Hidari — dwarf and Whatever's hand-carved wooden puppet samurai film at Cannes and Annecy 2026

Hidari, a stop-motion samurai feature in development by Japanese studios dwarf and Whatever (director Masashi Kawamura, producer Noriko Matsumoto), screened its pilot film at the Annecy Animation Showcase at the 79th Cannes Film Festival (May 2026). The film's defining craft choice: every character is hand-carved from wood, with visible grain and chisel marks retained on screen. Director Kawamura describes the aesthetic as 'Wood Punk' — deliberately making the material inseparable from the story of a legendary Japanese carpenter. Voice cast includes Keanu Reeves. Durable craft facts: wooden puppet stop motion, frame-by-frame, produced in Japan, co-developed with TECARAT. The technique distinguishes Hidari as the first major stop-motion feature built primarily from real carved timber rather than silicone or latex puppet skins. Wiki page updated: puppet-animation.