The Imaginary (2024)
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The Imaginary Movie Review
The Imaginary is a 2024 animated fantasy film directed by Yoshiyuki Momose. It is Studio Ponoc’s third feature film and the only truly great movie that they’ve released so far.
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“A bird, not ever seen; a flower not ever seen;
a breeze not ever seen; a night not ever seen –
have you ever seen anything so wonderful?
I have“
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Rudger, an imaginary boy born from the imagination of a young girl named Amanda, learns he will disappear if Amanda forgets him. He arrives in a town where imaginary friends who have been forgotten by humans live. Based on a British children’s novel, the movie is also set in England and it is very European in imagery and themes. That made for a very interesting experiment. Couple that with the feel and tone of the story that is highly reminiscent of earlier Ghibli features (‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ and ‘The Cat Returns’ instantly spring to mind) and you’ve got a timeless classic right there.
The concept of an imaginary friend is explored in-depth here. Although I do realize that some may fault the film for choosing to have the imaginaries as the main point of view instead of the human girl, I still found the world building to be intricately crafted and dazzling, so I loved every second of it. The film is so enchanting and so cozy that I was swept by it and I was riveted from beginning to end. It has that fairy tale magic to it while still being firmly rooted in reality, which was a potent mix that really worked.
Rudger is an instantly iconic anime creation. I loved him. You easily root for this sweet boy to not disappear and remain with his friend Amanda. The friendship between the two is so beautiful and the movie really gets children and how imaginative and creative they are in their playtime. The first couple of sequences felt like a true sandbox of ideas and creations.
Amanda has a tragic backstory. The fact that they went there and actually explained her creation of Rudger as a response to the trauma of losing her dad was insane to me. This was supposed to be a children’s film, and it definitely is that to an extent, but it’s so raw and real in its emotions that it very much is effective for adults too. That revelation honestly made me cry and it was the first of more than a couple of moments where I shed a tear. This is how touching this movie is. At times it just might feel a tad emotionally manipulative.
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The family drama was heartbreaking with the mother drinking and the daughter feeling lonely after the death of her father. But there are even more scenes that made my cry here. For instance, there is this absolutely devastating sequence where we meet a dog who was the mom’s imaginary friend. That moment where we witness how abandoned and forgotten these imaginaries are was so sad. However, the film used that scene and built it toward something truly special as the dog’s purpose as a protector is brought into play in the third act. I did have a bit of an issue with the movie stating that these relationships with your made-up characters in your head are just as authentic as the real relationships, but I did highly appreciate the statement that adults themselves still have imagination in them, though they would need to work very hard to again unlock that ability.
Other character highlights include the mysterious and cool cat who brings the boy to the imagined world and the fun and inspiring Emily. Her arc was very tragic too. But one of the standouts was Mr. Bunting of course. His imaginary was quite creepy and menacing, but he was even more effective as this very well developed and powerful villain who served as the perfect foil for our protagonist. I really liked his backstory and almost all of his scenes possessing a certain horror atmosphere to them was such a nice touch. All children’s stories need their dark elements and this one had those in spades.
The Imaginary is, yes, beautifully written and emotionally investing. But it also features an art style that was so unique and so gorgeous that it elevated the movie to an even greater status. The character models here are obviously CGI while the backgrounds have more of a hand-drawn look to them. The result is this dazzling mixture of 2D and 3D technologies that felt both modern and timeless at the same time. All of the imaginaries looked creative and interesting and the movie cleverly included designs for them that were somewhat crude and simplistic, befitting the child’s way of thinking deftly. The settings were all superbly brought to life.
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The score is also quite moving and effective. The voice acting was stellar too. The movie has a lot to say about grief, friendship and the power and importance of imagination. The action scenes were so well contrasted with the calmer and more contemplative dialogue-heavy scenes. I just wished that all twists and plot points made sense. My biggest issue in terms of this film’s storytelling is that they put way too many ideas into the oven, thus making some of them not only undercooked but also messy and difficult to follow. It was almost too ambitious for its own sake. But the world was so uniquely cozy as well as sinister that I loved inhabiting it nonetheless.
The Imaginary is Studio Ponoc’s third feature and their best one so far. This is the film that will finally bring them to the map. It’s so great, in fact, that it equals some of the best Ghibli offerings to date. A story about the power and importance of imagination, the movie also deals with grief and loss in a very potent way. The art style mixes 2D and 3D technologies in such a unique way, making for a truly dazzling viewing experience. The score is also beautiful and the voice acting is top-notch. The story may become too ambitious and complicated for its own sake, but it’s consistently engaging and, well, imaginative. Above all else, this is a very touching tale, one that made me cry more than a couple of times. It’s such a wonderful flick.
My Rating – 4.5
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