Vidhi Narula
Based on the comic strip ‘Little Nemo in ‘Slumberland’ by Winsor McCay, ‘Slumberland’ is an adventure movie that explores the intricacies of the dream world where people can live the life they dream of. Nemo, a young girl, living with her father on an island, discovers Slumberland and gets enchanted by the world’s possibilities. After his death, she resolves to venture out into the mythical land to find magic pearls to get him back. On her adventures, Nemo is accompanied by an eccentric outlaw, Flip.
Starring Jason Momoa, Marlow Barkley, Chris O’Dowd, Kyle Chandler, and Weruche Opia, the movie encapsulates the adventure of a lifetime. The dreams are projections of our deep-rooted desires and fears, and ‘Slumberland’ captures those emotions well. Now, if you like to watch more such dream-inspired movies featuring bewitching dream worlds, then you should check out the recommendations we’ve compiled for you.
8. Insidious (2010)
Parents Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) relocate to a new house when their little son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) goes to sleep one morning but does not wake up, going into a coma. They quickly discover that their home is haunted and that Dalton is under the control of an evil spirit. The horror movie answers the question as to what lies beyond, or as the movie calls it, “The Further.” What happens if one unknowingly gets stuck there and does not find their way back?
‘Insidious’ has more sequels made to answer questions that arise in the narrative, and astral projection is an essential element in the plot. Like ‘Slumberland,’ this movie also dissects the obscured life between dreams and reality. Dalton might be walking around and getting trapped in his dreams, but his physical form lays vacant and lifeless.
7. Last Night in Soho (2021)
In ‘Last Night in Soho,’ Edgar Wright’s entry into the horror genre, bright 1960s-era elegance is showcased. Anya Taylor-Joy portrays the “dream” version of a budding fashion designer who, every night, drifts off to sleep and wakes up in the 60s, where she meets a legendary lounge singer.
Though the past shatters into a “memory” much darker than a lounge singer’s antics, the girl’s dreams develop into nightmares. The film takes you on a wild rollercoaster where you’re unsure what’s genuine and what’s not, ending with a brutal vengeance. This plot seems familiar to the nun’s dream of being a dancer in ‘Slumberland’ and how the movie projects the characters’ desires in their dreams.
6. Inception (2010)
Christopher Nolan helmed this wondrous movie that is a major blockbuster. One of the greatest cult classics ever made, ‘Inception’ tells the story of Cobb, a professional who excels at accessing people’s dreams to take information from their subconscious. He can also plant ideas through his espionage squad, which makes business people hire them for challenging tasks.
‘Inception’ uses dreams to convey its story on every level, erecting buildings in a flash and culminating in an emotional scene that will stay with you forever. Keeping aside the science fiction aspect, both ‘Inception’ and ‘Slumberland’ have blurred lines between the dream and the real world. The stories’ characters are aware of their state and can exchange information between the two worlds.
5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
This adventure flick talks about an underrated and uncommon form of dreaming – maladaptive daydreaming. It is sort of a disorder where a person seems to daydream continuously. The main character, an ordinary person who works at LIFE magazine, frequently starts to create complicated concepts in his imagination. The narrative arc in which Mitty answers the universe’s call to action is fascinating.
Walter Mitty sees this as a way to escape his monotonous life and build a more enchanting one in his dreams. He gradually begins to let go of his daydreams and live in the present once a situation threatens his reality. Directed by Ben Stiller, ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ portrays the power of imagination and creativity, similar to ‘Slumberland,’ where people can create their own dreamy world.
4. Dreams (,’90)
Filmmaker Akira Kurosawa brings eight of his dreams to life on the big screen with ‘Dreams.’ Kurosawa’s works perfectly captured the feeling of being in a dream. The hazy border between reality and imagination, surrealism, and the sensation of floating between several dimensional worlds make this movie unique. A visceral sensation is provided to the audience by this unusual project. This movie will essentially make you feel like you are dreaming, and that is being projected on the big screen.
The director wanted to abridge the familiarity of some recurring dreams and offer people an opportunity to come face to face with their meanings. It resembles ‘Slumberland’ as they both capture numerous different dreams with varying meanings and motives. It explores the reality behind dreams and why our brain makes up scenarios when we sleep.
3. Waking Life (2001)
In ‘Waking Life,’ Richard Linklater gives his philosophically inclined characters a new setting. In the center of a cutting-edge, rotoscope-animated dream realm, Wiley Wiggins finds himself stuck in dream after dream. While Wiggins’ protagonist searches for some of life’s most pressing questions, he meets quirky people who offer a newer life perspective.
With a very intricate and thought-provoking narrative, the movie enables the viewers to go on an overwhelming journey through life’s crucial facets and understand the multitude of the universe’s meanings. Both ‘Slumberland’ and ‘Waking Life’ attempt to portray a person’s difficult emotions and feelings from a philosophical perspective. Like Nemo dealing with Peter’s death in ‘Slumberland’ to the protagonist’s existential crisis in ‘Waking Life,’ these situations exhibit the inner turmoil in a person.
2. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Directed by Victor Fleming, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ tells the story of Dorothy, who enters the magical land of Oz, where she meets Tin Man, Scarecrow, and The Cowardly Lion, who have sorrows of their own. It features Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, and Margaret Hamilton in lead roles. It is an unequivocally acknowledged truth that Dorothy’s journey down the yellow brick road with her enchanting friends to Oz was nothing more than a dream.
A tornado knocks her out, making her dream of strange things and people. It is said that Dorothy creates the world of Oz to flee from the troubles of her real life. The dream worlds of Oz and Slumberland have a lot of things in common, with inanimate objects coming alive and a group of people keeping the peace in the lands – the witches and BOSA, respectively.
1. Alice In Wonderland (2010)
The American fantasy adventure film titled ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is directed by Tim Burton. The story is based on the book written by Lewis Caroll. It follows Alice, a young girl, as her life intertwines in the Underland. She meets various characters there and learns that she has an important role in restoring that land’s peace.
‘Alice in Wonderland’ parodies the countless common Victorian didactic adages found in children’s literature, which was author Caroll’s motive. The movie’s motifs are similar to ‘Slumberland’ as both protagonists, Nemo and Alice, are mourning the death of their beloved father while experiencing their weird fantasy. They are trapped in a different world where they dream, and inanimate objects seem to come alive.
Read More: Where Was Slumberland Filmed?
