Studio Ponoc and Mutant Are Bringing ‘The Imaginary’ Fans a Vibrant New Merch Drop [Exclusive]

The Imaginary

By Britta DeVore

Published Nov 13, 2024

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Image via Studio Ponoc

Two greats are coming together to give fans an incredible merch experience, as Mutant and Studio Ponoc are teaming up to drop several special items to celebrate the Netflix arrival of The Imaginary. The capsule collection includes a handful of items that will light up the eyes of the animated feature’s following, including a poster, a vinyl pressing of the wondrous soundtrack, and gorgeously designed enamel pins — with each of the collector's pieces designed under the incredibly unique and vibrant eye of illustrator Tom Whalen. Collider has the exclusive on the release announcement which also includes a lineup of images that you can see below.

Amanda and her imaginary pal Rudger take front and center in the poster, which practically pops off the page thanks to the loudness of its colors. The duo is captured in a handful of their adventures in the image, making plenty of memories along the way. Leaning into blues, oranges, and purples, Whalen completely nailed the task of giving fans something one-of-a-kind while also paying homage to the film. Like the poster, the enamel pins also showcase numerous characters from Studio Ponoc’s latest production. Along with an orange-haired and gleeful Rudger, other familiar faces like Jinzan, Snowflake, Cruncher-of-Bones, and Emily, all ready to join forces on your next exciting quest from the lapel of your jacket or the outside of your backpack.

Finally, the vinyl, which makes its grand debut for the very first time outside of Japan through Mutant and Studio Ponoc’s joint release, will make the perfect addition to any audiophile’s record collection. Not only does the soundtrack boast a killer score penned by Kenji Tamai and agehasprings, along with the song “Nothing’s Impossible” as performed by A Great Big World featuring Rachel Platten, but the artwork is incredibly, well, imaginative. On the front, a profile shot of a smiling Rudger is illustrated in different shades of orange while, riding on the wisps of his hair, is a picture of the imaginary pal with his creator and bestie, Amanda. The back of the record sleeve features Jinzan, staring at the viewer with one red and one blue eye.

What Is ‘The Imaginary’ About?

From the studio that previously brought audiences Mary and the Witch’s Flower and Modest Heroes, The Imaginary is the latest title to come from filmmaker Yoshiyuki Momose. The production serves as a look back on the younger years of one’s life when everything was magical and fresh. It centers around Amanda, who spends most of her time with her imaginary friend, Rudger. Things come crashing down and get really dark really quickly after the pair venture into another realm where Rudger finds out what happens to imaginary pals when their creators grow up. The English voice cast includes names such as Hayley Atwell, Kal Penn, LeVar Burton, and more.

Check out the merch from the upcoming Mutant and Studio Ponoc release above and stream The Imaginary now on Netflix. The collection will be available today at Mutant starting at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.