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, who 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 an imaginary world.
ImaginationNetflix's newest 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 follows 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 plot twist occurs. The film becomes about Rudger and what it means to exist without his creator, leading him to meet a colorful cast of characters, all as imaginative as he is.
Screen Rant interviewed Nishimura about his original 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 an interpreter and the answers were translated from Japanese.)
Transform 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 fun and exciting, but also scary. I really enjoyed the book, but what really drew me in was the unique setting of the story. In many of the stories I've seen, whether it's a child character encountering ET 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 to screenplay, especially since Emily Gravett's illustration style was so important to the story?
Yoshiaki Nishimura: Of course the images 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. Instead of trying to create similar images, I try to stick to the original creator's message. Because it's about imagination and told through animation, if you want to create something, you can create anything.
It was very important, because it was animation and a fantasy world, that we made sure that we could portray human life authentically in the story. That's the part that I really focused 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 aren't many people who can use this new technology well, and there aren't many creative people who would say, “Hey, let's try it out and do it.” It's hard to find such a person, but when I found this technology and conveyed it to Momose-san, he immediately understood and said: “With this, we can do it!” and expand it.
My style is really to communicate closely with the director as a producer as we move forward with the work. In our studio, there is not much difference in 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 cherish.
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 founding 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: Yes, she's great as a live-action star. This is her first time voicing an animation, and she is an actress who is very picky about the roles she takes on. So when we gave her a script, she called us the next day and said, “Please let me take on this role.”
Sakura Ando is amazing, but we also have 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 difficult to choose one because I have so much attachment to all the fantasy characters. When writing the script, I impersonated each of the imaginary people, which is why it was difficult to choose 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 makes you feel his emotions. The audience just laughs and laughs, and even now, I still hope for his happiness. He doesn't have many lines but he's very dear to me.
Imagination currently streaming on Netflix.