In the world of The Imaginary (Yaneura no Rajâ), every child has a secret friend, an invisible being with whom they create fictional scenarios and share their deepest secrets. For Amanda (voiced in the English-language version by Evie Kiszel ), the protagonist of this sweet but sprawling Studio Ponoc film, that person is a sprightly and protective blond being named Rudger (Louie Rudge-Buchanan). When Amanda comes home from school, they begin their adventures, flying across a grassy expanse populated by an industrious giant and a chatty squirrel or riding a musk ox through a snowy tundra. In the words of Rudger, “Amanda always imagines the most splendid worlds.”

The Imaginary, which premiered in competition at the Annecy Animation Festival, is the second feature-length production from Studio Ponoc, following 2017’s Mary and the Witch’s Flower. It’s directed by Studio Ghibli alum Yoshiyuki Momose (Modest Heroes, Tomorrow’s Leaves) from a script...