Netflix's upcoming animated film In Your Dreams will approach the topic of dreams in a whole new way, utilizing the animated format to its fullest. The movie follows a young brother and sister, Elliot and Stevie, as they journey into the realm of dreams to have their dreams granted in real life: the perfect family.
Netflix invited The Direct to an event in Los Angeles with In Your Dreams director Alex Woo and actor Craig Robinson, who attended a live Q&A (moderated by Variety's Katcy Stephan) shortly after screening two exclusive clips and an early trailer for those in the audience.
When approaching the story he was aiming to tell, director Alex Woo explained that he "really wanted to make a movie that explores the question of, 'What do you do when your dreams actually don't come true?'"
Woo said that "dreams have always sort of fascinated me, and a dream movie in the animated space has sort of been a white whale." According to Woo, major animation studios have been unable to greenlight and release their films about dreams because they have been unable "to figure out how to give a dream movie stakes."
In Your Dreams also heavily thematically and narratively focuses on siblings, with Woo noting that he "think[s] a lot of this movie was [him] sort of trying to understand and appreciate [his brother] and his unique perspective and take on life."
A key component of In Your Dreams is the inclusion of the mythological figure The Sandman, whom the movie's main characters find out from an old book they discover (a scene shown off at the event to those in attendance).
"Sandman is like this Scandinavian folklore," Woo explained, noting that they realized that if their characters "could find Sandman in the dream world, we can make the dreams come true," something that "connected those two realities" and "gave the film stakes."
In the new animated Netflix feature, Craig Robinson plays Baloney Tony, a stuffed animal of Elliot's (one of the film's leading characters) whose child owner had the habit of stuffing it with his favorite lunch meat. The actor described the process as "such a collaboration of jokes and just improvising in the moment, adding that In Your Dreams "is a love letter to our brothers and sisters."
Below are some of the most notable tidbits from Netflix's Q&A with In Your Dreams filmmaker Alex Woo and actor Craig Robinson. The film releases on Netflix on November 14, 2025.
In Your Dreams Director Alex Woo on Approaching Dreams in a Unique Way
"A Dream Movie In the Animated Space Has Sort of Been a White Whale."
- Moderator: "What can you tell me about why this was the project where you wanted to make your feature directorial debut, and what was special about it?"
Alex Woo: Yeah. I mean, one of the main reasons why it was my directorial debut was because this was the only movie that got greenlit. No. I mean, I think dreams have always sort of fascinated me, and a dream movie in the animated space has sort of been a white whale. I think every animation studio in the world has had a dream movie in development at some point over the last couple of decades. But none of them have ever been made because I think nobody could figure out how to give a dream movie stakes.
And so when we started our company and we were dreaming up different movie ideas. When we cracked it, we were like, oh my gosh. We've gotta make this really quickly. Otherwise, somebody else is gonna figure it out before us. So, that also helped. And then I think personally, I kinda grew up on movies that told me that if I wished hard enough, if I wanted something badly enough, that my dreams could come true. And as I grew up, I kinda realized, well, sometimes that's true, but sometimes it's not.
And I really wanted to make a movie that explores the question of, 'What do you do when your dreams actually don't come true?' How do you find hope? How do you keep moving forward in life? How do you find a way through? So that was sort of the big inspiration for me for this movie, and that's why I wanted to so desperately to make it.
In Your Dreams Is a Love Letter to Siblings
Alex Woo's New Film May Be an Elaborate Way to Tell His Brother He Loves Him
- Moderator: "So, I'm curious how that relationship between the siblings came together and why that became such the emotional crux for this film?"
Alex Woo: Yeah. I mean, I have a little brother, and Elliot is very much based on him. I'm very much Stevie. And me and my brother, we've had sort of our epic battles throughout our childhood. I'm sort of the perfectionistic, overbearing older sibling. He's the carefree, fun-loving, charming little brother. And I think a lot of this movie was me sort of trying to understand and appreciate him and his unique perspective and take on life.
One of my good friends who knows me a little too well saw the movie, and he said, you know, this film is just a really circuitous way of you telling your brother that you love him. And I was like, I guess. So, yeah, I guess I don't know. Making movies is easier than dealing with your feelings.
Craig Robinson on Why He Became a Stuffed Giraffe Named Baloney Tony
"I Could See Me As This Crazy Stuffed Animal For Some Reason."
- Moderator: "Now, Craig, you have had some iconic voice roles. You've been involved in so many iconic comedy projects. What is it about Baloney Tony that you said, this is the guy for me? This is the giraffe for me."
Craig Robinson: You know, this script is just, it touches all of us. Right? Everybody dreams of if you don't—We all do dream about dreaming. So it was, just to be a part of it was like, you know, something real. And Tony was just so funny and silly. And, I could see me as this crazy stuffed animal for some reason. You know.
- Moderator: "I think it's safe to say Baloney Tony is going to become one of those next iconic characters from a movie that kids are going to really connect with. What did you tap into in crafting the voice for him? And did you have baloney with you on set when you were recording?"
Robinson: Didn't have baloney with me, but, yeah, you know, you both touched on like, it's such a collaboration of jokes and just improvising in the moment... It was so much fun. And, also, it is a love letter to our brothers and sisters. You know?
So, because I have a younger brother and an older sister. So, that was all real. Joanne, Joe, and my brother and I are were relentless in teasing our sister with all love and faith, but it's like, the text messages like, she— you can't misspell a word in our text. It's over. You know what I'm saying?... So, it's all in there.
And then, even my mother and father, when he's gotta be the hero, I'm looking at my dad or my mother when he's him, and Joanne actually do, you know, he does have to be sweet to her, Stevie. So, it's a huge, between the collaboration and just, like, leaning on family.
Bringing The Sandman Into in Your Dreams
"It Helped Us Crack the Movie..."
- Moderator: "Now, of course, this gives an interesting take on the legend of The Sandman overall. What was it about the lore surrounding The Sandman? I love that we get that needle drop of hearing. What was it about that lore that made you interested in making that the backdrop for the story about dreams and family?"
Alex Woo: It helped us crack the movie, to be honest. The Sandman is like this Scandinavian folklore about how, or why kids have dreams when they sleep. Right? So the mythology is that when you go to sleep, Sandman comes over you, sprinkles sand over your eyes while you wake up with a little bit of coffee in the morning. But that's how you get dreams.
So the story about the [Sandman], I was sort of limited to that. The origin story of why we have dreams. And so, like, what we did was we extended that and said, well, what if we could find Sandman in the dream world, we can make the dreams come true. And then suddenly, you can have something in the dream world affect the real world. And that's how we connected those two realities and then gave the film stakes. So, it was really a great plot device. That's what really drew me to the Sandman.
Also, one of my favorite movies in the world is 'Back to the Future.' And that song, by The Chordettes is used in that movie. And so there's sort of like a secret, you know, homage to that film for me, with the Sandman and that song.
Check out some of the other big projects Netflix has in store for audiences in 2025.
