Director Alex Woo's debut feature film, Netflix's "In Your Dreams," has garnered critical acclaim, earning a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Critics Choice Awards 2026 and featuring prominently in Collider's FYC recommendations. The heartwarming and spirited adventure marks a significant milestone for Woo and his company, Kuku Studios, demonstrating his nearly decade-long dedication from conception to completion.

Inspired by Woo's own childhood experiences, "In Your Dreams" delves into an earnest exploration of family dynamics and complex emotions. The story centers on siblings Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and Elliot (Elias Janssen) as they confront the possibility of their parents, Mom (Cristin Milioti) and Dad (Simu Liu), divorcing. Their quest begins when Elliot discovers a book revealing that the Sandman (Omid Djalili) can grant wishes, leading them, along with Baloney Tony (voiced by Craig Robinson), on an epic journey through an unpredictable and whimsical dream world to find this mysterious being and save their family.

Woo's extensive background at Pixar, where he spent a decade working on projects like "WALL-E" and "Ratatouille," proved invaluable. He describes this period as his "PhD in storytelling," learning from greats such as Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton, John Lasseter, and Pete Docter. The core philosophy he embraced was "story is king," emphasizing that every decision must serve the narrative to prevent audience boredom. This principle guided him in helming "In Your Dreams," which navigates not one but two distinct and vibrant worlds.

The animation process for "In Your Dreams" spanned nine years, a duration Woo humorously compares to the nine months it takes to make a human baby versus the nine years for an animated film. He notes that animation is inherently time-consuming and expensive. Specific shots, like the wide shot of Breakfast Town with its numerous custom-built characters, and any scenes involving the Nightmara character, were particularly costly due to the extensive rendering and visual effects required. The Nightmara, being a "walking, talking, visual effect," incurred an 11-week turnaround time for effects pipeline, highlighting the challenges of making corrections.

Woo's design philosophy for the film focused on creating a strong contrast between the real world and the dream world. He intentionally kept the real world's aesthetic more grounded to allow for a significant artistic departure into the dream world. Inspirations for the dream world included "Adventure Time" for its cartoony designs and even an anime-style segment, reflecting Woo's "greedy filmmaker" desire to incorporate diverse aesthetics. Technology, particularly advancements in render and GPU power since production began in 2020, helped reduce render times, although Woo explicitly states he did not use and does not plan to use AI in his films, finding current AI-generated animation aesthetically "meh."

The initial cut of "In Your Dreams" was two hours and 20 minutes, necessitating significant cuts to achieve the final under-90-minute runtime. These cuts included more backstory for the Sandman and Nightmara, additional dreamscapes (each requiring new, expensive sets and two versions: dream and nightmare), and new characters. One of the hardest scenes for Woo to cut was a grand fight between Sandman and Nightmara, depicting dreams versus nightmares with unique attacks.

To ensure authenticity and a delicate balance of humor and real-world issues, the filmmakers consulted with child psychologists. This research, a practice Woo learned at Pixar, validated their initial instincts regarding how characters, particularly Stevie's anger, would react to household conflict. The film deliberately avoids shying away from a full range of emotions while integrating humor, including what Woo playfully calls "elevated humor" like laser farts, to appeal to a broad audience.

Easter eggs from Kuku Studios' earlier production, "Go! Go! Cory Carson," are subtly integrated into the film, such as stickers on Elliot's bed and car rides in Polly's Pizzeria. Woo also drew from his own subconscious, including recurring dreams about being naked in a department store and teeth falling out, which found their way into the film's dream sequences.

When asked about his favorite animated films, Woo chose Studio Ghibli's "Porco Rosso," citing his love for planes and pig pilots, appreciating its uplifting and positive tone. His ultimate "wish-fulfillment" moment would be to direct a sequel to "Porco Rosso," exploring the life of the protagonist after his curse is lifted. For aspiring animators, Woo advises watching a vast array of films to build a strong foundation of knowledge, emphasizing that film as a medium is still relatively young and explorable. He also stressed the paramount importance of teamwork and collaboration in animation, especially in technical areas outside his expertise.

The film's success, including its 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, is a deeply rewarding experience for Woo. He likens filmmaking to cooking for friends, an "act of love" where the greatest joy comes from the audience receiving and enjoying the collaborative effort poured into the creation.