‘I Am Frankelda’ Directors On How Guillermo Del Toro Influenced Their New Stop-Motion Film

BusinessHollywood & Entertainment‘I Am Frankelda’ Directors On How Guillermo Del Toro Influenced Their New Stop-Motion FilmByTim Lammers,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover Hollywood and entertainment.Follow AuthorJun 12, 2026, 04:48pm EDTJun 12, 2026, 04:52pm EDTSummaryFilmmaking brothers Roy and Arturo Ambriz, mentored by Guillermo del Toro for nearly two decades, have released their new stop-motion film, "I Am Frankelda," on Netflix. The mentorship began 17 years ago with a fan email from Roy. "I Am Frankelda," a prequel to their series, is set in 19th-century Mexico, following young writer Francisca Imelda, who becomes "Frankelda" and confronts her monstrous creations. The character is inspired by Mary Shelley's struggles as a female author. Notably, the film premiered in Mexico on the same day as del Toro's "Frankenstein," creating a cultural event. "I Am Frankelda" marks a significant milestone as Mexico's first feature-length stop-motion animated film, a testament to the brothers' passion and a promise to del Toro not to quit, hoping to inspire future artists.Show More Prince Herneval (voice of Arturo Mercado Jr.) and Frankelda (Mireya Mendoza) in "I Am Frankelda."NetflixLittle did brothers Roy and Arturo Ambriz know that nearly two decades after Roy emailed Guillermo del Toro for advice, the iconic filmmaker would champion their stop-motion animated work, including the new film I Am Frankelda.“I sent the email to him 17 years ago before I started filmmaking. I took the same course that he took with Dick Smith, the makeup FX artist from The Exorcist, when he was younger,” Roy Ambriz recalled in a Zoom conversation, alongside Arturo Ambriz, on Wednesday. “So, I wrote fan mail to show him the work that I was doing at that time and he answered back."ForbesGuillermo Del Toro On His Lifelong Quest To Create ‘Frankenstein’By...