The Imaginary | Studio Ponoc animated film, Netflix releasing

[BluBonnet]

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE BLUMHOUSE HORROR TITLE COMING OUT THIS YEAR.

The Imaginary (Japanese: 屋根裏のラジャー, Hepburn: Yaneura no Rajā, lit. 'Rudger in the Attic') is a 2023 Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Yoshiyuki Momose from a screenplay written by Yoshiaki Nishimura, who also produced the film, and animated by Studio Ponoc. Based on A.F. Harrold's 2014 novel of the same name, it is Studio Ponoc's first full-length animated film since Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017). The Japanese voice cast includes Kokoro Terada, Rio Suzuki, Sakura Ando, Riisa Naka, Takayuki Yamada, Atsuko Takahata and Issey Ogata. The narrative focuses on Rudger, a boy who is one of the invisible entities known as Imaginaries, created by a girl named Amanda who is coping with emotional loss.

The Imaginary is produced with hand-drawn animation. It was originally scheduled to be released between June and August 2022, but it was postponed due to production delays and was theatrically released on December 15, 2023, in Japan