He was part of the team for 'Wildwood', a stop-motion animation by the North American studio Laika that took 16 years to complete. Travis Knight's film is a candidate for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2027 and topped the box office ranking in Brazil, according to a release from distributor Imagem Filmes on Sunday (1st).
For Thiago, the result represents more than box office numbers. It is also recognition from a studio that has followed and admired for years.
"Laika is finally getting the recognition it deserves. I've been a big fan since 'Coraline'. The studio has always been original in its way of telling stories, innovative, and has evolved the stop-motion technique," he said.
The animator also celebrated being part of the team responsible for the film. "It's gratifying to be part of this team. The film is wonderful and I'm happy to be part of this achievement, which is very difficult."
Two years of dedication
Although the development of 'The Wild Woods' took 16 years, the period did not fully correspond to filming. According to Thiago, the range includes everything from acquiring the rights to the book that inspired the story to fundraising, planning and organizing the entire production.
The filming stage lasted around five years, between 2021 and 2026. During this period, the miner participated in just over two years of work. When it left production in 2025, approximately 20% of the film was still left to be completed.
And there was no shortage of challenges. Known for constantly raising the technical level of its animations, the studio has developed new solutions to make the puppets' movements even more realistic.
One of the new features was the inclusion of breathing mechanisms. If in previous productions the animators needed to resort to more rudimentary movements to simulate the expansion of the characters' chests, now there were specific mechanisms for this.
Hair also required special attention, especially in characters with more complex hair, such as Alexandra, the story's villain.
"At Laika, the animation is more realistic, more naturalistic. It's already difficult to reach this level of demand and, on top of that, you also put more complex dolls to animate, with hair, with respirators", he explained.
In Thiago's case, one of the main challenges was giving movement to the quadrupeds. He was responsible for several scenes with horses, in addition to participating in the animation of coyotes and a scene with Prue, the protagonist of the story.
The horse used in production, for example, had more than 300 parts. The complexity of the puppet required attention to the smallest details so that the movements were convincing.
"I like a challenge. The thing about horses riding is something more mechanical, but, for me, the challenge was getting the physics of the scene correct, gravity acting on those characters. I never get the chance to animate horses, so I thought it could be a rare opportunity," he said.
Are animators also actors?
For those watching the result on screen, it may seem as if the dolls simply come to life. But, for Thiago, there is an artistic dimension that brings the work of animators closer to that of actors.
He explains that professionals don't just move the characters: they also help build their personalities, expressions and ways of acting.
One of the most memorable experiences of his career was the animation of Death, a character in the film 'Pinocchio', a production directed by Guillermo del Toro. Thiago spent two years working practically every day with the character, developing his mannerisms and personality in partnership with the director.
"Every time I took the doll out to make a repair, I joked that I was taking the corpse to the doll hospital. Because, when it comes into my hands, that's where we put our soul into it," he said.
The comparison is not just poetic. The word animation originates from the Latin anima, associated with the idea of soul. For Minas Gerais, it is precisely this ability to transform an inanimate object into a character with its own life that makes the profession so special.
"When I take an inanimate doll, place it in the first frame and start animating, the animal is alive. This brings me a lot of gratification. I feel very happy and think: 'What a cool thing to be able to do this. How cool that they pay me to do this'", he stated.
In 'O Bosque Selvagem', this relationship with the characters is also collective. The protagonist Prue, for example, had 30 different dolls, which means that several animators contributed to constructing the performance of the same character.
Work that requires time, money and dedication
Production numbers help to measure the size of the project. There were 231 weeks of production, 2,804 plans in the final version, 132 practical scenarios and 117 locations built to make up the story's universe. The film is also more than two hours long, making it the longest stop-motion film in history.
The budget, according to Thiago, reached US$100 million, approximately half a billion reais.
But, for those who were behind the scenes, the scope of the work is not limited to statistics.
"While you, in the audience, see the numbers, we see the people. I know who made the horse, who fixed the horse when it broke. There's the person who takes care of Alexandra's hair, the person who is painting a little piece of scenery that won't even appear properly in the film", he explained.
The animator highlights that every detail is the result of a chain of specialized professionals. Even the movements of the animals were studied carefully: the person responsible for building the horses even invited him to observe a real animal and study its movements before animating the scenes.
It is work that also leaves its mark on those who participate. Thiago remembers that he spent two years in a dark setting, lit by a flashing purple light, while working on the character Death, from 'Pinocchio'.
"You dedicate a lot. I used to joke that we would look out the window and say: 'Do you see in the distance? Our youth leaving'. You get very involved in that drama, you end up being moved by the story. You take a little of the character and leave a lot of yourself in the film", he said.
The experience also made him reflect on his own life. During the production of 'Pinocchio', part of the work took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, a period in which he and other professionals lost people close to them.
The character Death had dialogues about the brevity of life and the importance of the present. One of Thiago's most memorable phrases was that what makes life precious is precisely death, because no one knows if they will be here the next day.
"You're animating a character who talks about life at such a delicate moment. It ends up changing you a little, it encourages a lot of reflection. Two years were tough", he recalled.
From the interior of Minas to international cinema
Born in Uberaba, Thiago found the first references to build his artistic path in comic books. As a child, he grew up reading works by Ziraldo, Angeli, Laerte and Glauco.
His contact with animation came later, when he moved to São Paulo. Until then, I drew constantly, but I never imagined that I would transform the characters themselves into animated figures.
"It was love at first sight. Once you see your animated characters, it's really cool," he recalled.
Today, in addition to participating in major international productions, he also maintains projects aimed at children. There are two series on TV Cultura and a studio in Florianópolis, where he concentrates his efforts to develop his own stories.
The idea is to take advantage of the experience gained in foreign productions to strengthen Brazilian animation.
"I think it's time for us to look at ourselves. As a country that not only consumes and exports talent, but that can make our own stories and compete on equal terms", he stated.
One of the projects in development is a feature film based on the book 'A Caixa Preta', by writer Thiago de Mello Andrade, also from Uberaba and winner of the Jabuti Prize in 2001. The production should mix 2D animation and stop-motion and is still in the initial phase, with character and script development.
For the animator, telling a story written by an author from the same city where he was born is an opportunity to value Brazilian culture.
"It's beautiful, because it's a writer from Uberaba telling our story. I'm going to try to leave a lot of our culture in this story. We have to export what's ours. The more personal, the more creative", he highlighted.
'There is no failure for those who don't stop'
Despite having already worked on internationally recognized productions and closely following the possibility of new awards, Thiago says that the Oscar has never been the main objective of those who work in animation.
For him, the most important thing is to create stories capable of moving, provoking reflection and inspiring other people. Recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would be a consequence of this effort.
"If we win, we will celebrate it as a great victory. It is a testament that all that effort was recognized. But we don't start working because we want to win an Oscar. We start because we want to tell a story that will touch people's hearts", he stated.
And it is precisely the possibility of inspiring other children, especially those who live far from major centers of artistic production, that gives special meaning to the trajectory itself.
When speaking directly to those who dream of working in animation, the native of Minas Gerais leaves some advice that also summarizes the path he took to reach major studios.
"In times of social media, the main thing is not to compare yourself with anyone. People are on different journeys, with different structures. Be kind to yourself, respect the time of your process and never stop producing. There is no failure for those who don't stop", he advised.
And he adds: "Art is a delicate thing, because you are always exposing your insides to be judged. So, don't be afraid of judgement. Do something personal, because the more personal, the more authorial and more creative you will be able to be. There is no shortcut: just put your head down and work."
