 (voiced by Gi Carides).

What follows is the adventure of a nighttime, where breakfast cereals and lost toys come to life, beds turn into horses, nightmares turn into curses, and Stevie and Elliot are in a race against time to keep the family united.

Visually, the film 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 minds of Stevie and Elliot keep the format original and interesting to see, despite the relatively repetitive concept of traveling through multiple dreams.

This is matched with an exciting 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.

Without a doubt, the relationships between the main characters are the driving force here. 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. The film has a big message about understanding what family means.

It highlights the troubled mindset a kid can get themselves into when they worry about their parents’ future. The message becomes clear and shows how important life can be despite differences in everyday life.

However, 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. Also, the film’s humor is a mixed bag. 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 (voiced by Craig Robinson), is not as successful. Nevertheless, the overall experience is breezy and brings a few smiles, gives you the feels, makes you love Elliot, and then parts ways—nothing more, nothing less.

Voice performance wise, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport and Elias Janssen make a very likable and believable set of siblings. Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti share good chemistry, especially when the two were working through their issues. Craig Robinson, Omid Djalili and Gi Carides are also solid. On the whole, ‘In Your Dreams‘ is a sweet bedtime-style adventure that is not exactly groundbreaking, but manages to be heartfelt and meaningful.