Inside Netflix’s Next Oscar Contender: Cast and Creators Reveal Their Biggest Surprises

At the Hollywood premiere of In Your Dreams, the cast and filmmakers expressed their passion for the new Netflix and Kuku Studios animated feature, an emotionally rich and visually striking film already generating awards buzz. The movie follows two siblings on an adventure into the dream world to seek a wish from the mythical Sandman.

For director Alex Woo, the film’s completion is a dream realized. “Movie making is like cooking a great meal, and you’re inviting a bunch of friends over,” Woo said. “You’ve poured all this love, blood, sweat, and tears into the meal, and you just want to nourish ’em.”

Producers Tim Hahn and Gregg Taylor described the project as a labor of love. “I think it means the world to have something you’ve invented out of thin air but that comes from your own experiences,” Hahn explained. “You get to connect across generations, that’s the magic of the movies.” Taylor added that the team knew they had something special early on, particularly after the first recording sessions with actor Craig Robinson.

The film’s heart is central to its appeal. Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, one of the film’s young stars, was drawn to the project’s emotional depth from her first audition. “It’s really rare, especially in animation as a kid, to get a script… with such nuance,” she recalled. “I could tell that this film was going to have a lot of heart.” She hopes audiences take away the message that “leaning on your family and leaning on the people that really care is how you get through tough times.”

Her on-screen sibling, Elias Janseen, highlighted the film’s humor, much of which stems from Baloney Tony, a stuffed giraffe voiced by Craig Robinson. “He’s just super funny and always makes you laugh,” Janseen said. Robinson credited the director’s infectious passion for his performance. “I got in the booth and just wanted to do my best,” he said, noting that he also had freedom to improvise.

The production held several surprises for its cast. Simu Liu, who voices a key character, was delighted to learn he would perform a solo song. “We were already a year into the process, and Alex went, ‘You want to hear something cool? Here’s an original song… for you and Cristin [Milioti] to sing,'” Liu recalled. “It was beautiful.”

Gia Carides, who voices the antagonist Nightmara, was deeply involved in her character’s development. She worked closely with Woo to shape the villain, experimenting with different energies and accents—including British and Australian—before settling on “this beautiful New York accent, where she’s kind of wise and has been around the block.”

This creative spirit extended to the film’s score. Composer John Debney explained how the world of dreams allowed for a diverse musical landscape. “We go from kind of Western to big, beautiful, imaginative, almost impressionistic music,” he said. “It’s been fun to be able to do all these different kinds of music in one film.”

Reflecting on the long journey to completing his directorial debut, Woo offered advice to aspiring animators. “It took me 21 years to get to this point,” he shared. “I know it can be really discouraging when you’re hitting a wall… Patience is the key, and holding on to that faith in yourself is what matters.”

When asked what surprised them most about the process, the creators and cast pointed to the film’s unexpected evolution. Woo admitted the final product “turned out better than I expected,” exceeding his initial dreams for the independent project. Liu was struck by the recurring emotional power of the scenes, even when re-recording them months apart. For Debney, the biggest surprise was the dramatic depth of the sibling relationship that anchors the film’s action and adventure. “All of a sudden it comes down to the relationship,” he said. “That’s what I love.”

In Your Dreams will have a limited theatrical run starting November 7 before streaming on Netflix on November 14.

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