A young girl enters a world of dreams and makes friends with an eccentric outlaw in Slumberland ā and itās a fun and heartfelt adventure.
Francis Lawrence isnāt exactly the filmmaker youād expect to helm a family fantasy adventure. His work on features began with
Constantine and the Will Smith-led
I Am Legend (two films you probably wouldnāt show to children) and then gets closer to family friendly fare with the last three
Hunger Games movies. But
Slumberland ā adapted from the comic strip
Little Nemo In Slumberland ā is a real success.
As a fantasy story, itās rather on the generic side, filled with familiar beats, but at its core itās a genuine, lovely film with an emotional message.
After she suddenly loses her dad, young Nemo (Marlow Barkley) goes to live with her well meaning yet clueless uncle. That part is played by Chris OāDowd, continuing his very successful run of roles that are both awkward and incredibly boring ā deliberately so. Used to living in a remote lighthouse, her days full of wild stories and practical education, Nemo struggles to acclimatise to her new life in the city. Then she finds an unexpected escape, and a new companion, in her dreams.
As she snoozes she runs into Flip, an eccentric, charismatic outlaw looking for a map to a fabled treasure. Nemo realises this treasure might be the only thing thatāll allow her to see her father again, and the two work together to recover it.
Flipās a bit of a lone wolf character and Jason Momoa is clearly having the time of his life in the role. He makes his performance as energetic and big as possible, and that perfectly accompanies the āeverything but the kitchen sinkā attitude the crew took towards the character design.
For the majority of the runtime Momoa is covered in a jumble of colours and textures. He dons a pink velvet coat and striped trousers, a variety of flashy jewellery, and has both rams horns
and furry ears. Itās unclear if his human ears are also there under his hair. Momoaās character and his appearance allow him to be big and silly, yet he also gets a satisfying emotional arc. Albeit one thatās a bit predictable.

Nemoās other companion is a stuffed pig that comes to life. If that doesnāt already sound adorable let me tell you, if they sold toys of it Iād buy one in an instant.
As the trio enter Slumberland, the adventure really gets going. All the exposition ā what Slumberland is, what the rules are ā is breezily explained by Flip. Then the focus is on the stunning visuals. From ballrooms made entirely of butterflies to huge modern cities, the production design is ambitious and imaginative. At points some of the green screen is rather obvious, but that doesnāt detract from the overall sense of wonder.
The awe of Slumberland doesnāt last long, as Nemo and Flip are persued by nightmares and by Agent Green (Weruche Opia). Green is a member of BOSA (the Bureau Of Subconscious Activity) whoās been trying to arrest Flip for decades.
Their pursuit is what triggers most of the set pieces, and because of that things start to feel a bit repetitive. The dreams change as the characters get closer to the treasure, but you know that eventually Green or a nightmare will show up. On top of that, it feels a bit overstuffed, like writing in two separate adversaries perhaps wasnāt necessary to create the requisite tension.
Some of the action falls a bit flat, then, but
Slumberland's charm lies completely in the dedication of its cast and its emotional core. The tale of a traumatised child finding escape in a fantasy land isnāt new, but this film stands out because of the way Nemoās real life and her dreams weave further together as the story progresses. Each character has a moving emotional arc, and the actors are all giving 100% to their roles throughout.
It all comes together to make a heartfelt story about loss, loneliness, escapism and family. And one thatās visually exciting and really captures the imagination. Itās far from perfect, but itās a little cinematic ray of light nonetheless.
Slumberland is streaming on Netflix from 18th November.
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