The Imaginary review – beguiling fantasy from Japan’s Studio Ponoc

The third feature-length film from the Japanese anime outfit Studio Ponoc (Mary and the Witch’s Flower), The Imaginary (adapted from a children’s book by AF Harrold) is a beguiling, if slightly convoluted, fantasy about an imaginary friend called Rudger, who finds himself separated from Amanda, the little girl who dreamed him up. There’s a thematic parallel with John Krasinski’s live-action adventure IF, but with its exquisite hand-drawn animation and undercurrent of uncanny oddness, The Imaginary (which is released theatrically in its English language version) has more in common with the output of Studio Ghibli – perhaps not surprisingly, since the director, Yoshiyuki Momose, served as the key animator on Spirited Away and other classic Ghibli titles.

• In cinemas now and on Netflix from 5 July