(courtesy IMP Awards)
Dream Productions is another triumph for Pixar, an animation powerhouse that knows full well the power of marrying whimsy with emotional impact, of being silly and serious in one flawlessly execute package.
Position as an interquel, and yes, apparently it is a word, the four-part miniseries, developed by Mike Jones concurrently with Inside Out 2, and bridging the stories between that film and its predecessor, Inside Out, tells the story of the team that creates all the dreamily instructive interludes in Riley’s (Kensington Tallman) head (and yes, we all have a Dream Productions lurking somewhere inside us).
While we might think our dreams are bizarrely nonsensical and near impossible to remember, the truth is, according to Dream Productions is that they have meaning ands value and, it has to be said, very high production values.
Styled as much as an affectionate parody of the TV/streaming/movie industries as a heartwarming look behind the scenes at one little girl growing up, and the challenges therein, Dream Productions is a very funny, impressively heartfelt and gloriously bonkers deep dive into what happens when we go to sleep.
While we are busy racing around doing our thing, or in this case, while Riley is at school, wishing she had a dreamy boy friend and agonising about whether to go to her first school dance with besties Grace (Grace Lu) and Bree (Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green), the colourfully idiosyncratic yet very human denizens of the creative powerhouse that is Dream Productions, overseen by Headquarters, are busily writing scripts, constructing sets and getting ready for the moment Riley enters the Land of Nod.
When that happens, production swings into high gear with Paula Persimmon (Paula Pell), and her A.D. (assistant director) and aspiring director, Janelle Johnson (Ally Maki), the leading lights of a creative team that aren’t just there to make things looks over the top and strange but to really have a positive impact on Riley’s mental health and her emotions, of helping her to grow up into a fine young woman. (Also MVPing is Richard Ayoade as Xeni, an up-and-coming director who might be making daydreams now but has some big plans to change things up, though he may have to learn some humility along the way.)
What strikes you in Dream Productions is how deeply and sincerely everyone loves Riley, save for the head of the area, Jean Dewberry (Maya Rudolph) who seems more wedded to being edgy and mature, no matter how it affects the heart and mind of the girl whose psyche they live in and help mould, and it’s that deep, affecting for one little girl that makes this four-part series such a sweetly moving joy to watch.
We also get to see the team of Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Liza Lapira), Fear (Tony Hale) and Anger (Lewis Black), and Riley’s mum and dad (Diane Lane and Kyle McLachland respectively), in a show that has an enormous amount of fun building the world of Dream Productions, filling it with characters as ambitious as they are earnest, and filling with so much rich, complicated humanity that you heart will burst and be built back up again all while you are laughing your head off.
Dream Productions is a heartwarming, hilarious and goofy gem that goes hard on the colour, silliness and fun but which also delivers a lovely story about the challenges of growing up and how even your dreams, and maybe especially your dreams, might just be the key to getting through it all with your heart intact and well on your way to being the confident, bright and breezy person you long to become.
Dream Productions streams on Disney+