The Imaginary

This was such an amazing film. The animation was beautiful and the story was fun and heartwarming. I highly recommend watching it!

I mean. if you're twelve. Or emotionally stunted. Or i guess if you were insanely addicted to asian cartoons (not really sure if this counts as anime). At any rate. If you are one of the above, you might like it.

The Imaginary is a wonderfully animated movie that beautifully captures the joys of vivid childhood imagination while exploring the bittersweet themes of the passage of time and the loss of innocence. Its rich storytelling and stunning visuals make it a truly memorable experience. This is a multilayered film, with subtle details and deeper meanings that reveal themselves with each viewing, making it well worth watching more than once. A heartfelt and thought-provoking journey, The Imaginary is a must-see for anyone who cherishes the magic of childhood and the poignant realities of growing up.

Right before “IF” there was “The Imaginary”. However, while the former shows evident embrace of the inner child that the latter simultaneously proposed, this more-so been geared to entertain children than satisfying adults’ projected imagination. Although, it’s energetically cute and occasionally funny with ethically splendid animation to imperatively boost its heart. (B)

It’s the best movie on imaginary friends released this year, and that’s saying something given we got a bad horror one and an average comedy one.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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