Netflix acquires Mexico’s first stop-motion feature ‘I Am Frankelda’ for 2026 debut
Skwigly
I Am Frankelda (Image via Netflix)
Netflix today announced the acquisition of I Am Frankelda (Soy Frankelda), the stop-motion film from directors Arturo and Roy Ambriz, slated for release globally in 2026.
The film recently secured a nomination for Best Independent Feature Film at the 53rd Annie Awards, which will be held this weekend on Saturday, February 21.
In 19th-century Mexico, Frankelda is a gifted writer whose dark tales are ignored and dismissed. Forced to suppress her voice, she refuses to give up, even as many try to silence her. But when she is thrust into her subconscious, the very monsters she created come to life. Guided by Herneval, a tormented prince trapped between dreams and nightmares, she must restore balance between fiction and reality before both realms collapse. Meanwhile, the sinister writer Procustes and his conspirators plot to seize control. As Frankelda and Herneval grow closer, their bond becomes both a strength and a curse. To rewrite their fate, she must confront a love that defies existence and reclaim her power as a storyteller—before dark forces consume her imagination and reveal horrors beyond her creation.
Developed by the Ambriz brothers and their Mexico City-based studio, Cinema Fantasma, the film marks a historic milestone as Mexico’s first-ever feature-length stop-motion production.
The Ambriz brothers, as protégés of Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro, crafted the film with del Toro serving as a creative guide to the filmmakers.
I Am Frankelda is written and produced by Arturo and Roy Ambriz with animation direction by Beto Petiches. Directors of Photography are Irene Melis anf Fernanda G. Manzur. The film stars Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr. and Luis Leonardo Suarez and boasts an original score by Kevin Smithers.
Frankelda is a landmark in Mexican Stop-Motion animation and a true triumph of vision, tenacity and love for the craft.
-Guillermo del Toro