Director Says Netflix’s ‘In Your Dreams’ Could Have Ended Differently

Netflix's animated film 'In Your Dreams' dropped on the streaming giant this past Friday, a movie that centers around 12-year-old Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) as she attempts to rekindle her parents' marriage with the help of magical book about the Sandman.

Stevie is desperate to remind them of their perfect family before the arrival of her little brother Elliott, but things take an unexpected turn when they stumble upon a mysterious book that grants people their dreams. Determined to make her parents' dream come true, Stevie embarks on a journey with her brother to find the Sandman.

The movie takes a poignant turn in its final moments as Stevie's mother leaves for a lucrative job out of town despite the father's opposition, while Stevie reflects that life isn't perfect and neither are they. The film’s director Alex Woo admitted that different versions of the ending were tried but never felt right – one where the parents separated and another where they reconciled.

Woo drew inspiration from his own family story, which he recalled when creating the relationship between the parents and the family dynamics. His team aimed to capture the nuance and complexity of life in their ending.

The director explained that Stevie's character represents an "old soul" carrying the weight of her family on her shoulders – a responsibility often shouldered by girls more than boys. Woo also wanted to showcase how Elliott, as the youngest sibling, brings chaos and highlights Stevie’s burdens.

In terms of casting choices, Margot was initially going to be named after Fleetwood Mac's hit song 'Dreams', but they couldn't use the song due to its overuse in viral memes at the time. Instead, they chose Stevie after Stevie Nicks.

The film is a comedy adventure that features a surreal journey into the realm of their own dreams. When asked about his decision to have Elliot and Stevie as sister-and-brother dynamic, Woo stated that eldest daughters often face more pressure than most siblings, making Margot an ideal representation for young viewers.

[Image of a cartoon character looking at a magical book with a thought bubble saying "I'm the old soul..."]

[Animated GIF of a person carrying a heavy backpack and walking away from the camera]

[Image of a family having a heart-to-heart conversation, with a smile and a hug]

Wow Interesting how Netflix's 'In Your Dreams' movie takes a real life approach with its ending The idea of Stevie being the old soul carrying her family's weight is soooo relatable And I love how they showcased Elliott bringing chaos to their lives It's like, life isn't always perfect and easy, you know? Alex Woo did a great job with the ending and the whole movie overall

I don’t usually comment but I was kinda surprised by the ending of this movie lol I mean I know it’s supposed to be a heartwarming story about a girl trying to fix her parents' marriage, but that twist with her mom leaving for a job? Yeah that got me . I don't think I would've seen it coming at all... and I love how the director made Stevie's character so relatable, you know? Like she's just carrying all this weight on her shoulders because of her family . And can we talk about the sibling dynamic between Elliott and Stevie? It’s so realistic my little sis is always driving me crazy too!

just watched in your dreams on netflix its so inspiring how the director made stevie's character an old soul carrying her family's weight lol like when i'm juggling school life with work stuff and my little sibling anyway what struck me was that it takes a lot of courage for a 12-year-old to take on such responsibility but the movie doesn't shy away from showing her flaws too which is super relatable

I just watched this new Netflix animated film 'In Your Dreams' and I gotta say, it's so relatable! Stevie's journey to make her parents happy is like something we've all felt at some point or another. The animation is so vibrant and the story is full of heart . What really got me though was how the film handles the ending - it's not all sunshine and rainbows, you know? It's real, it's raw, and it's honest. I love that the director drew from his own family experiences to create this authentic portrayal of what it means to be a kid carrying the weight of your family on your shoulders . Margot's character is just so cool too - I love how she's not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for herself. And can we talk about Elliott for a sec? He's literally the best little brother ever! The way he brings chaos into Stevie's life is just perfect. Anyway, I'm definitely recommending this film to everyone I know .

omg i just watched this movie on netflix it's so good!! i was a bit confused at first cuz the story is like super weird but then it got really deep and emotional i loved stevie she's like my spirit animal lol she's always trying to make her family happy even when they're being really messed up. i'm also loving margot she looks just like stevie nicks lol btw why did they name the character after her song "dreams" anyway?

OMG you guys 1st off I'm totally loving this new animated film 'In Your Dreams' on Netflix!! I mean the story is so relatable especially with Stevie trying to fix her parents' marriage its like we've all been there right? And can we talk about how beautifully it handles real life issues like parent's disagreements and moving away for a better job? The family dynamics are sooo authentic!

I also love how the director Alex Woo drew inspiration from his own fam story and made Stevie an 'old soul' who carries the weight of her family on her shoulders its so deep! And can we just give Margot some major girl power vibes?

What I don't get tho is why they changed the ending a million times lol Alex Woo said he tried different versions but none felt right but honestly idk what would've worked better... might be one of those movies that needs multiple endings to satisfy everyone

I'm loving this new animated flick on Netflix, 'In Your Dreams'! It's such a sweet story about a 12-yr-old girl Stevie who tries to rekindle her parents' love using magic. The animation is super colorful and fun I mean, who wouldn't want a magical book that grants wishes? But what I love most about this movie is how real it feels - no perfect families here! My fave part was when Stevie's mom has to leave for work and Stevie realizes life isn't all sunshine & rainbows. It's so relatable. The director, Alex Woo, did a great job capturing the ups & downs of family life in the ending. And can we talk about how awesome it is that they cast Margot as Stevie? She's perfect for the role!

omg i just watched this new netflix animation "in your dreams" and it's literally so beautifully made!!! Stevie is such a strong protagonist, she's like the ultimate big sister lol. I loved how the movie showed that life isn't all perfect and that families can be super messy too . The ending was really poignant and i loved how the director Alex Woo drew from his own family experiences to make it even more real . And btw, Stevie's character is just like an old soul carrying everyone's hopes on her shoulders . Give it a watch if you haven't already, it's def worth it

omg u guys i just watched in ur dreams on netflix and it's literally the sweetest thing ever! i loved how stevie was so determined to help her parents reconnect, but also learned that life isn't always perfect & that's okay the animation is insane too! i love how the director drew inspiration from his own family story & aimed to capture real-life complexity in the ending it's clear he wanted to show that even though stevie's parents had their differences, they still loved each other. and omg margot's character was SO relatable as an 'old soul' carrying the weight of her fam on her shoulders

Ugh, sounds like this movie is just gonna make kids feel bad about their own families . Like, who wants to watch a 12-yr-old trying to fix her parents' relationship? That's just setting expectations way too high. And what's with the "magical book" thing? Just another way for adults to avoid dealing with real problems . The fact that they changed up the ending a million times and still can't seem to get it right says a lot about the story itself, if you ask me .

omg i love this new netflix movie in your dreams!!! it's so heartwarming and magical stevie is such a strong and caring big sister to elliot and i love how the film shows that life isn't all perfect and happy, but still worth fighting for the ending got me feeling all the feels especially when stevie's mom leaves for her dream job it's not always easy being a responsible sibling or parent, but stevie and elliot make such a great team i'm so glad the director drew from his own life to create this beautiful story

idk why ppl r so down on this new netflix movie 'In Your Dreams' it's actually kinda deep how the main chick Stevie tries to hold her fam together w/ this magical book thingy, she's literally carrying the weight of everyone's hopes on her shoulders anyway, i think its dope that the director Alex Woo drew from his own family story when making the movie, shows he really gets it and btw, Margot being Stevie is a great choice, she's got that perfect 'old soul' vibe

just watched this new animated netflix movie "In Your Dreams" and I gotta say it's a total downer Stevie's parents' marriage drama is super relatable but the ending is just plain depressing her mom leaving for that big job? not gonna lie, my heart wasn't in it

The ending? Come on, who thought it was a good idea to leave the parents together when they're clearly miserable? I mean, I know they were trying to say something about life not being perfect and all that, but can't they just be real for once? The little brother Elliot is just there to bring up Stevie's emotional baggage, it feels so unbalanced. And don't even get me started on the casting choices... Stevie Nicks was a great choice, btw

I gotta say, this 'In Your Dreams' movie is a total mixed bag for me... on one hand, I love the magical book concept and the whole idea of Stevie trying to fix her parents' marriage... it's like, who wouldn't want their family to be perfect? But at the same time, it feels kinda... unrealistic? Like, how easy is it just to wave a magic book and make everyone's dreams come true? And I don't know, man... the ending kinda felt like a cop-out to me. It's all like Stevie's mom leaves for her new job and they're all good again... but what about the dad's feelings? What about the siblings' feelings? It feels like it just glosses over everything in favor of this 'life isn't perfect' vibe that we've been hearing a lot lately...

omg i just watched In Your Dreams on netflix it's like so beautifully written the way they explored how life is never perfect but still kinda amazing in its own way u feel me? and can we talk about stevie's character tho? she's literally an old soul in a 12yr old body i love how she carried all this weight on her shoulders and just wanted to make her parents happy it's like she's trying to save them before her lil bro even arrives

I just watched 'In Your Dreams' on Netflix and I gotta say it's really beautiful . The animation is stunning and the story is so relatable. I loved how the movie shows Stevie carrying the weight of her family on her shoulders, it's like she's an old soul trapped in a 12-year-old body . The ending was so poignant, it made me think about my own parents' relationship and how life isn't always perfect. I'm glad the director stayed true to his inspiration from his own family story and didn't try to force a happy ending that wouldn't feel authentic. The sibling dynamic between Stevie and Elliott is also adorable . And omg, the casting choices are genius! Stevie Nicks is such an iconic singer and I love how they chose her name for the main character .

I'm so excited about this new animated film on Netflix ! It's like, I feel like I've been waiting for a movie like this my whole life . The idea of Stevie trying to fix her parents' marriage is so relatable and I love how the movie takes an unexpected turn and makes you realize that life isn't always perfect (and that's okay) .

I'm also loving the casting choices, especially for Stevie - she's got such a unique energy to her . And can we talk about the dynamics between Elliott and Stevie? It's like, they're literally the ultimate sibling duo . I think it's so cool that the director drew inspiration from his own family story, too. Family is everything, right?