Since debuting on Netflix in 2021, Gabby’s Dollhouse has charmed preschoolers and their parents with its tactile, curiosity-driven storytelling. To ground them in the real world, the animators avoided the broad “cheats” and gooey exaggeration common in TV animation. “Giving the characters enough tangibility so they feel like they belong in the real world was definitely a challenge,” he said. “We really wanted this idea that you’re inside the dollhouse,” Crego said. “But the dollhouse is still handcrafted — it has imperfections and details that make it feel like it’s been played with.”