The Imaginary
Netflix | Release Date: June 28, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The A.V. ClubCindy WhiteJun 20, 2024
The Imaginary is an enchanting tale in which reality clashes with imagination in a battle to determine which is more powerful Read full review
85
SlashfilmBJ ColangeloJun 14, 2024
Sometimes you watch a film and know the moment the credits roll that you've witnessed something special, one that will become a beloved favorite and be passed down for years to come. The Imaginary is that film for 2024, a breathtaking feat of animation with a powerful story that lends it to being a generational classic in the making. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinJul 5, 2024
At a time when digital animation is breaking radical new ground, it can be tempting to view the hand-drawn sort as its old-fashioned forebear, with no more scope to evolve. But Momose’s film elegantly proves otherwise: it has the artistry, but also the visionary spark. Read full review
80
The GuardianRebecca LiuJul 3, 2024
The Imaginary may not be a standout in the rich and wide-ranging oeuvre of its makers, but it is a moving and charming testament to the delights of dreaming. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeJun 30, 2024
A beguiling, if slightly convoluted, fantasy. Read full review
80
Screen DailyWendy IdeJun 20, 2024
This adaptation of A.F. Harrold’s 2014 children’s book is an appealing, emotionally engaging fantasy; the art direction is intricate and exquisite. Read full review
80
ColliderChase HutchinsonJun 14, 2024
You get wrapped up in the whimsy of it all just before it all hits you like a truck, finding plenty of resonant emotional flashbacks that contextualize and deepen the experience just in time for the conclusion. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarJul 5, 2024
A single frame of “The Imaginary” can outshine the mass-produced, visually uninspired animation in some of the American offers targeting the same demographic. Read full review
74
PolygonTasha RobinsonJun 14, 2024
The Imaginary isn’t as visually or narratively rich as Mary and the Witch’s Flower, or as transcendent as Miyazaki projects like The Boy and the Heron. But it does feel like a move in the right direction for Ponoc, an effort at finding its own voice and its own footing. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBrandon YuJul 5, 2024
The movie falters periodically under the weight of its own dream logic, which can be hard to follow or flimsily constructed as the story gains momentum. But it’s mostly easy to move past those flaws in a work of such rich magical realism and heart. Read full review
70
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerJul 5, 2024
The third release from Studio Ponoc, a Japanese animation studio formed by former Studio Ghibli staffers, The Imaginary is a little twinklier and more straightforward than its Ghibli cousins, with some dreamscapes that look suspiciously Lisa Frank-y. But it has more legitimate imagination than the sweaty whimsy of IF. Read full review
60
Time OutPhil de SemlyenJul 5, 2024
With no Ghibli film in the offing (although My Neighbor Totoro is getting a UK cinema re-release in August), The Imaginary is an often delightful way to fill the anime gap. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeJun 20, 2024
For a film all about creative fancy, The Imaginary doesn’t always offer the kind of compelling moments one might expect. The fine animation can be blunted by a predilection for obvious exposition, dialogue that doesn’t stretch the imagination as much as it could. Read full review
60
IGNRyan GaurJun 14, 2024
The Imaginary fails to capitalisze on some great ideas and wonderful animation. While it will shine as one of the best-looking films of the year with its ambitious 2D animation, that gloss can only do so much for a story that abandons its most interesting elements for a tried and tired rendition of an animated fairytale. Read full review
58
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodJun 14, 2024
There are moments of genuine magic that make you wonder what this movie could have been. But do they linger like that imaginary friend you’ll never forget? In this case, perhaps not. Read full review
50
The Film StageEli FriedbergJul 2, 2024
The film isn’t slight on effort, and the Studio Ponoc crew isn’t lacking talent (better realized in their short-film anthology Modest Heroes). But The Imaginary seems crucially lacking in the very quality it so breathlessly extols: it’s technical competency without imaginative vision, nor deep understanding of children. Read full review
50
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJun 14, 2024
This creatively unbound tale about imaginary friends is so determined to spirit you away that it soon loses any meaningful grip on reality. Read full review
40
Screen RantBen GibbonsJun 21, 2024
Despite being a story about a world full of imagination and incredible adventures, the narrative moves slowly, hoping to succeed thanks to the animation. Read full review
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