The Imaginary

The Imaginary follows the fantasy adventures of a girl named Amanda and her imaginary companion, Rudger. Together they explore a magical world filled with unique creatures and locations, but the situation changes when Rudger is left on his own to face a mysterious and sinister threat that endangers their bond and the imaginary realm.

Directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, the film is the fifth in a chronological series of his directorial works, following Ghiblies, Ghiblies: Episode 2, Modest Heroes, and NiNoKuni. The project was produced by Yoshiaki Nishimura, who also wrote the screenplay. The voice cast features Kokoro Terada as Rudger and Rio Suzuki as Amanda, alongside Sakura Ando, Riisa Naka, Takayuki Yamada, and Atsuko Takahata. The production involved a credited crew of 139 people and was produced by companies including TOHO, Nippon Television Network Corporation, The Walt Disney Company (Japan), and KADOKAWA.

Since its release, the animation has received generally positive feedback from viewers and professionals. On IMDb, it holds a rating of 6.8/10 based on 2,400 votes, while its rating on TMDB is higher at 7.6/10 from 97 votes. These audience scores are similar to the rating provided by film critics, who gave the movie a 7.5/10 based on 82 reviews.