Tickets are now on sale for LAIKA’s Wildwood, the studio’s epic new stop-motion fantasy opening exclusively in theatres October 23, 2026. To mark the occasion, LAIKA today debuted the film’s final trailer. The trailer showcases LAIKA’s signature handcrafted filmmaking and offers the biggest look yet at Prue McKeel’s journey into the hidden world of Wildwood and the escalating stakes of her quest to bring her brother home.

Wildwood will be presented in select premium formats and experiences, including DBOX and AVX, where available.

Directed and produced by Travis Knight (Masters of the Universe, Kubo and the Two Strings) and written by Chris Butler (Masters of the Universe, ParaNorman), Wildwood opens exclusively in theatres across Canada on October 23, 2026.

The American Film Institute recently announced that Wildwood will make its US Premiere as the Opening Night selection of the 40th AFI FEST on October 21st, ahead of its nationwide theatrical release.

After her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows, headstrong teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) launches a desperate rescue mission into the Impassable Wilderness — an enchanted forest hidden just beyond Portland, Oregon. Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition. As the pair is drawn into a conflict threatening the balance of the forest itself, Prue must find a way to save her brother while confronting forces that could determine Wildwood’s future.

Inspired by the acclaimed novel written by Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis, Wildwood brings an expansive fantasy world to the screen through LAIKA’s singular approach to stop-motion filmmaking. Characters, environments and intricate details are physically crafted and animated by hand, frame by frame, creating a world that feels both fantastical and unmistakably tangible.

Wildwood features a voice cast led by Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Prue McKeel and Jacob Tremblay as Curtis Mehlberg, alongside Academy Award® nominee Carey Mulligan (Shame), Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Academy Award® nominee and Emmy Award® winner Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians), Jake Johnson (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Charlie Day (The Super Mario Galaxy Movie), Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Jemaine Clement (Avatar: Fire and Ash), Maya Erskine (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon), Tom Waits (Seven Psychopaths) and Academy Award® nominee Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?).

About LAIKA
Founded in 2005 and based in Oregon, LAIKA is an award-winning animation studio and Certified B Corporation driven to tell bold, original stories that stand the test of time. Renowned for its distinctive artistry, innovative filmmaking and pioneering use of technology, LAIKA has redefined the possibilities of stop-motion animation.

The studio’s five films — Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link — were each nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. LAIKA’s next animated feature, Wildwood, premieres October 23, 2026. The studio has also expanded its storytelling into live action film and television.

By Amanda Gilmore

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s latest is a reworking of Claude Chabrol’sLa femme infidèle (The Unfaithful Wife) but adapted to the filmmaker’s homeland, Russia, at the start of its war on Ukraine.

Gleb (Dmitriy Mazurov) is a powerful corporate Director with the picture-perfect family…until the start of the war, when his picturesque life begins to crumble. Ordered by the government, he must pick 14 workers to fill draft quotas for front-line warfare. And his life at home isn’t as idyllic as he once thought. When he finds out his wife Galina (Iris Lebedeva) is having an affair, he gets blood on his hands.

Zvyagintsev masters the ability to allow the camera to stay in each scene longer than we feel comfortable. This allows dread to soak in each frame, like we’re awaiting impending doom. Therefore, placing the audience in the anxiety of war, even if we aren’t on the front lines; the threat is always there. 

Zvyagintsev perfectly exposes the rhetoric of warmongering through Gleb’s quest to find 14 workers to send to war. Gleb sneaks his way into getting these men, which shows what governmental pressures can push a person to do. Zvyagintsev parallels this with the infidelity story where the impact of toxic patriarchy is examined. There’s an unforgettable —very lengthly — scene in the middle of the film that will shock audiences.

Overall, Minotaur is Zvyagintsev at his finest as he examines a nation that seems determined to destroy. Mazurov and Lebedeva both give nuanced performances that thrill and shock.

Minotaur screens at TIFF ’26:

Tues. Sept 15 @ 4:45 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Wed. Sept 16 @ 6:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

Emma (Emmy-winner Annie Murphy) is in her 30s and has just broken up with her long term jerk of a boyfriend. She goes out clubbing soon after and meets college kid Luke (Cha Cha Real Smooth’s Cooper Raiff). They hit it off, sleep together, and in the morning quickly find out that Emma used to babysit Luke when he was an infant.

Sitcom-esque shenanigans, growing pains and the age gap discourse ensue for our totally perfect and destined-for-each-other couple. It is all pretty standard stuff – and even includes an important subplot involving a baby – and tends to fall into the same romantic comedy tropes you can rattle off verbatim before they happen. Yet even a cynical, depressed critic like me could not help but smile, laugh and cry through ALL THAT SHE WANTS, holding onto every adorable moment between Murphy and Raiff. They are both great and hilarious young actors in their own right, but have a delightful, winning chemistry here that gets better with each subsequent scene (though we already knew Raiff was good at playing a 20-something in love with an older woman). While there could have been a bit more introspection and depth afforded to Murphy and a lot less of whatever the hell weird things Bill Irwin is doing, I feel like the magnetic charge pulsing between Murphy and Raiff more than makes up for any qualms you might have.

Supporting work from Zosia Mamet, John Gemberling and Christine Baranski are all well done as well, each getting more than their fair share of laughs and time to shine. And I would be remiss to not mention what a joy it is to see Toronto play herself on-screen. Any time that happens is a cause for celebration all on its own.

ALL THAT SHE WANTS screens at TIFF ‘26:

Sun. Sept 13 at 9:30 PM at TIFF Lightbox

Tues. Sept 15 at 6:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

Sat. Sept 19 at 6:20 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

By Nicholas Porteous

Josephine opens with a first-person pov shot from its protagonist–a little girl learning to run and jump with her dad (Channing Tatum). Though the camera leaves this particular setup, Josephine‘s perspective is locked in for the rest of the film. We’re inhabiting the soul of a child in the earliest stages of development, and when she’s the only third-party witness to a sexual assault, her journey becomes as painful as it is impossible to look away from.

Josephine is a profound exploration of how trauma shapes us in immeasurable ways–manifesting in behaviour that often defies easy explanation. Josephine’s parents are intermittently split on how to confront her pain. Her mom (Gemma Chan) wants to go inward, while Tatum’s instinct is to push her physical activity as a ‘distraction’. Their approaches clash, and Josephine is often left to her own devices, drowning in uncertainty and mysterious, unchecked aggression. There are moments when the film’s thesis feels foggy. That dynamic tension between Josephine’s various caretakers that can feel uneven, driven by dialogue that’s a little too sharp for such a delicate and uncertain situation. Most of the time, however, it’s an immersive, deeply felt experience–in the best, and most agonizing, way–straight from director Beth de Araujo’s heart. She’s described the origins of Josephine as partially autobiographical. Considering its uncannily vivid perspective, I’m not at all surprised.

If you miss its final screening at TIFF, I heartily recommend catching Josephine in theatres this November.

Josephine screens at TIFF ’26:

Mon. Sept 14 at 9:20 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

A big Day Four sightings, including:

•Jordan Firstman for CLUB KID
•Amanda Seyfried, Scoot McNairy and Tim Blake Nelson with THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF WILSON SHEDD
•Liam Neeson for THE MONGOOSE
•Summer H. Howell and Mike Flanagan for CARRIE
•Annie Murphy, Cooper Raiff and Finn Wittrock for ALL THAT SHE WANTS
•Andrew Scott and Billie Piper for ELSINORE
•Jay Baruchel for THE STUNT DRIVER
•Ming-Na Wen and Isabella Wei for WHATCHA WANT
•Jesse Eisenberg and Julianne Moore for THE DEBUT
•Zack Snyder for THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH
•Virginie Efra for ALL OF A SUDDEN

…and several more!

Brought to you by @sohohoteltoronto, the preferred place to stay, bringing you right into the thick of the tiff excitement!

#torontointernationalfilmfestival #tiff #tiff2026#

By Amanda Gilmore

Writer-Director Lauren Miller Rogen has created a delightful comedy about the decision every long-term couple faces: to parent or not to parent.

Happily married couple Annie (Anna Kendrick) and Aaron (Seth Rogen) have been together for 17 years. Surrounded by friends who have children, they are constantly asked, “When are you having kids?” They’ve danced with the idea but haven’t committed one way or the other. But when one of their friends moves into their place with her young daughter, they use it as a test.

Miller Rogen has pulled a lot from her own life and her long-term relationship with Rogen, resulting in a heartfelt comedy with emotional depth. We watch the deep love Annie and Aaron share. Kendrick and Rogen have a strong chemistry and their witty, authentic comedy riffs perfectly off each other. In many films consisting of similar narratives, the decision would often create a crux in the relationship. It’s refreshing that it never does in Babies. Instead, it brings the two closer together as they openly discuss all facets of one of life’s biggest decisions.

Babies is a fun crowd-pleaser that doesn’t try to hit you over the head with a moral. Regardless of what Annie and Aaron’s decision is at the end, Miller Rogen doesn’t want the audience to feel like there is a universal right or wrong. We see the many positives to being a parent, along with the struggles. Babies is more concerned with showing you how open communication can lead to a stronger bond but also deeper self-discovery.

Babies screens at TIFF ’26:

Sat. Sept 12 @ 5:30 PM at Roy Thompson Hall

Sun. Sept 13 @ 6:10 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Fri. Sept 18 @ 9:15 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

The year is 1973 and CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell) have been dispatched to Easter Island in the weeks leading up to the Chilean coup d’état.

That is the basic set-up for Oscar-winner Martin McDonagh’s latest picture (his fourth in a row at TIFF, which includes People’s Choice Award winner Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) before it devolves into his trademark brand of bleak, profane humour and deep introspection on the part of an emotionally broken main character looking back on the mistakes of their past. In this case, that character is Malkovich who gives a career best performance, really dialing into McDonagh’s exquisitely written, profanity laced dialogue. He moves with precision through the film’s many tonal pivots, and is just as devastating as he is hysterical – often in the same breath. His work here is deservedly receiving high praise, and somehow might be even better than you have heard.

Rockwell delivers another superb supporting turn in his third team-up with McDonagh, playing off Malkovich brilliantly and nabbing himself some of the best lines along the way. Steve Buscemi is great as the bumbling duo’s handler MJ and Mariana di Girolamo practically sizzles as a young woman catching Chris’ attention.

While I loved the vibes of WILD HORSE NINE (not to mention the look and feel), I do think it could have used a bit of finessing in the back half once McDonagh really starts playing gleefully in the 1970s era paranoia sandbox. It is not that it becomes bad or overly complicated – rather it feels like some of the intricacies of the plot get away from him more often than they should. One recurring gag does lead to some funny moments, yet also feels misplaced and juvenile given the maturity of the film around it. But for how gorgeous, hilarious and emotionally resonant WILD HORSE NINE is, I feel like these are some qualms you should not have any trouble looking past.

WILD HORSE NINE screens at TIFF ’26:

Mon. Sept 14 at 3:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Tues. Sept 15 at 9:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

Sat. Sept 19 at 9:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sun. Sept 20 at 10:15 AM at Scotiabank Theatre

Sun. Sept 20 at 10:15 AM at Scotiabank Theatre

By Nicholas Porteous

In 1989, Ian Charleson (Andrew Scott), best known for starring in Chariots of Fire, is handed the opportunity of a lifetime. Daniel Day-Lewis has developed a habit of walking offstage during The National Theatre’s legendary production of Hamlet and they need a new prince of Denmark. It’s his dream role. The only problem: his ever-worsening AIDS diagnosis. Leaping onto the stage for three hours every night to fight with swords and contemplate death is the very last thing his doctor (Olivia Colman) wants. But spending those final days transforming into the ultimate tragic hero is exactly what Charleson needs. Elsinore is a story of tenacity and triumph, and the healing camaraderie and spirituality of theatre, brought to life by a riveting performance at its core. It’s too bad that nearly every other facet of the filmmaking in Elsinore is working against Andrew Scott’s vivid embodiment of Charleson.

Elsinore is at its strongest when it gets out of the way of Scott–mainly in its first act, when scenes play out from beginning to end with minimal commentary from the score or the edit. As the movie unfolds, it becomes increasingly reliant on montages. For a movie about Hamlet, it’s surprisingly rare you’ll ever get to simply watch a scene from Hamlet. Instead, we’re given only tiny fragments in a seemingly random order to convey an artistic process, with an overbearing score to connect the dots. Director Simon Stone isn’t interested in letting anything sit still or speak for itself. He weaves a faint impression of a towering achievement, but the true power of Charleson’s performance–and all the sacrifice that comes with it–gets utterly lost in the details.

Some may be enraptured by Scott’s commanding-yet-vulnerable presence alone, able to look beyond the unnecessary tactics deployed by Elsinore‘s domineering edit. My audience burst into tearful applause as the credits rolled. But speaking for myself, the true tragedy of Elsinore is its relentless use of editorial bells and whistles that only serve to overshadow and ultimately suffocate the moving themes at its core.

Elsinore screens at TIFF ’26:

Mon. Sept 14 at 12:00 PM at The Princess of Wales Theatre

Tues. Sept 15 at 6:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

Sat. Sept 19 at 1:00 PM at Roy Thomson Hall

Sun. Sept 20 at 4:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

By David Baldwin

Eliza (Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh) has just retired after decades of service as a surgeon. Unsure of her next move, she is abducted one morning and forced at gunpoint to perform surgery on…someone. And when she tries to push back, her captors are none too thrilled.

THE SURGEON is a wild ride, full stop. It wastes no time getting Eliza captured and prepped for surgery, and then gradually unpacks the events that led her there alongside her trying to survive through increasingly violent means. And since she knows so much about the human body, she basically narrates what pain she is going to inflict before she does it – and basically sees her captors not so much as humans as she does nerve endings, muscles and bones. It’s a cold, calculated thread to balance, and Yeoh does a terrific job doing it while maintaining the audience’s sympathy for her plight. She is not a bad person; rather she is a pragmatist who is married to her former job and sense of duty to protect her patients. She gets a few quips along the way too and a bewildering obsession with 70s and 80s rock (specifically Thin Lizzy?!).

Having just as much fun is Martin Freeman who plays against type here as the leader of the gang who kidnaps Eliza. He is downright menacing throughout his runtime, and you can almost see the glimmer in his eye from how much joy he is getting from not playing the unassuming nice guy.

If I hold anything against the film (Written and Directed by Canadian Roshan Sethi, M.D. as he is listed in the credits) is that it climaxes too soon and then just keeps going. I understand it has only a 92-minute running time yet it feels padded out longer than it needs to be, and has too many cuts to black that just end up making THE SURGEON feel a lot less polished than it should. It’s a nasty little thriller as it is, but had the potential to be even stronger.

THE SURGEON screens at TIFF ‘26:

Sat. Sept 12 at 8:30 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Tues. Sept 15 at 9:20 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

Fri. Sept 18 at 9:10 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

By David Baldwin

Sylvester Stallone (Anthony Ippolito) moves to Los Angeles with the hopes of being an actor. He works as a valet to get by and writes scripts when he is at home. After watching a particularly inspiring boxing match, he writes Rocky. The studio execs are excited to make the picture and Stallone is eager to sell – but only if he can play the lead.

From that description alone, you should know whether or not I PLAY ROCKY from Director Peter Farrelly (who won People’s Choice at TIFF and later Best Picture at the Oscars for Green Book) is the kind of movie you will gravitate to. It’s a crowd-pleaser through and through, filled with laughs, heart and a keen emphasis on the magic and wonder of making movies. It leans into the myths and tales you have heard before (including the one about Stallone selling and then buying back his dog), and lovingly recreates classic scenes from Rocky. And yes, of course it finds time to play Bill Conti’s legendary score. Farrelly stays surface level for the most part, never asking his cast to dig too deep nor veering too far from the beaten path of making a movie about making movies. It’s the right choice for a conventional feel good picture like this about a 50-year-old(!) film and no one should be be expecting anything different.

Though it sometimes comes off as a caricature or mere impression, Ippolito puts in the work embodying the look, sound and vibe of Stallone. He is a dead ringer for the action star in some scenes, and his voice work is downright eerie for how close it sounds. While I would have loved to have seen him afforded more time to be introspective, Ippolito still manages to put his entire heart and soul into a performance that just might be his star-making turn. Supporting players like Toby Kebbell and P.J. Byrne (as Producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler), Toronto’s own Stephan James (as Carl Weathers)and especially Jay Duplass (as Director John Avildsen) is each afforded their own moments to shine and do a solid job backing up Ippolito.

They really don’t make ‘em like they used to, do they?

I PLAY ROCKY screens at TIFF ‘26:

Sat. Sept 12 at 6:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sun. Sept 13 at 11:15 AM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Fri. Sept 18 at 5:45 PM at TIFF Lightbox