Due to a scheduling mishap, a reporter was only able to check out two movies on their second day at the Toronto International Film Festival — but they did manage to get an early look at and some fascinating details on one of their most anticipated films this year. Laika’s stop-motion fantasy Wildwood looks smooth, according to reviews from TIFF 2026, along with an early look at Laika’s next animated feature. Laika is the animation house behind stop-motion hits like ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings. Over the years, Laika’s films have steadily improved in both technical and artistic aspects. Wildwood, which is set to hit theaters next month, appears to be more lifelike than the studio’s previous work. Laika’s head of animation Brad Schiff explained that digital cameras allow animators to see what they are doing in real time, using frame-grabbers to track every movement of a puppet, ensuring smooth animation. The puppets themselves are more advanced, utilizing an internal "diaphragm" called a breather, first experimented with on the studio’s previous film, 2019’s Missing Link. This time, all major puppets are outfitted with breathers, allowing characters to appear to breathe in a lifelike way. The film features 233 puppets (36 are just versions of the protagonist Prue), was brought to life by 49 animators, and took 231 weeks from start to finish. It’s in theaters on October 23rd. The reporter also attended screenings of two other films. One is a sweetly morbid musical titled Julián, coming from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, best known for the features Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers. It tells the story of a child lost in a world of fantasy, similar to the studio's previous work. The other film is Stuffed, a love story between an eccentric taxidermist and the man who agrees to give up his life to fulfill her lifelong dream of stuffing a human. It has shades of Sweeney Todd but is more heartfelt. The theatrical dates for both Julián and Stuffed have not been announced yet.