Several things leave the viewer feeling as if this is all a dream -- repeated lines creating a sense of deja vu, dreaming of kissing a close friend (an expression of closeness set in uncomfortably intimate terms), details of a dream coming about in real life, surreal images (seeing Schwoz dressed as Elton John while playing music with a moth man), and details without follow-through (namely, Jasper hearing his name used in a description of Charlotte's dream, but the detail, like in a dream, disappearing along with Jasper from the story). This isn't a bad thing, but it leaves viewers with a feeling that all of this could be someone's dream (from which we never truly awaken).
The scene with Piper intimidating a younger boy by cutting up an apple before him smacks of being a parody of something, but not having seen the source, I can't say what it cleverly imitates; however, use of a ring of invisibility clearly harkens to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The scene with Piper intimidating a younger boy by cutting up an apple before him smacks of being a parody of something, but not having seen the source, I can't say what it cleverly imitates; however, use of a ring of invisibility clearly harkens to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.