In Your Dreams – Review and Summary
In Your Dreams, with its messages regarding fear, comfort, and the unknown, tries to makeup for how generic it is in almost every other aspect.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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“In Your Dreams” Film Details
- Director(s): Alex Woo, Erik Benson
- Writer(s): Alex Woo, Erik Benson
- Based On Work By: Alex Woo, Stanley Moore
- Distributor: Netflix
- Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 30 Minutes
- Public Release Date (Netflix): November 14, 2025
- Genre(s): Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Youth, Animation
- Content Rating: Rated PG
- Primary Language: English
- More Information (External Link)
Movie Summary
Stevie is 12, shares a room with her little brother, Elliot, and her parents, who once had a band together, seem to slowly but surely be diverging on what they may do next in life, as Michael wants to get the band back together. Jenn, on the other hand, is looking for a university position. Enter Elliot, finding a book about the Sandman who can grant wishes, and Stevie hoping he has the power to keep her family together.,
Cast and Characters
Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Stevie is an overachiever type student, who likes things rooted in logic, who finds herself having to operate more based on feelings, hope, not what is right in front of her, in order to work her way towards being happy.
Elliot (Elias Janssen)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Elliot is Stevie’s little brother, who isn’t as studious as she is whatsoever. Getting a B would freak Stevie out, while a C is a high mark for Elliot. But what he doesn’t have in academic prowess, he tries to make up for with practicing magic.
Michael (Simu Liu)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Michael seemingly peaked when he and his wife were in a band, Hypsonics. Since then, while he is a good dad, he has slowly but surely become someone who isn’t that great of a partner. Good for the fun times, but with money increasingly being something to think about, he isn’t helping as much as Jenn would want him to.
Jenn (Cristin Milioti)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Jenn is a teacher, looking to become a professor, who loves how playful Michael can be, but it is becoming clear that with them having a 12-year-old, who needs her own room soon, he isn’t stepping up like she needs him to. Especially in terms of supporting her growth, just because where they would have to move to would make him uncomfortable.
Sandman (Omid Djalili)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Sandman is an entity who has power over dreams. He shows people what they want, and allows them a relief from the world of the awake.
Nightmara (Gia Carides)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Nightmara is Sandman’s counterpart, who produces nightmares not necessarily meant to frighten people, but to get them to face their fears rather than avoid them.
Baloney Tony (Craig Robinson)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Baloney Tony is one of Elliot’s favorite stuffed animals, who, because Elliot refuses to let him be cleaned, Stevie hates – and the feeling is mutual.
What To Expect In “In Your Dreams” (Rated PG) – Content Overview
- Miscellaneous:
- Innuendo
Other Noteworthy Information
- There is a mid-credit scene featuring the book Elliot found, talking about the Sandman, being picked up by a familiar face.
Review and Commentary
Highlight(s)
A Good Set Of Messages Is Portrayed [83/100]
One of the big things In Your Dreams pushes is the fear of change. The possibility of moving to somewhere he may not fit in is Michael’s fear, her parents splitting up is Stevie’s fear, Elliot worries about being split from his sister, and Jenn? There appears to be the fear that the man she loves may not be able or willing to be part of her next chapter.
It all feels like something very real and not touched upon too much for movies that appear to be aimed at kids. After all, the lives of parents don’t always stop when they have kids, and lead to them settling into this mindset of ridding themselves of being an individual for their nuclear family. Jenn wants to get to the next level of teaching, Michael misses being an active musician, and having kids doesn’t mean putting those dreams away for either. If anything, it is treated as another factor to think about.
Then there isn’t just the fear of change, but facing your fear. The kids are pushed to handle this more as they have to face Nightmara, who is shown to be the Sandman’s counterpart. She throws everything they fear at them to keep them from seeing the Sandman, but one thing In Your Dreams does, which might be surprising, is that it doesn’t allow for anyone to be a villain.
If anything, it makes the characters their own villains since it is Jenn’s fear and her trying to control her family, which creates a negative situation in the film. It is Elliot holding onto Baloney Tony, and fear of losing Stevie as a de facto best friend that made him a villain in her story, and the parents? It is the lack of support for the dreams one had or the reality of another. All Nightmara seemed to call for was for everyone to face their fears, while the Sandman allowed them the option to be the proverbial ostrich that got to bury their head in the sand.
You Get Invested In This Family Staying Together [85/100]
For a good part of the movie, it isn’t clear what Michael and Jenn may ultimately decide. Michael is a good father, but he is clearly longing for what life was like when he and Jenn were in a band together. So, the idea of moving to a place that isn’t his vibe, you can imagine him being immature enough to put his foot down or try to argue with Jenn.
This, in turn, pushes you to think like Stevie and wonder if this is it for Jenn? She wants better for herself, her daughter is 12 and needs her own room, so Michael, being as stubborn as their son, who probably isn’t even seven yet, does she want to put up with that?
For most people, ambition is a top-tier trait in a partner, and while Michael is strong, attractive, and good with the kids, it is questionable how ambitious he is. Even just for the family, never mind himself. So as you see Stevie become more desperate, setting aside her usual logic in hopes her dreams can become reality, it makes you seriously wonder, when In Your Dreams resolves everything, will Stevie be forced to accept her parents can be friends, co-parents, but the relationship is over? Or will they reconcile, and Michael can get his big boy shoes on and join his wife on this new journey?
On The Fence
For The Most Part, The Animation Is Unremarkable [75/100]
Fully recognizing the skill and time it takes to animate hair, a bed flying through the world, sand, and shadows, I feel like In Your Dreams, at best, hits the standard expected for animation in 2025. But, it doesn’t present anything that can feel unique or like a signature for Netflix or the production team behind this movie. Some animated moments are interesting and don’t feel generic (like shown above), but they are sparsely used.
Baloney Tony [72/100]
To me, Baloney Tony felt like a generic, could catch on in the stuffed animal world, but mainly is a potentially annoying comic relief type of character. Yes, the bridge that Baloney Tony is between Stevie and Elliot does give him slightly more meaning than being a wise-cracking character – but not by much. More often than not, this film seems perfectly fine without Baloney Tony, and his absence isn’t felt.
Overall
Our Rating (78/100): Mixed (Divisive)
In Your Dreams has a wonderful message and characters you easily can get invested in, but with generic animation, and sometimes feeling by the book regarding what characters are included, it’s good enough to watch, but not good enough to make an imperative to watch.
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