The longer you look at I Am Frankelda, the more there is to see. Every frame of this Mexican stop-motion marvel is packed with detail — sometimes overwhelmingly so. At first, your eyes don’t quite know where to land. But then you get absorbed in the story, and piece by meticulously crafted piece, the elements come together to create a fantastical Gothic realm of jewel-toned nightmares. This is handmade filmmaking at its most dedicated — and its most colorful.
I Am Frankelda is the creation of Arturo and Roy Ambriz, a brother duo from Mexico City who co-founded the stop-motion studio Cinema Fantasma in 2011 with a group of friends and creative collaborators. Most of the company’s previous projects have been for television: In fact, I Am Frankelda is a spin-off, serving as a prequel for the brothers’ 2021 TV series Frankelda’s Book of Spooks. That show was a hit in Latin America, which led to partial funding from Warner Bros. for a feature-length prequel. Arturo and Roy mortgaged their family home for the rest.
