A fantastical family-friendly flight of fancy into the wild realm of unbridled imagination
In Your Dreams With voices by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Elias Janssen, Craig Robinson, Simu Liu & Cristin Milioti Directed by Alex Woo Rated PG
Limited release in theaters Friday, Nov. 7 / On Netflix Friday, Nov. 14
“I have a dream,” said Martin Luther King.
But the late, great civil rights leader wasn’t dreaming about carnivorous hot dogs, deranged muffins, a bed galloping across the sky like a bucking mustang, or a stuffed giraffe farting laser-beam fireworks.
They’re all part of this clever, wildly imaginative animated flight of fantasy about a young teen girl, Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport), and her kid brother, Elliott (Elias Janssen), who take a deep dive into the realm of dreams hoping to meet the legendary Sandman. They’ve read that his mythical powers can make dreams come true. In Stevie’s case, she dreams about keeping her family together when she finds out her mom (Cristin Milioti, from HBO’s The Penguin) and her dad (Simu Liu, “Rival Ken” in Barbie) might be separating.
Alex Woo, making his directorial debut, clearly knows his stuff when it comes to animated romps; he learned the ropes working on the creative team at Pixar for Finding Dory, WALL-E, Cars 2 and other projects. In Your Dreams is a visually splendid, fabulously engaging “kids adventure” with a surprising amount of heart, as Stevie comes to see her little bro as less bratty slob and more sibling soulmate—and that there’s nothing more important than having a happy family.
It’s also flip, fun and even funky, with needle-drop musical moments from Eurythmics (“Sweet Dreams,” what else?) to Weezer’s cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” The Sandman himself (Omid Dialili) even gets his own razzmatazz song-and-dance number, down a big sandcastle staircase, belting an updated version of The Chordettes’ classic “Mr. Sandman.” A pizza-parlor chorus croons a pizza-centric version of Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha.” And Milioti and Liu even get to duet on a cozy number, “The Holding On and the Letting Go,” which is already getting Oscar buzz for Best Original Song.
And you can’t have dreams without a few nightmares. In this case, it’s the shape-shifting Nightmara (Gia Carides), who’s handy with some words of not-so-scary wisdom.
But the real scene stealer is Craig Robinson (whom you probably came to know from his recurring role on NBC’s The Office) as the voice of Elliott’s well-worn, stuffed-toy lovie. You’ll find out why the scuffed-up giraffe is called Baloney Tony, and you’ll chuckle throughout at his rapid-fire wisecracks—and his “colorful” gaseous discharges. And Baloney Tony will likely remind you of a favorite stuffed animal, for yourself or your kids, that became an inseparable childhood companion.
Stevie, Elliott and Baloney Tony’s wide-ranging nocturnal wanderings take them to some far-out, fantastical places, like a corrugated-cardboard city, an angry mob of zombie-fied food, a raging sea, a ball-pit river, a malevolent teddy bear and the swirling eye of a maelstrom. But in the end, back in the real world, Stevie comes to realize that there’s no place like home, even when it’s not neat and clean and calm and perfect.
In Your Dreams is a sweet, freshly original, eye-popping tale for the whole family—and especially for your farting giraffe.
Reba’s ‘Happy’ again, a $200 million-dollar picture & oh, those minx-y ‘Morman Wives’
FRIDAY, Nov. 7 Happy’s Place Reba McEntire (above) kicks off season two of her hit workplace sitcom with two back-to-back episodes as her character inherits her father’s tavern and discovers a new business partner—the half-sister she never knew she had (8 p.m., NBC).
Pluribus New series from the creative team that brought us Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad is also set in Albuquerque, and stars Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra and Carlos Manuel (Apple TV+).
Frankenstein Director Guillermo del Toro’s bold new take on author Mary Shelley’s iconic horror classic stars Oscar Issac, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz and Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi as the monster (Netflix).
SATURDAY, Nov. 8 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Tune in to watch Bad Company, Chubby Checker (above), Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden and The White Stripes receive rock’s highest honor and be lauded in all-star tribute performances (8 p.m., Disney+).
Terry McMillan Presents: Preach, Pray, Love After her release from prison, a former rap star (Karrueche Tran) finds a romantic soulmate in a charismatic young minister (Mark J.P. Hood) (8 p.m., Lifetime).
SUNDAY, Nov. 9 Killer Grannies Oscar-nominated actress June Squibb hosts this new true-crime series about senior citizens who kill (8 p.m., Oxygen).
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards Find out which films were voted by critics as the best documentary productions this year, with nominees including Orwell: 2+2 = 5, The Alabama Solution, Pee-Wee as Himself and The Perfect Neighbor (streaming on Facebook, YouTube and X).
MONDAY, Nov. 10 The Warfighters: Battle Stories Two-hour documentary spotlights America’s elite Special Operations Forces and its war on terror fought by Army Rangers, Navy SEALS, Green Berets and Marines (8 p.m., History).
A Salute to Service 2025 Country star Trace Adkins (above) is featured in this program featuring rousing musical performances by the U.S. Army Field Band and others, plus profiles of veterans across the generations (9 p.m., PBS).
TUESDAY, Nov. 11 The Great War and the Great Gatsby Carnegie Hall hosts this musical production—a concert with suspense and drama—exploring the experiences of World War I (8 p.m., PBS).
Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo Actor Trejo returns to host season two of this exploration of mysteries and buried treasures…like the remnants of a killer asteroid twice the size of the Superdome and a 1938 comic book worth a cool quarter of a million dollars (10 p.m., History)
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 12| Picturing Shakespeare There are only two accepted portraits of William Shakespeare that are considered “official,” but one that’s been hanging over a mantlepiece for the last 50 years could be the third. It could be worth as much as $200 million…if it is genuine (10 p.m., PBS).
Palm Royale Kristen Wiig returns for season two of the comedy series set in the tony circles of Palm Beach high society. With Laura Dern, Carol Burnette, Allison Janney, Mindy Cohn and Ricky Martin (Apple TV+).
THURSDAY, Nov. 13 The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season three of the Emmy-nominated series (above) brings more drama as friendship loyalties shift, trust is tested and a war over morality begins between #Momtok and #Dadtok groups (Hulu).
Tiffany Haddish Goes Off Six-episode docuseries follows the Emmy award-winning comedian/actress on a journey to Africa on a girls’ trip with three childhood friends (Peacock).
READ ALL ABOUT IT
You probably knew some monumental creativity came from Italy, but you had no idea just how deep artistamazoic roots went down over the centuries. Find out in Italy: In the Footsteps of Great Artists (Thames & Hudson), author Nick Trend’s fascinating guided tour of more than 20 great artists who lived, worked and created timeless masterpieces in Florence, Bologna, Naples, Milan and other places on the Italian peninsula.
How did the universe begin? In First Light: Switching on the Stars at the Dawn of Time (Bloomsbury), British astrophysical expert Emma Chapman lays out the science of tracing the history of the cosmos and the very beginnings of the Cosmic Dawn, when the first stars burst into light. If you’re interested in what’s up there and how it all went down, it’s very enlightening!
Find out the full story about how a book by British author P.L. Travers made it to the screen in Making Mary Poppins (W.W. Norton), author Todd James Pearce’s wide-ranging, deep-digging tale of Walt Disney, the songwriting Sherman brothers (who wrote the iconic music for the 1964 film), and how the movie became a pop-cultural milestone. A must-read for Disney buffs!
The beat goes on in Backbeats: A History of Rock and Roll in Fifteen Drummers (Simon and Schuster). Music-historian author John Lingan unspools six decades of musical history through profiles of its backline timekeepers—the drummers—and their contributions to some of rock’s greatest hits. The guest list includes Ringo Starr, Hal Blaine, Dave Grohl and more. Totally dig-able.
BRING IT HOME
A ’70s classic now available for the first time in 4K and Blu-ray, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest stars Jack Nicholson in his first Oscar-winning role, as a patent in a mental facility who inspires his fellow patients to assert themselves. Louise Fletcher also got an Oscar for her role as the icy Nurse Rached.
It’s classic yuks galore with Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations Vol. 2, with newly remastered versions of eight “shorts” (from the late 1920s and ‘30s), plus a load of bonus content, including a 1936 promotional film, Galaxy of Stars, and This is Your Life: Laurel & Hardy, from 1954.
You’re never too old to rock ‘n’ roll! Or to get a giddy thrill watching Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, as David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls (Michael McKeen, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer) reunite for one final concert…with a couple of VERY special guests stopping by.
Get ready to laugh, ’cause The Naked Gun is back! The new hilarious remake of the 1988 cop-comedy stars Liam Neeson as the son of the investigator played by Leslie Nielsen in the original, putting his own spin on his role as a bumbling police lieutenant out to save the world from an evil genius. With Pamela Anderson and Danny Huston.
One of the year’s best horror flicks comes to DVD with Together (Neon), starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple who encounter a mysterious malevolent force that threatens to infect their lives, their love and their flesh in ways, that, well…make your skin crawl. It’s “body horror” in a twistedly original way.
NOW HEAR THIS
Just ahead of its milestone 100th anniversary, the venerable Grand Ole Opry is releasing Opry 100: Country’s Greatest Songs (Virgin Music Group), a hand-picked selection of 20 classic tunes (like “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “El Paso,” “Crazy” and “Ring of Fire”) pulled from Opry broadcast archives of live performances by original artists (Hank Williams, Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and more) as well as “next-gen” Opry members, like Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs and The Old Crow Medicine Show.
The Media Tourist 