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The world of The Imaginary is as lush and enchanting as you’d expect if you’re familiar with the artists behind the onscreen magic. It’s the second feature film from Studio Ponoc, an animation house led by Studio Ghibli alums. And much like their debut feature, Mary and the Witch’s Flower, The Imaginary is a deluge of cinematic delights and confections supported by a touching story that leaves you with a fuller heart than you had going in.

The movie is based on a novel by A.F. Harrold and centers on Rudger (voiced in the English dub by Louie Rudge-Buchanan), the three months, three weeks, and three days-old imaginary friend of Amanda (Evie Kiszel). Together they go on fantastical adventures in dreamed-up worlds filled with dragons, floating castles, hard-working earth giants, and even entire oceans sloshing around inside see-through whales.

As trippy as all this sounds on paper,...

Studio Ghibli's influence continues through Studio Ponoc's The Imaginary, a visually stunning film with a premise similar to Ghibli's works. The film explores the power of a child's imagination, featuring a boy named Rudger and his adventures with fantastical creatures. The Imaginary offers mesmerizing animation and captivating storytelling, appealing to both kids and adults and setting a high standard for future collaborations between Netflix and Studio Ponoc.

Studio Ghibli has earned a name for itself by creating numerous unique anime films helmed by brilliant filmmakers such as Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. The studio's debut film (of sorts), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, was a huge box office hit in 1984, but it was only the beginning of what Studio Ghibli would accomplish in the years to come.

With its distinctive hand-drawn animation style and mind-blowing fantastical settings, Studio Ghibli has created numerous timeless classics, including Spirited Away,...

The concept of imaginary friends is foreign to kids in Japan, but producer and Studio Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura saw potential in adapting A.F. Harrold’s children’s novel into the hand-drawn fantasy “The Imaginary” (streaming on Netflix).

Nishimura had no problem relating to the mind-bending adventures of young Amanda (Evie Kiszel) and her imaginary friend, Rudger (Louie Rudge-Buchanan), which he knew had universal appeal. For Rudger, though, there is the worry of eventually slipping from Amanda’s memory and being lost among the forgotten Imaginaries in their isolated town.

“When I was writing the script and making the film, I thought how Harrold expressed it in various layers and how we could do that,” Nishimura told IndieWire through his translator. “The imaginary friend in this world is like the animated filmmaker. And we don’t want to preach from above like teachers saying this is the way the world is to children.

Studio Ponoc’s The Imaginary portrays the depths of humanity and creativity through the eyes of young Amanda (voice of Evie Kiszel) and her imaginary companion, Rudger (Louie Rudge-Buchanan), a boy no one can see imagined by Amanda to share her thrilling make-believe adventures. But when Rudger, suddenly alone, arrives at The Town of Imaginaries, where forgotten Imaginaries live and find work, he faces a mysterious threat.

On July 5, 2024, The Imaginary premieres on Netflix, and I’m warning you to get tissues before you start streaming. The anime is directed by Yoshiyuki Momose (Spirited Away) and will tug at every heartstring you have in your body. It’s based on the award-winning novel of the same name by A.F. Harrold and illustrated by Emily Gravett, and it’s one of those stories that might just get you in the gut and maybe even bring up some childhood memories. It certainly did for me.

Quick Links Studio Ponoc's Yoshiaki Nishimura Makes an Imaginary Friend Casting the Voices in The Imaginary The Terrifying Mr. Bunting Why The Imaginary Went to Netflix and What's Next for Studio Ponoc

The Imaginary tells the thrilling and equally terrifying story of a little boy named Rudger (Louie Rudge-Buchanan). He's Amanda's (Evie Kiszel) imaginary best friend but can still be confined by the rules of his existence. Rudger is always left in the place Amanda saw him last. This means he can get stuck. Even worse, Rudger learns that he will disappear forever if Amanda forgets him or something happens to her. The special nature of their relationship attracts a frightening villain. The vile Mr. Bunting (Jeremy Swift) gobbles up imaginary friends as the source of his eternal life.

Revered animator Yoshiaki Nishimura explores human mortality in his superb second animated feature for Studio Ponoc after Mary and the Witch's Flower.

Adapted by director Yoshiyuki Momose (a former animator at Studio Ghibli) and screenwriter Yoshiaki Nishimura (a former producer at Studio Ghibli) from a popular British children’s novel of the last decade, the Studio Ponoc production The Imaginary undermines much of its breathless talk of imagination by transparently and schematically tracing the footsteps of children’s entertainment titans. Its opening act introduces us to a pastel-colored, Ghibliesque English city where a lonely yet free-spirited little girl named Anna lives with her hardworking single mother in an adorably quaint family-run bookshop. She is quite imaginative: we know this because we see literal magic emanate out of her CD player when she puts on her favorite song, before flashily animated fantasy sequences literally morph her real-world surroundings into colorful (if generic) fantasy settings. First off: a Christmas land with reindeer, sleds, and yetis in the attic.

The story is not framed from Amanda’s point of view,...

Netflix wants you to get even more hyped up with its upcoming animated movie The Imaginary. Just a couple of weeks after it got a first trailer, the animation got a second English dub trailer that puts a new perspective on the tale. The story centers around Rudger (voiced by Louie Rudge-Buchanan) and Amanda (Evie Kiszel), two friends who share a pretty strong bond especially if you consider that one of them is imaginary. The animated movie premieres on July 5.

A decade ago, legendary director Hayao Miyazaki retired, sending Studio Ghibli’s team of animators to seek employment elsewhere. Those were dark, uncertain times for the industry, which explains why veteran Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura picked the word “ponoć” (which means “midnight” in Croatian) for his new studio: He wanted to convey a new dawn for some of the medium’s most talented artists.

No question, the spirit survived in Studio Ponoc’s first feature, “Mary and the Witch’s Flower,” as well as a series of shorts bundled under the title “Modest Heroes.” Anime fans breathed a collective sigh of relief. The magic they’d associated with Studio Ghibli would live on. And then Miyazaki changed his mind and made “The Boy and the Heron”. In an unexpected twist, the artists who’d come up working alongside Miyazaki now found themselves competing with him.

Studio Ponoc’s second feature, “The Imaginary,...

Studio Ponoc's The Imaginary is a gorgeous showcase for brilliant storytelling and hand-drawn animation, and comes to Netflix July 5, 2024. The film is an adventure for the whole family, but it delves into extremely serious themes of mortality and loss. The Imaginary features one of the most despicable villains in any animated movie, adding depth to the story. It's a must-watch for families.

Renowned Japanese animator Yoshiaki Nishimura makes a stunning Netflix debut with The Imaginary. The longtime former lead producer for Studio Ghibli and now founder of Studio Ponoc continues to deliver cinematic greatness. He adapts author A.F. Harrold's award-winning children's novel with boundless creativity, entrancing storytelling, and spectacular hand-drawn 2D animation. The journey of an imaginary friend trying to escape death and return to a beloved little girl is both magical and terrifying. The film addresses mortality and loss in a way that never masks the existential dread of a finite existence,...

In the world of The Imaginary (Yaneura no Rajâ), every child has a secret friend, an invisible being with whom they create fictional scenarios and share their deepest secrets. For Amanda (voiced in the English-language version by Evie Kiszel ), the protagonist of this sweet but sprawling Studio Ponoc film, that person is a sprightly and protective blond being named Rudger (Louie Rudge-Buchanan). When Amanda comes home from school, they begin their adventures, flying across a grassy expanse populated by an industrious giant and a chatty squirrel or riding a musk ox through a snowy tundra. In the words of Rudger, “Amanda always imagines the most splendid worlds.”

The Imaginary, which premiered in competition at the Annecy Animation Festival, is the second feature-length production from Studio Ponoc, following 2017’s Mary and the Witch’s Flower. It’s directed by Studio Ghibli alum Yoshiyuki Momose (Modest Heroes, Tomorrow’s Leaves) from a script...

The Imaginary Image: Netflix Let’s address the big Totoro in the room right up front, shall we? The Imaginary, a new animated feature heading soon to Netflix, is not a Studio Ghibli film, though it looks and sounds an awful lot like one. There’s a good reason for...

The ImaginaryImage: Netflix

Let’s address the big Totoro in the room right up front, shall we? The Imaginary, a new animated feature heading soon to Netflix, is not a Studio Ghibli film, though it looks and sounds an awful lot like one. There’s a good reason for that:...

Plot: Studio Ponoc’s The Imaginary portrays the depths of humanity and creativity through the eyes of young Amanda and her imaginary companion, Rudger, a boy no one can see imagined by Amanda to share her thrilling make-believe adventures. But when Rudger, suddenly alone, arrives at The Town of Imaginaries, where forgotten Imaginaries live and find work, he faces a mysterious threat.

Review: When I was a child, I became very sick. I spent much time in and out of the hospital and had few opportunities to make new friends. To combat the loneliness, I imagined a new friend, January. She was a young ghost girl who followed me everywhere I went, causing mischief, encouraging me to feel better, and listening when I needed to cleanse myself of negative thoughts about my uncertain recovery. As the years passed and I got better, January began to disappear. Three nights ago, I...

Born from the ashes of a then-defunct Studio Ghibli (which has itself enjoyed something of a phoenix saga over the last few years), Studio Ponoc was founded in the hopes of keeping a certain tradition alive — of preserving the kingdom of dreams and madness in the face of a world that had turned its back on hand-drawn animation, and lost faith in the magic that masters like Hayao Miyazaki has been able to create with it. Ponoc debuted with 2017’s “Mary and the Witch’s Flower,” an undercooked but gorgeously rendered fable that replicated the look of Ghibli classics like “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Castle in the Sky,” but failed to capture the breezy sense of wonder that allowed those masterpieces to breathe real life into every frame. As a movie, it was disappointing. As a proof-of-concept, however, it was an optimistic promise of what the future might hold once Miyazaki...

Netflix's latest anime, The Imaginary, directed by Studio Ghibli alum Yoshiyuki Momose, premieres July 5, 2024. The English voice cast includes LeVar Burton and Kal Penn, showcasing the Ghibli influence in this magical film. The movie's delay from 2022 to 2024 was due to pandemic-related production issues, promising a compelling adventure.

Anime on Netflix continues to thrive, and with this latest project by former Studio Ghibli members, The Imaginary, viewers will get their most magical glimpse yet. Netflix recently released the English dub trailer for the Studio Ponoc production, set for a July 5, 2024 release date while featuring the same Studio Ghibli-style visuals from previous projects.

Thanks to a trailer from Netflix, not only is The Imaginary's July 5 release date confirmed, but the English voice cast is revealed with impressive screen talent featured, alongside a preview of the film's plot.

It features Yoshiyuki Momose, longtime Ghibli and Ponoc key animator, in the director's...

“You Imaginaries never learn,” sneers a character in the trailer of Netflix’s new animated movie The Imaginary. “There is one thing imagination can never defeat. And that is reality.”

Snotty as he might be, the speaker has a point. 2024 has already seen the release of two movies about imaginary friends, and both of them met with a mixed response. The Blumhouse horror film Imaginary, about a pretend play pal turned evil, turned a profit but disappointed viewers. The John Krasinski movie If starring Ryan Reynolds has also made back its budget, but audiences seem largely down on it.

Netflix hopes to turn the tide with their entry into the genre, the animated film The Imaginary. Judging by the first trailer, The Imaginary just might pull it off.

The Imaginary introduces the viewers to Amanda (Evie Kiszel), a precocious girl who spends her days playing with her make-believe mate Rudger...

"There is something that imagination can never defeat." Netflix has revealed a new trailer for the animated movie The Imaginary, the second feature film by Studio Ponoc, the animation house in Japan that is pretty much the successor to Studio Ghibli. This film is even directed by one of the key animators on many Ghibli features, including Porco Rosso and Spirited Away, who has been working at Ponoc ever since Mary and the Witch's Flower. Rudger is a boy no one can see, imagined by Amanda to share her thrilling make-believe adventures. When Rudger arrives alone at "The Town of Imaginaries" – where forgotten Imaginaries live and find work – he faces a mysterious threat. Directed by renowned animator Yoshiyuki Momose, The Imaginary is an unforgettable adventure of love, loss, and the healing power of imagination. The English-language voice cast includes Louie Rudge-Buchanan, Evie Kiszel, Hayley Atwell, Sky Katz, Jeremy Swift, Kal Penn,...

“The Imaginary” is a hand-drawn animated feature, based on the book by A.F. Harrold and directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, starring Louie Rudge-Buchanan, Evie Kiszel, Hayley Atwell, Sky Katz, Jeremy Swift, Kal Penn, LeVar Burton, Jane Singer, Ruby Barnhill, Roger Craig Smith, Courtenay Taylor and Miles Nibbe, streaming July 4, 2024 on Netflix:

“…’Rudger’ is an imaginary friend to ‘Amanda’. He soon finds out that he isn’t the only imaginary friend in the world, as he embarks on a magical adventure that takes him to a spectacular town where forgotten ‘Imaginaries’ live…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

With the release of films like John Krasinski’s If, Blumhouse’s Imaginary, and even Ale de Jong’s 1991 comedy Drop Dead Fred, the power of imagination flows strongly throughout Hollywood. While each of the films mentioned above brings something different to the table, Yoshiyuki Momose’s latest animated feature, The Imaginary, hits differently. Studio Ponoc is proud to present The Imaginary trailer today, previewing an upcoming animated film to boggle the senses, stir emotions, and remind you of friends long forgotten.

Studio Ponoc‘s The Imaginary portrays the depths of humanity and creativity through the eyes of young Amanda and her imaginary companion, Rudger, a boy no one can see imagined by Amanda to share her thrilling make-believe adventures. But when Rudger, suddenly alone, arrives at The Town of Imaginaries, where forgotten Imaginaries live and find work, he faces a mysterious threat. Directed by renowned animator Yoshiyuki Momose (Spirited Away...

2024 has been a big year for movies about imaginary friends, between the Blumhouse horror film "Imaginary" and John Krasinski's live-action family film "If." Now, Netflix is getting in on the imagination-based fun with Studio Ponoc's "The Imaginary," which already looks to be one of the best animated films of the year. With breathtaking hand-drawn animation and a groundbreaking technique of animating light and shadow, "The Imaginary" looks stunning and seems to be introducing a whimsical, heartfelt, and emotionally charged story to back up the gorgeous visuals. Here's the official synopsis of the film, which is based on A.F. Harold and illustrator Emily Gravett's beloved and award-winning novel of the same name:

"Studio Ponoc's 'The Imaginary' portrays the depths of humanity and creativity through the eyes of young Amanda and her imaginary companion, Rudger, a boy no one can see imagined by Amanda to share her thrilling make-believe adventures.

Prepare to go on another vibrant and grandiose adventure with Studio Ponoc with the newly dropped official trailer and a fresh batch of images for the upcoming feature-length flick, The Imaginary. Much more than a feel-good animated production, The Imaginary will dig deep into the human connection and will reignite audiences inner child through a colorful world filled with imaginary beings. Along with the visual information reveal, the English-language cast has also been announced and will include a handful of A-list names such as Louie Rudge-Buchanan (Crosshairs), Evie Kiszel (Eggshell), Hayley Atwell (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One), LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Kal Penn (Smile), Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso), Sky Katz (Surviving Summer), Jane Singer (Batman: The Brave and the Bold), Ruby Barnhill (The Bfg), Roger Craig Smith (Sonic Boom), Courtenay Taylor (Relentless), and Miles Nibbe (Middlehood).

The new trailer for The Imaginary imagines what would happen if the world’s imaginary friends end up without their best pals. The hand-drawn animated film arrives July 5 on Netflix after first bowing theatrically in Japan, where it grossed $919,000 last year.

The film centers on Amanda and a boy named Rudger, who is her imaginary companion whom no one but she can see. One day, Rudger finds himself alone in The Town, a place for discarded imaginary friends, where he must face a mysterious threat. It is based on the 2015 book from writer A.F. Harrold and artist Emily Gravett.

Yoshiyuki Momose directs from a script by Yoshiaki Nishimura. The English-language cast includes Louie Rudge-Buchanan (Rudger), Evie Kiszel (Amanda), Hayley Atwell (Lizzie), Sky Katz (Emily), Jeremy Swift (Mr Bunting), Kal Penn (Zinzan), LeVar Burton (The Old Dog), Jane Singer (Granny Downbeat), Ruby Barnhill (Aurora), Roger Craig Smith (Snowflake), Courtenay Taylor (Cruncher-of-Bones...

Netflix dropped the trailer for “The Imaginary,” the hand-drawn fantasy from Japan’s Studio Ponoc (streaming July 5), currently in competition at the Annecy Animation Festival. The Oscar hopeful is adapted from the A.F. Harrold novel (illustrated by Emily Gravett) and is told through the eyes of young Amanda (Evie Kiszel) and her imaginary companion, Rudger (Louie Rudge-Buchanan), a boy who introduces her to make-believe adventures that turn dangerous when he encounters forgotten Imaginaries in a mysterious town.

“The Imaginary” is directed by former Studio Ghibli animation vet Yoshiyuki Momose (“Grave of the Fireflies”) and produced by Studio Ponoc founder and former Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura (the Oscar-nominated “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” and “When Marnie Was There”).

“The Imaginary” marks the second feature from Studio Ponoc and the first in its multi-film deal with Netflix. The studio was founded in 2015 as a spiritual successor to Ghibli and released its debut feature,...

Zack Snyder and Nathan Lane were among the filmmakers and cast members that joined Netflix’s animation presentation to preview a full slate of upcoming animated features and series, during an event held Thursday in Hollywood, just days before the start of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

“I love mythology,” said Snyder as he introduced a first look at his adult series “Twilight of the Gods.” On a scale like this, I feel like animation was the greatest way to tell the story.” The cast includes Sylvia Hoeks, Stuart Martin, Pilou Asbaek, John Noble, Paterson Joseph, Rahul Kohli, Jamie Clayton, Kristopher Hivju, Peter Stormare, Jamie Chung, Lauren Cohan and Corey Stoll.

Also playing well before the crowd was a first look at Netflix and Skydance Animation’s “Spellbound,” which will be released Nov. 22 and featured next week at Annecy. Nathan Lane introduced the clip from the movie, directed by Vicky Jensen,...