Interview - From "it’s a small world" to "Little Nemo:" How Netflix’s "In Your Dreams" Channels Animated Childhood Wonder

What if you could journey into your own subconscious and reshape your family along the way? That’s the premise behind In Your Dreams, Netflix’s upcoming animated feature that follows two siblings navigating an absurd dreamworld in search of the Sandman. But along with the stuffed giraffes, zombie breakfast foods, and river crossings, there’s an emotional core, grounded in real-world family dynamics.

I got to speak with the creative team at the Annecy Festival where director Alex Woo, VFX supervisor Nicola Lavender, and production designer Steve Pilcher shared how the film blends humor, visual invention, and emotional honesty. Among its many inspirations? A 120-year-old comic strip and a certain boat ride through singing animatronics.

Asked about possible influences like Drop Dead Fred and Little Monsters, Woo pointed to a deeper legacy. “Little Nemo in Slumberland for sure," he said. “Not just the ’80s movie they did, but the original comic that Winsor McCay did back in 1903 or something like that. I'm an animation nerd—he obviously invented the medium. He's sort of this looming figure in the industry."

That inspiration informed a dreamworld where anything goes—including affectionate parody. One trailer moment features a brightly colored corridor that evokes Disney’s it’s a small world. According to Pilcher, that was deliberate: “There's a sort of a parody nod to that in terms of its theme, but it's very grounded in the concept and relating to the real world."

One such location is Poly Pizzeria, a kid-focused eatery with a ball pit and mascots—a tongue-in-cheek nod to Chuck E. Cheese. “We really had fun doing that and embraced it," Pilcher said. “You'll see that and then of course when you see the Vulpit River—that's another transitional set in the dream world."

Creating limitless worlds sounds liberating, but for the In Your Dreams team, boundaries were key. “When all the parameters are off, it's overwhelming. It kind of kills creativity," Pilcher explained. “You’ve got a grounded real world and the dream world, and they interrelate. Once you set up the aesthetic in the real world... then you can take that into the dream world and go as far as you want—so long as it always comes back."

VFX supervisor Nicola Lavender added that while the variety was exciting, it was also technically demanding. “There was a lot of unique worlds and characters. It was very heavy in effects," she said. “Some of the characters that nobody's seen yet required just a lot of teamwork... figuring out how they were going to move, how we were going to control them, how to technically get it through the pipeline."

That challenge reached its peak with the reveal of Baloney Tony, a dusty, well-worn stuffed giraffe with a flair for dramatics. Lavender described the process as one of constant refinement: “We did rounds with Alex and Steve to make sure we had the look and the coverage. Animation did the shot, then effects could take over, but they knew what they were aiming towards."

Pilcher said the visual goal was specific: “We really wanted it to feel like—remember the old Clairol commercials? Really bloom that out, blow that water, contradict what's going on. Got flies and dust... make it look gorgeous, then shut it off."

While In Your Dreams is full of stylized chaos, it’s grounded in the emotional journey of siblings Stevie and Elliot. “If you don't have [that emotional core], you just have a lot of noise," Woo said. “We would always ask ourselves, ‘What’s the point of this scene? How does it relate to Stevie's journey? To Elliot’s? To their relationship and what they're learning?’"

The film was produced during the pandemic, with Woo directing remotely from Hong Kong. “I spent 18 months of the pandemic in Hong Kong... working from midnight to 10 a.m. every day and sleeping during the daytime," he said. “But my mom did my laundry. I didn’t have to cook for 18 months. It was glorious."

For Lavender, the remote experience unexpectedly helped the team bond. “We really kind of took the walls down," she said. “It meant that we could really become one team... and that doesn't always happen."

Woo agreed: “I didn't want any of that client-service dynamic. I wanted us all to feel like we were one team making this movie together."

The voice cast for In Your Dreams includes Craig Robinson, Simu Liu, and Cristin Milioti. While the characters were already defined, the actors elevated them in unexpected ways, especially Robinson as Baloney Tony.

“He just elevated the comedy to a place that I did not expect," Woo said. “There’s a moment when he’s arguing with Stevie and jumps on her head—all that was Craig. You can’t write that. It's just him in the room, screaming his lungs out. The way he screams is so funny, we were like, that’s gold."

Lavender added that Robinson’s performance also energized the animation team. “They watch all of those takes that Alex does with them, and it really drives the animation and gives a lot of inspiration."

For Woo, the emotional themes of In Your Dreams draw from both personal experience and broader cultural reflection. “I grew up in both the U.S. and Asia," he said. “Being outside the U.S. during my formative years gave me a different vantage point. I grew up on movies telling me that if I followed my dreams, they would come true. That’s a very American concept."

He continued, “Sometimes your dreams don’t come true—and that actually happens for most of life. Maybe you have five moments in your life where your dreams actually come true. The rest is you trying, failing, or adapting."

That philosophy sits at the heart of In Your Dreams—a visually outrageous, emotionally grounded adventure that dares to ask not what your dreams are made of, but what they mean.

Click here for more coverage from Annecy Festival.