Summary
The Imaginary, a Netflix animated film from Studio Ponoc, features a creative team with roots in Studio Ghibli. Based on the children's book by AF Harrold, the book follows a girl named Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger as they explore the world of imaginary friends and their existence without their creators. Studio Ponoc's second feature film, The Imaginary, combines hand-drawn, hand-drawn animation and new technology, focusing on exploring the realities of human life in imaginary worlds.
ImaginationNetflix's latest animated film from Studio Ponoc, comes from an esteemed creative team. Director Yoshiyuki Momose worked at Studio Ghibli for three decades, serving as lead animator on iconic films such as Whisper of the Heart, Spirited Away and Tales from Earthsea. Meanwhile, Yoshiaki Nishimura is the film's writer and producer, as well as the founder of Studio Ponoc.
Based on the children's book by AF Harrold, The Imaginary is about a young girl named Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger. When the strange and mysterious Mr. Bunting separates them for his own evil purposes, a strange twist in the plot occurs. The film becomes about Rudger and the meaning of his existence without the presence of his creator, leading him to meet a colorful cast of characters, all imaginary. like him.
Screen Rant interviewed Nishimura about his initial vision for The Imaginary, his collaboration with director Yoshiyuki Momose, and what he learned from his previous work with Studio Ghibli. (Note: The interview was conducted through a translator and answers were translated from Japanese.)
Transfer imagination from the page to the animated screen
Screen Rant: The world of imaginary friends is a very rich one for me. What about AF Harrold's novels really stood out to you?
Yoshiaki Nishimura: When I first read the original story, it was interesting and fun, but also scary. I really liked the book, but what really attracted me was the unique setting of the story. In many of the stories I've seen, whether the child character meets E.T. or Totoro, the story is told from their perspective.
I feel the special thing about this story is that the main character is a boy created through a girl's imagination. If anything happens to this girl, no one in the world can see this boy. My hunch is that if we can describe this, then perhaps we can begin to describe something very important but not seen.
How did you approach adapting the novel into a screenplay, especially since Emily Gravett's illustration style is so important to the story?
Yoshiaki Nishimura: Of course the visuals are very different. We had to take a different approach and what I really wanted to make sure we took seriously was understanding the core message of the story. Rather than trying to create similar visuals, I tried to stick to the original creator's message. Because it's about imagination and being told through animation, if you want to create something, you can create anything.
It was very important that, because it was animation and a fantasy world, we had to make sure that we could realistically portray human life in the story. That's the part I really focus on.
Can you tell me about your collaboration with Yoshiyuki Momose and whether you had a back and forth about what to include or how to represent certain elements?
Yoshiaki Nishimura: Mr. Momose has worked at Studio Ghibli for many years. His creations there have their own unique characteristics, and he is someone who can create new technology using different tools and expressions. That is why I felt he would be the best person for this film.
I asked him to direct this film, in which we used the “light and shadow” animation technique. There weren’t many people who could use this new technology well, and there weren’t many creators who would say, “Hey, let’s try it and do it.” It was hard to find someone like that, but when I found this technology and conveyed it to Momose-san, he immediately understood and said, “With this, we can do it!” and expanded on it.
My style is really to communicate closely with the director as a producer as we go along. In our studio, there's not much of a distinction between the roles of writer, director, and producer. We create together; that's our approach.
How Studio Ponoc Feels About Their Studio Ghibli Legacy
I know you and Mr. Momose have both worked with Studio Ghibli before, as have other creators who have helped with The Imaginary. How do you hope Studio Ponoc will be different from Studio Ghibli as a whole, and what do you think your creative imprint will be?
Yoshiaki Nishimura: For those of us who have worked at Studio Ghibli, whether it's been 10 years or 30 years, the history and spirit of creating animation in the studio is still with us. Our past with Ghibli is something we cherish and treasure.
There are two things that are very important as we continue to create work in the future. Personally, I feel that there are a lot more possibilities for hand-drawn, hand-drawn animation. Of course, this time we used “light and shadow”, but I wanted to continue to challenge myself and look for new things.
Another thing is that the reality that children are facing changes over time. It is different in every era. It is important that we sit with the children, share their experiences and understand their needs. We named ourselves Studio Ponoc, which means midnight in Croatian. So the old day and the new day are connected at midnight.
Imagination is Studio Ponoc's second feature film. What lessons did you learn in Mary and the Witch's Flower that you can apply here?
Yoshiaki Nishimura: Mary and the Witch's Flower was the first animated film we made after establishing Studio Ponoc. At first, it was just the director and me; we didn't even have a studio. We built the studio, and within two and a half years, we had to create a film. As you can imagine, audiences around the world expect Studio Ghibli quality from our new studio, which was a high standard to meet. But we felt that, through Mary and the Witch's Flower, we could achieve that quality. That's why we were able to move forward.
It was difficult to handle a fantasy character as the main character and we also incorporated new technology, which was not easy. But our studio's journey really began with The Imaginary. I mean, that's how I feel.
The cast of The Imaginary (Both languages) are credited for the film's unique feel
I really like Sakura Ando, who voices Amanda's mother, Lizzie, but this is the first time I've heard her rather than seen her. How did she get involved in the project and what makes her such a great voice actress?
Yoshiaki Nishimura: Yeah, she's amazing as a live-action actress. This was her first time voicing an anime, and she's a very picky actress about the roles she takes on. So when we gave her the script, she called us the next day and said, “Please let me take on this role.”
Sakura Ando is amazing, but we also have some great actors in the English version: Hayley Atwell as Lizzie, Louie Rudge-Buchanan as Rudger, Evie Kiszel as Amanda, and Jeremy Swift as Mr. Bunting. Even LeVar Burton as The Old Dog!
We don't call the English or Japanese versions dubbed. We cast the English actors ourselves. Animation is a fantasy medium that is driven by images, but it really depends on the actors' performances to have a solid foundation. All the actors did a great job of conveying the emotions of the story, and I'm very grateful to everyone.
Finally, if you had to choose an imaginary friend to accompany you right now, which member of the Library would you choose?
Yoshiaki Nishimura: It's hard to pick just one person because I have so much attachment to all the fictional characters. When I wrote the script, I impersonated each of the fictional characters, which is why it's hard to pick just one.
But if I had to choose, I'd choose Cruncher-of-Bones, who has the ability to transform into a panda style. [Voice actor] Courtenay Taylor helps you feel his emotions. The audience just laughed and laughed, and even now, I still hope for his happiness. He doesn't have many lines but he really likes me.
Imagination Now streaming on Netflix.