"The Imaginary," directed by Studio Ghibli alum Yoshiyuki Momose, features breathtaking hand-drawn animation, a distinct visual style focusing on light and shadow, and a whimsical story. It premieres on Netflix July 5.
The Studio Ponoc hand-drawn film follows a young girl named Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger as they navigate a magical world and confront a mysterious threat. It is based on the 2015 novel by A.F. Harrold and illustrated by Emily Gravett.
2024 has seen a surge in movies about imaginary friends, including "Imaginary" and "IF".
The English-dubbed cast includes Hayley Atwell, LeVar Burton, and Kal Penn.
The film's innovative light and shadow techniques are inspired by painters like Rembrandt, enhancing the hand-drawn animation.
Sources: Slashfilm.com, thenerdsofcolor.org, nerdreactor.com, hollywoodreporter.com, animationmagazine.net, polygon.com, variety.com, thathashtagshow.com, bleedingcool.com, awardsdaily.com, thewrap.com, indiewire.com, mamasgeeky.com, comingsoon.net.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
