Summary

The Imaginary
has beautiful animation and characters, but falls short with a weak script and lackluster storytelling.
Studio Ponoc struggles to break away from Studio Ghibli connections, hindering originality.
Despite stunning visuals,
The Imaginary
lacks depth, with a slow narrative and an underdeveloped villain.

The Imaginary comes from an incredibly talented team of creatives, but fails to spark the imagination. While the animation and storytelling appear very similar to the renowned Studio Ghibli movies, The Imaginary has an ambitious premise that is severely let down by a weak script and looser story threads. Yes, it is beautiful, and there is potential for some of the meaning to be lost in translation, but Studio Ponoc’s second attempt to deliver a feature-length animated movie is a far cry from Spirited Away.

The Imaginary (2024) Director Yoshiyuki Momose Release Date July 5, 2024 Writers A.F. Harrold , Yoshiaki Nishimura Cast Kokoro Terada , Rio Suzuki , Sakura Andō , Riisa Naka , Takayuki Yamada , Atsuko Takahata , Issey Ogata , Akira Terao Runtime 108 Minutes Expand

Amanda is a young girl with a powerful imagination. The Imaginary builds the story upon this foundation, with Amanda’s imaginary friend, Rudger, at the center. Tragedy strikes and the pair are separated, leaving Rudger to fend for himself in a world he is unable to fully engage with. There are highs, lows, and the terrifying Mr. Bunting, as Rudger attempts to find his dear friend, and avoid disappearing forever.

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Studio Ponoc Needs To Find Their Own Style

Considering The Imaginary came directly from many creatives who worked for Studio Ghibli on major projects like Spirited Away, it makes perfect sense that some of that influence would carry forward. However, Studio Ponoc appears to be struggling to break away from its connection with Studio Ghibli. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and the animation style doesn’t need to be changed, the studio needs to find whatever is at the core of their stories to properly flourish.

The Imaginary
only highlights how far the gap is between the studios and the quality of their individual projects.

Since the studio began in 2015, there has only been one other major release — Mary and the Witch’s Flower in 2017. While that film received largely positive reviews, it would be nearly impossible to find a review that didn’t reference Ghibli multiple times. The best part of the last ten years was Studio Ponoc’s anthology film, Modest Heroes, comprising several short stories, though it was still holding on to the pedigree. The Imaginary only highlights how far the gap is between the studios and the quality of their individual projects.

The Imaginary’s animation is clearly beautiful, and it doesn’t need to be improved upon, but what really sets Studio Ghibli movies apart is the depth of emotion and the powerful storytelling in its movies. The Imaginary tries to replicate this, but to lackluster results. There are tragic moments and celebrations, but the story is poorly paced, with subpar storytelling and an apathetic ending.

The Imaginary Needs A More Imaginative Story

Despite being a story about a world full of imagination and incredible adventures, the narrative moves slowly, hoping to succeed thanks to the animation style. However, while it’s stunning, colorful, and diverse, it stands out in contrast to a hollow story. The animated villain is poorly developed, with no depth or exploration into their background aside from a momentary mention that is swiftly brushed away. Meanwhile, the relationships that are established at the opening of the film remain largely unchanged by the end.

Despite being a story about a world full of imagination and incredible adventures, the narrative moves slowly, hoping to succeed thanks to the animation.

There are some superficial moments of conflict that attempt to elicit a response, but they’re not effective. The entire film feels like a beautiful fever dream, but it fails to earn and build on that foundation. And unfortunately, it doesn’t even have the justification of being aimed at children due to the more intense and terrifying scenes that play out despite its PG rating.

The Imaginary had its US premiere at the Annecy Film Festival on June 14. The animation will be available to stream on Netflix July 5.

Studio Ponoc’s The Imaginary portrays the depths of humanity and creativity through the eyes of young Amanda and her imaginary companion, Rudger, 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.ProsThe characters are endearing, if not a little underdeveloped.The animation style is beautiful, simplistic, and charming. ConsThe script fails to live up to the standard of the animation.The film fails to properly engage the audience emotionally, despite tragic moments.