What would it look like if our kids’ dreams turned into reality? That’s the adventure of Netflix’s latest family release Slumberland starring Jason Momoa, Marlow Barkley, and Chris O’Dowd.
The movie, which was released in the Philippines today November 18, follows a young girl named Nemo (Barkley) who embarks on an adventure with eccentric Flip (Momoa).
In an exclusive roundtable interview with Smart Parenting, Jason Momoa and Marlow Barkley talk about the importance of dreams, their favorite stories as kids, and why the movie is a wonderful watch for the whole family.
Don’t worry, this article is spoiler-free!
Kids will learn to be brave in the face of their fears
“I think kids are definitely drawn to this movie because it is about dreams and kids are very curious, they have a big imagination,” said Marlow. “It can just be a reminder that you can be brave and strong against your fears, no matter how big they are.”
As a young person herself, she recognizes that the young audience is sure to love Slumberland’s character Pig, a stuffed animal who comes to life in the world of dreams. “I think that they’ll really love the character Pig, because I mean, it’s a stuffed animal pig that comes to life. Who wouldn’t adore Pig? And I think they’ll love the whimsical friendship of Pig and Nemo throughout the movie,” Marlow said.
Marlow said Nemo’s bravery inspires her. “I love how brave Nemo is, especially how her bravery increases throughout the movie. I find that as inspiration myself.” She added, “She just shows that you can be strong during difficult times.”
Jason Momoa on playing eccentric Flip
For Jason, whose character isn’t quite easy to place judging by his appearance in the posters alone, it’s exactly Flip’s sense of adventure that he enjoyed portraying. “I love his wild freedom for adventure. I just like that he’s the kind of guy that would just jump off a cliff and just figure it out, and that impulsiveness about him,” he said.
He added, “I could probably relate to that sometimes too. Maybe, probably.”
But he’s quick to say he isn’t exactly his character Flip, especially when it comes to fatherhood. “I’m definitely not like Philip (Slumberland’s father figure, an awkward and boring CEO), but I’m not like Flip either. I’d say I weigh on the side of Flip but he’s a little too wild. So somewhere in the middle, but a hair of Flip.”
As a father, Jason revealed he enjoys reading Shel Silverstein books to his kids, the titles he enjoyed as a kid. “I always liked Where The Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein. I would read those to my kids.”
He added, “And then I like the Berenstain Bears and things like that. I always like them.”
Marlow enjoyed stories with heroines such as Pinkalicious, Eloise and Olivia, “those are my favorite books when I was younger. My dad would always read them in funny voices.”
The young actress was intimated to have Jason Momoa, with his rich body of work in film and television, as her acting partner. “But he immediately made me feel so welcome and safe. And even on set, he made me laugh and we always played around and got into loads of trouble,” said Marlow.
“He is one of the kindest people I think I’ve ever met because he’s very wise, and he always would talk to my mom, or my sister and dad on FaceTime and just never failed to put a smile on my face and such an inspiration on set and so easy to work with,” she said.
Marlow hopes families will enjoy Slumberland’s story and pick up on the life lessons she too learned while filming. She learned how important it is to have the right people in your life, letting go of the ones who don’t build you up.
She said the lesson she learned was “that you can keep people in your life that you know will be able to raise you higher and push you toward your dreams and to be able to push out all the negativity.”
“I think that that’s something that I struggle with, figuring out how to push out all the negativity but keep the friends or the things that are close to my heart, that are near and dear. So I think that this movie can inspire kids to overcome their fears and be brave and strong.”
Watch Slumberland on Netflix now.
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