Almost every child in this world has had an imaginary friend to accompany them in their unpredictable adventures, but what would happen when these imaginary creatures interact with each other?
The premise of The Imaginary, Yoshiyuki Momose’s latest movie, presents a visually creative world where everyone’s imaginary friend must escape from a terrifying threat in a heartwarming adventure that will go straight aims for the audience’s heart. The unforgettable visuals of this story are incredible combined with the emotional writing behind them, as Momose presents a narrative that never loses sight of the characters’ goals and needs.
The Imaginary follows Amanda (Rio Suzuki/Evie Kiszel), a young girl who spends much of her time with her imaginary friend Rudger (Kokoro Terada/Louie Rudge-Buchanan). The kids share an extraordinary friendship, but everything changes when Mr. Bunting (Issey Ogata/Jeremy Swift) picks Rudger as his next target. The villain consumes imaginary friends to stay alive, and because Rudger’s bond with Amanda is very special, the boy seems like a very valuable prize for the antagonist. In a race against time, Rudger must find a way to defeat him while ensuring that Amanda won’t forget about him. Because if she forgets who he is, Rudger will cease to exist.
The world of The Imaginary was created with plenty of care, with Yoshiyuki Momose setting the record straight from the very first sequence of the movie. There are rules the imaginary friends must follow if they wish to survive and to make the children they play with happy. When these rules are explained in detail, it’s easy to understand what’s actually at stake in the movie. The stage is very quickly set for Amanda and Rudger to risk it all for their friendship.
This fantasy, written by Yoshiaki Nishimura, sets itself apart because of the brilliance of its script. Amanda’s family is going through a very tough situation, and while the girl doesn’t show it at first, she needs Rudger’s friendship more than anything else in the world. Seeds are carefully planted throughout the story that comes back in the third act to punch the viewer in the heart, with the screenplay’s solid structure making The Imaginary more emotional than expected. The characters are ready to prove why they’re worth fighting for. It’s effortless to feel invested with Nishimura’s storytelling when the final battle occurs.
Above everything else, this is a story about grief and how it affects the development of a family. Amanda’s mother, Lizzie (Sakura Ando/Hayley Atwell), feels lost without her partner. And with Amanda’s young age, it’s easy to understand why the past few months of their lives have marked unprecedented territory. Nevertheless, the quest to save Rudger from being forgotten takes priority in the beautifully directed story by Yoshiyuki Momose. Grief is a very complex idea to present to the younger members of the audience, but The Imaginary manages to do so with ease, using Amanda as a symbol for different ways of processing a tragic loss.
The voice performances from the entire cast are magnificent, with Issey Ogata easily making Mr. Bunting despicable by the arrogance he brings to his performance as the villain trying to consume the imaginary friends. Regarding the leads, Kokoro Terada demonstrated his range as a voice performer with Rudger’s journey. The young imaginary friend doesn’t know how to start helping Amanda, but when the credits roll on the movie, he goes through significant changes that allow Terada to shine in the role. Rio Suzuki was also an expert in conveying the energy that made Rudger fall in love with Amanda in the first place.
With striking visuals, a brilliant script, a score that elevates the narrative and touching voice performances, The Imaginary is a beautiful journey into a new world created by Yoshiyuki Momose and Yoshiaki Nishimura. The beauty of this story relies on how the entire family can enjoy it, as the characters of The Imaginary go through different stages of grief in a wonderfully constructed narrative. Netflix has found an outstanding acquisition in the form of this project, which has turned out to be one of the best-animated movies of the year. Full of heart, The Imaginary soars as a reminder of how important imagination is to the human spirit.
*This review is based on the original Japanese and not the English dubbed version. Both version will be available upon release.