Waking Life

Name: Waking Life
Genre: Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Released: 2001-10-19
Duration: 1 h 41 min
Rating: 7.5
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Wiley Wiggins, Bill Wise, Alex E. Jones

2001·Movie·R·101 min·★ 7.5(955)

Animation Drama Fantasy More English titles

“Dreams. What are they? An escape from reality or reality itself?”

Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.

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Where to watch Waking Life in United States

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Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video with Ads

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Click a service to open Waking Life there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is Waking Life streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
Canada	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Australia	Disney Plus	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies
France	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, VIVA by videofutur
Japan	—	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, FOD

About Waking Life

Waking Life is a 2001 English-language animation, drama and fantasy film directed by Richard Linklater. The cast is led by Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Wiley Wiggins. It has a runtime of 1h 41m. Viewers rate it 7.5/10 across 1000 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.

Waking Life was produced by IFC Productions, Thousand Words, and Detour Filmproduction and made in United States of America. It was released on October 19, 2001, and carries a R certification. Made on a budget of about $2 million, it went on to gross $3 million worldwide.

Director: Richard Linklater
Writers: Richard Linklater
Release date: October 19, 2001
Original language: English
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: United States of America
Budget: $2 million
Box office: $3 million
Production: IFC Productions, Thousand Words, Detour Filmproduction

#dreams#philosophy#parallel world#existence#adult animation

Waking Life cast & crew

Waking Life was directed by Richard Linklater and written by Richard Linklater.

The cast features Ethan Hawke as Jesse, Julie Delpy as Celine, Wiley Wiggins as Main Character, Bill Wise as Boat Car Guy, Alex E. Jones as Man in Car with P.A., and Steven Soderbergh as Interviewed on Television.

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Glover Gill, cinematography is by Richard Linklater, and it was produced by Tommy Pallotta and Jonah Smith.

Is Waking Life worth watching?

Waking Life holds an audience score of 7.5/10 from 955 ratings, marking it as well-reviewed animation films.

At 1h 41m, it's a standard feature-length watch.

If you enjoy animation, drama, and fantasy, Waking Life is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Waking Life

In United States, you can stream Waking Life on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Prime Video with Ads, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.