It was about time that someone cracked into the market that Pixar holds on animated films. Netflix is looking to do that, and quite possibly has done it, with In Your Dreams. The new animated film is quite a simple premise: two kids find a book that allows them to enter their dreams, and they go on a journey to find the Sandman to make their dreams come true. This is the story of Stevie (voiced by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and Elliot (voiced by Elias Janssen). They are two kids whose parents are going through a rough patch (voiced by Cristin Milioti and Simu Liu). Mom is a teacher and is looking at possibly getting a new job in Duluth, while Dad is a musician and is still holding onto the memories of when he and Mom made music together.

What ends up happening is that Stevie and Elliot go into their wildest dreams that are filled with inventive and creative landscapes, creatures, and breakfast, lots of breakfast. They also end up meeting old friends like Ellot’s stuffie Baloney Tony (voiced by Craig Robinson). Tony is adorable, he’s the 100% highlight of the film. Robinson is gut-bustingly hilarious as the stuffed giraffe that Elliot and Stevie find in their own dreams.

The center crux of the entire movie is finding your family and how that family affects everyone. Stevie wants her parents and her family to stay together, even though it looks like her parents are heading for a split, Elliot is somewhat oblivious to the issues, and wants things that every child wants, but through the film, he also sees what matters most, family. No, this isn’t some sort of Fast & Furious overexplanation of family, but it brings together plenty of feelings that we’ve all been through.

In Your Dreams has a visual style that could possibly turn people off, but as it goes on, the style really helps with the themes and story being told. It’s slightly realistic looking when we’re in the real world, but once you hit the dream world, it’s vibrant and colorful. Directors Erik Benson and Alex Woo really nailed it in this aspect. Each of the various dream worlds, and there are a lot of them, are visually distinct and then once you get to the Sandman, it’s back to a more muted color palate.

There are a couple of things that were a bit off about the film, including the ending, which has a bit of a strange reveal involving a character that we’re led to believe is evil and important, that really feels like it didn’t need to be in the movie at all. The other is that it goes so much into Stevie’s emotional journey but kind of skimps out on Elliot. They’re the two stars of the film, but there could have been a bit more of an introspective look into how Elliot was affected by the events.

Outside of that, though, In Your Dreams is as adorable and emotional as it gets. For adults watching along with their kids, this is one of those Goldilocks zone movies where the humor works for both kids and adults. The themes and emotions on display are also enough for kids to understand and for adults to feel. Stevie and Elliot are wonderfully relatable. In Your Dreams will make you laugh, it’ll make you feel and yearn for childhood, it might make you cry, but it’ll leave you with a feeling of happiness, more than anything.

In Your Dreams releases in limited theaters on November 7th and on Netflix on November 14th, 2025.

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