Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, the teen actor voicing Stevie in “In Your Dreams,” says her character learns a “hard truth” in the new animated film. Opening Friday, the adventure-comedy follows Stevie and her brother Elliot as they try to magically save their parents’ marriage.
“Stevie thinks, ‘I can fix this on my own and everything can be fixed… I can keep my family together,'” Hoang-Rappaport explained. The film’s core, she says, is Stevie “grappling with the discovery that there is no magic solution to real-life problems.”
This realistic message is the driving force of the film, directed by Alex Woo (Pixar’s “Ratatouille”). The parents are voiced by Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti. Liu has championed this “imperfect” portrayal, stating the “always happy” family myth is “not true” and that “it’s important” for kids to see.
The film, animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks, also features Craig Robinson as a stuffed animal named Baloney Tony. It also features a “beautiful” duet between Liu and Milioti, a moment of harmony that makes the children’s quest even more poignant.
Stevie’s journey ends not with a magical fix, but with a mature understanding. The “hard truth” she learns is the same one Simu Liu advocated for: real families fight, and life doesn’t always go as planned. It’s a powerful conclusion for a family film.
