The Imaginary
(2024)

The Imaginary 🖼️

After Hayao Miyazaki retired in 2014, Studio Ghibli’s key animator Yoshiyuki Momose (Spirited Away) and lead producer Yoshiaki Nishimura (Howls Moving Castle) teamed up to form Studio Ponoc and are set to release their second feature film in an anime adaptation of British author A.F. Harrold’s The Imaginary - this Friday on Netflix.

The story follows Amanda, a young girl who lives between her mom’s bookstore and school by day and the imaginary world that she’s created by night. In that imaginary world exists her best friend Rudger, a friend she goes on grand adventures with, taking her well beyond the four walls she confines herself to while her mom is at work. All is well until a dark entity begins to plague the mind of Amanda, causing her to lose control of her imagination and fracture her friendship with Rudger.

As someone who daydreams a lot, especially when I was a kid, I found myself immediately connecting with this story.

There’s something about being that young and trying to make sense of a world that you have no control over that makes this movie work on so many different levels.

Amanda is dealing with more than her wide-eyed, cheery self would lead you to believe, and having the emotional strength to carry that weight on her own while not allowing herself to process the trauma she’s been through was a recipe for disaster. The mind is such a powerful tool to aid in any coping mechanism one has. We witness how the mind can manifest the best and worst parts of one’s imagination into believing in a version of life that is a lie to comfort oneself from the truth they’re too hurt to confront.

While Amanda fights the darkness that consumes her, Rudger must also face an isolating battle of confronting his fear, the fear of having his own existence tethered to someone who may one day unconsciously choose for him not to exist.

This emotional story is bolstered by the hand-drawn animation style we’ve all come to know, which brings this wildly imaginative and colourful world into a shimmering, animated life.

The Imaginary is a wonder-filled tale about hurt, hope, and perseverance that really hits on the nostalgic feeling of one’s childhood while capturing the magic of Studio Ghibli. 

Enjoy!

7.9/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 1hr49mins
Where: Streaming on Netflix July 5th

The Imaginary Review (2024) The Richmond Reviewer

#TheImaginary #Imagination #Anime #Animation #StudioGhibli #Ghibli #Annecy #AnnecyFestival #StudioPonoc #Annecy2024 #Netflix