Where do dreams come from? When my daughter was a newborn, I wondered what she could dream since she had a limited amount of experiences. I could see her eyes flutter so something was going on when she hit R.E.M. sleep. Of course since she was a baby, there was no way to get her to tell me about her dreams. You just have to wonder. Of course you also have to wonder when you encounter people who talk in their sleep. Can you get into their dreams? If you saw the wrong things, do you give them a nightmare? Dreambuilders is an animated film from Denmark about a young girl who discovers the secret of dreams and how to control them. But should she?
Minna (Robyn Dempsey) lives a dreamy life with her father and pet hamster. They live out in the country in an old house that’s being restored. It’s all fun. Except dad wants more. He’s met a new woman who has a daughter with the same age as Minna. He dreams they’ll be a new perfect blended family. Except Jenny (Emma Jenkins) is glued to her smartphone. She the only time she looks up is when she complains about Minna’s hamster. One night while dreaming, Minna discovers there’s a backstage. Little guys have to set the stage for the dreams and the nightmares. She so despises Jenny that she starts sneaking in the girl’s dreams to mess with her. Things get rather drastic when she miscalculates a nightmare experience.
Dreambuilders is not a cute family film that you can uses as a babysitter. This is a rather emotionally charged film dealing with marriage break ups and people trying to get back into relationships. Minna’s mom didn’t leave the house in the perfect Disney way. There is a lot of talk about how people’s selfish actions can lead to destroying everything within a family. There’s also expectations people have when they remarry. The father figures if he’s happy with his new wife, why shouldn’t the kids be as equally happy to be brought together. If you are a parent that has gone through a divorce; you really need to watch the film with your child (or children) so that issues can be discussed during or after the film. There’s a lot of real emotions and situations at the center of Dreambuilders which makes it more than just a dream.
The videos is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The CGI animation looks sharp on the screen. The audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1. You can hear the dreamy soundtrack all over the room. There’s also a French dub track. The movie is subtitled.
Trailer (2:03) tease those that make your dreams.
DVD with the movie and trailer.
Shout! Studios and Shout! Kids present Dreambuilders. Directed by Kim Hagen Jensen & Tonni Zinck. Screenplay by: Søren Grinderslev Hansen. Voices By: Robyn Dempsey, Emma Jenkins, Luke Griffin, Tom Hale, Karen Ardiff and Brendan McDonald. Running Time: 80 minutes. Rated: Unrated. Released: August 24, 2021.
