The Imaginary | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

91% Tomatometer 80 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings

Rudger is 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.

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The Imaginary

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Critics Consensus

A visually splendid and emotionally resonant anime film that appeals to the child in everyone, The Imaginary is a flight of fancy that audiences won't mind getting swept up in.

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The Imaginary | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Philip De Semlyen Time Out With no Ghibli film in the offing, The Imaginary is an often delightful way to fill the anime gap. Rated: 3/5 Jul 11, 2024 Full Review The Imaginary | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Brandon Yu New York Times The movie falters periodically under the weight of its own dream logic, which can be hard to follow or flimsily constructed as the story gains momentum. But it’s mostly easy to move past those flaws in a work of such rich magical realism and heart. Jul 8, 2024 Full Review The Imaginary | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Carlos Aguilar RogerEbert.com A single frame of “The Imaginary” can outshine the mass-produced, visually uninspired animation in some of the American offerings targeting the same demographic. Rated: 3/4 Jul 7, 2024 Full Review The Imaginary | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Grant Watson Fiction Machine The Imaginary is a fantastic new addition to a long-running tradition of exceptional Japanese fantasies. Rated: 8/10 Jul 24, 2024 Full Review The Imaginary | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Jenna Busch VitalThrills.com "... it completely taps into the feel of how detailed and rich a kid’s imagination can be, but the simplicity of the stories they tell themselves because they have only lived so much." Rated: 8.5/10 Jul 23, 2024 Full Review The Imaginary | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Austin Burke Austin Burke/Flick Fan Nation Some of its more mature themes may go over kids heads, and the pacing isn’t perfect, but the gorgeous visuals and fun characters will engage those who think this is their cup of tea. The animation is truly sunning. Rated: 7/10 Jul 22, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jeremy M A very beautifully visualized movie, and a fantastic adaptation of the book that it was based on. It's gorgeous in every way, and takes you places that you may not have thought possible.It's rich material and fine storytelling for multiple generations. There is enough reinforcement of how this world works that my 6 year old was able to understand what was at stake throughout, and it was done efficiently that I didn't feel like I was being walked through everything--there's enough exposure before explanation that you're given the chance to figure things out yourself, which is probably when it hits most emotionally.I really enjoyed the music. It wasn't just something backing the dialogue and animation, but a much more active participant, revisiting themes and driving through the final scenes.I was able to catch this in a theater, and was also impressed by the multichannel mix. I'll miss that at home.Highly recommend, and I wish it had a larger theatrical release as it is the most emotionally powerful animated film this year. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/14/24 Full Review Alister K Beautiful film and an interesting premise. You need to be able to keep up with the world of a kids imagination. Much better than a recent Hollywood film about imaginary friends. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/13/24 Full Review Charvine A Disappointed. A great premise but a fantasy world still needs to make sense within its own lore. The rules here keep changing to keep the story going, ultimately making no sense at all. When there are no rules, then there is no danger and the story becomes unengaging. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/16/24 Full Review Armon B It's definitely pretty to look at, but it feels like it was created by an alien. Lots of scenes that would generate an emotional reaction in the right context, but the context is wrong. Odd characters, strange voice casting, patronizing at points, following nonsensical rules. Why do the imaginary creatures steal food if the library gives them what they need to survive? Why did the imaginary friend turn into a girl for 10 minutes? Why didn't the villain just overpower the child when he was alone in the hospital room, as opposed to getting into a ridiculous imaginary battle? If the movie already told me the girl's dad was dead, why did it suddenly expect me to feel really sad about it in the middle of the movie? I already knew he was dead. You already told me he was dead, if I wasn't sad the first time I'm not going to be sad the second time.I love animation, and I believe animation can be made for adults as well as children, but studio Ghibli and Pixar are famous because their content is relatable in addition to pretty. Their movies have an underlying logic that makes sense whether you're an adult or a child. They never just show things to you and expect you to feel something. They earn their reaction. This movie does not earn the reactions it's trying to get. If you liked it, that's great, it's just not for me. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/25/24 Full Review Eric S My 7 year old didn't like it and said he was bored. Seems to be a slower paced older English cartoon like Paddington Bear but does not have the humor or pace of a Pixar movie. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/22/24 Full Review Dave C At times, it is both hard to follow and flimsy in terms of the amount it tries to carry relating to dreams, imagination, psychology, and relationships, within the realms of reality and imagination. Thankfully, the delightful animation style and artistry, paired with the overall whimsical nature of story being told are all solid reasons to overlook the flaws and get lost in its fanciful, layered dreamscape. This is hopefully a good indication that Studio Ponoc is reaching its stride Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/21/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Yoshiyuki Momose Director Louie Rudge-Buchanan Rudger Evie Kiszel Amanda Hayley Atwell Lizzie Sky Katz Emily Jeremy Swift Mr. Bunting
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The Imaginary

The Imaginary: Trailer 1 The Imaginary: Trailer 1 2:02 View more videos

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The Imaginary

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Synopsis Rudger is 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.

Director
Yoshiyuki Momose

Producer
Yoshiaki Nishimura

Screenwriter
Yoshiaki Nishimura

Distributor
Netflix

Production Co
Studio Ponoc

Rating
PG (Thematic Elements|Peril|Some Violence|Scary Images)

Genre
Fantasy, Adventure, Anime

Original Language
Japanese

Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 28, 2024, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 5, 2024

Runtime
1h 48m

Sound Mix
Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1
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