In Your Dreams Director Alex Woo and Producer Tim Hahn open up about Netflix’s hilarious, emotional, and brilliant upcoming animated feature.

Netflix’s upcoming animated film, In Your Dreams, is a creative journey into the human subconscious. Releasing on November 14th, the film follows siblings Stevie and Elliot as they journey into their own dreams to find the mythical Sandman and ask him to grant them the perfect family.

During a special Netflix event, the filmmakers participated in a press conference for a group of journalists that included Mama’s Geeky. Director Alex Woo and Producer Tim Hahn offered an exclusive look into the making of this highly anticipated film. They shared behind-the-scenes details and the inspiration behind the characters, story, and stunning animation. From the film’s deeply personal origins to the challenges of bringing a dream world to life, here is what the filmmakers revealed.

Alex Woo Reveals The Heart Of The Story

The film’s emotional core is rooted in Alex Woo’s own childhood. Woo revealed the initial inspiration came from his own experience with his family.

“When I was like maybe six or seven years old, my mom went away for a little bit, and obviously it was, you know, it was hard for me and my brother,” Woo shared. “We banded together and we tried all these hare brained schemes to try and get our parents to get back together. And that was the big inspiration for this film.”

Alex Woo’s Personal Inspiration For Baloney Tony

One of the film’s most memorable characters is the hilarious Baloney Tony, who is voiced by Craig Robinson. Woo shared the surprising origin of the character. “My brother used to have this stuffed animal that had this really gross stain on the back. We called him butthole bear,” Woo laughed. “That was a big inspiration for Baloney Tony.”

More than just a funny sidekick, Baloney Tony serves a deeper narrative purpose. Woo explained, “Baloney Tony is really supposed to be the sort of subconscious of Elliot, sort of his id.”

A Long Road To The Big Screen

The path to getting In Your Dreams made was a long one, spanning nearly a decade. Woo and Hahn first conceived the idea in late 2016 at their company, Kuku Studios. “We put a pitch together in six months. We pitched it around town. Nobody bought it,” Woo recalled.

After shelving the project to work on their show Go! Go! Cory Carson, the opportunity arose again with Netflix in 2020. “Netflix got into original features and so we pulled this idea off the shelf, pitched it to them, they liked it, and they green lit it.”

Alex Woo On The Kaleidoscope of Animation Styles

One of the most unforgettable aspects of In Your Dreams is its use of diverse animation styles to represent the dream world. Woo explained this creative decision, “It was so obvious to try and take advantage of the medium of animation and it’s about the world of dreams, and you have so many possibilities in a world of dreams.”

He specifically mentioned his love for anime. “I was really heavily influenced by anime as a kid. I wanted to find some way to put that sort of aesthetic into the film, and being in a world of dreams sort of gave us that license to do it.”

Musical Nostalgia And Budget Challenges

The film’s soundtrack is a trip back in time, featuring music from the ’80s and ’90s. Woo revealed they were fortunate to get the songs they wanted. “There wasn’t any song that I wanted that we couldn’t get,” he stated, noting that the Eurythmics song was “first on my list.”

Hahn praised the collaboration with the streaming giant, “And props to the Netflix music team. They were amazing to work with.”

The Power Of Authentic Representation

When asked about their journey as Asian American filmmakers, Woo and Hahn reflected on the progress made in the industry. Woo expressed pride in their representation but also noted his own positive experience. “I feel like I’ve been very fortunate that I haven’t experienced that much, I don’t know, I guess –” Hahn offered the word “obstacles” and added, “I think we get to be a generation maybe that’s had a little bit of help ahead of us, right? Breaking some of those barriers and then letting us into this industry.”

The filmmakers made a conscious choice to portray the characters’ heritage as an authentic part of their lives, rather than a central plot point. “We didn’t want to make this a front and center story about their Asian identity,” Woo said. “We just wanted that to be part of their world, just like for me. It’s just a part of who I am, but it’s not front and center.”

From The Midwest To The Dream World

Alex Woo explains that In Your Dreams is filled with subtle nods to his upbringing in the Midwest. The layout of the main characters’ house and the surrounding neighborhood are taken directly from Woo’s childhood home in Minnesota. “The kitchen of that house, the opening scene, is like exactly my kitchen,” he shared.

Hahn noted the creative process behind these details, stating that Woo “created it from sense memory.”

Woo revealed that the dreams in the movie are also drawn from real life. “We had basically a day or two where we just had everybody in the story team just come up with all of the dreams that they’ve had.”

He also explained the intentional connection between the real world and the dream world. “Almost every single dream that they experience is set up somewhere in the real world. That’s my experience of dreams is like stuff that happens to me during the day somehow weaves its way into my subconscious and ends up in my dreams at night. And so, we really wanted to reflect that in the film.”

Don’t miss the chance to experience this heartfelt adventure. The new trailer for In Your Dreams is out now. Mark your calendars for November 14th, when the movie arrives on Netflix.

About In Your Dreams

Stevie and her little brother Elliot journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family.

NEXT: Netflix’s In Your Dreams Teaser Trailer + Meet The Characters