"I Am Frankelda" (Ambriz & Ambriz, 2025) - Review (2025 Fantasia International Film Festival)

There is nothing that beats a beautifully crafted stop motion project, and I Am Frankelda is another addition to these gorgeously made films. 

Giving off the vibes of Guillermo Del Toro, I Am Frankelda is a tribute to fantasy and the art of stop motion animation. It brings together great attention to detail and bold ideas to produce Mexico’s first stop-motion animated feature film. 

Written by Hailey Passmore

Francisca Imelda (Mireya Mendoza) is a young girl who has just lost her parents and now lives with her overbearing grandmother. In order to cope with her harsh reality, she becomes lost in her own imagination and creates this world of fiction. As Francisca writes, it becomes apparent that her words are more than just a story, for they have a connection with another world, not so different from the one we all know. The world in which she writes about is a parallel realm to reality, filled with fictional creatures and beings, imagination, dreams, and, of course, nightmares. What might be fictional in Francisca’s world is completely real for the young prince Herneval (Arturo Mercado Jr.), whom she writes of. Herneval is curious, as is Francisca, and her writing summons him into her world, a breach that is not so easily done. While Herneval dreams of somewhere new, his parents – the king and queen – are left with conspiracies of dethronement and protecting the realm of fiction. Inevitably, the two young imaginative creatures mee,t and their bond, forged from Francisca’s writing, begins to grow and strengthen. As it grows, they come to face a major test: can they work together to protect everything from the darkness that is to come? Can they save fiction and reality from being torn apart? 

Directors Rodolfo and Arturo Ambriz took on the responsibility of crafting, with extreme care and precision, Mexico’s very first full-length stop motion animation film. After studying as proteges of the master Guillermo Del Toro, the task and pleasure could not have fallen into better hands, for certain, than to these two creatives. Without knowledge of whom the brother studied under, I Am Frankelda presents itself with elements reminiscent of Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2021) and even character designs from Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). While it is clear where they draw their inspiration from, the Ambriz’s have managed to create something of pure magnificence. Not only did they risk everything with the choice of stop motion, as it is difficult to perfect such a craft, but they also chose a story divergent from mainstream. 

Focusing on a young girl who wishes to run away from reality, the lessons the two – Francisca and Herneval – learn throughout the film are transferrable to all viewers in some way or another. Ambriz and Ambriz’s fairytale is not your typical Grimm story, and hailing from Mexico, one would expect nothing less. The realm of existence and the realm of fiction, two places where characters experience good and evil in their corresponding ways. Francisca is unusual, to say the least, and those around are either bullies or put her down by telling her she should give up writing. Herneval experiences evil twofold – through the disbelief of humans in their nightmares tearing away at his world and as he comes to learn his writer of nightmares, Procustes’ (Luis Leonardo Suarez). His true intentions are to take over both realms. As Francisca and Herneval work together, they begin to learn that people are not all they seem to be. Though they have the best intentions towards each other and their respective realms, choices made have dire consequences. Trials and tribulations are the path forward for the two protagonists, and only when they understand their truths will they be able to truly work together to save existence and fiction. Elevating I Am Frankelda from just being a typical fairytale, the Ambriz’s wove a life lesson within the film. 

Story only goes so far in animated films, the style and the outcome affect how the audience takes in the production and the overall effect of its message. Without the proper and precise style to match the tone of the film and its story, it would not be as successful as it has been. As a viewer watching I Am Frankelda, you witness the pure craftsmanship behind the creation of each character, set, and creature. Not only are they beautifully crafted, but their movements also took time to create. Time requires patience, and without which, the film would have felt rushed and sloppy. Thankfully, from the teachings of Del Toro, the two brothers have a clear vision and have executed it wonderfully. Young viewers may not know how to appreciate the craft of stop motion, but they will still be able to emotionally connect with the characters and follow them through their journey. The older the viewer, the more they will understand and follow the life lessons imbued within the film. Through each movement and the varying facial expressions chosen for each character, we are invited to connect to them and empathize with their struggles and rejoice in their triumphs.

As Francisca delves deeper into the realm of fiction, the audiences are privy to more magic and fantasy than they were in the realm of existence. At times, though it may seem off to an American audience, there are moments of song thrown into the mix of the plot. They may feel out of place at first, but when one takes the time to consider the film in the Spanish language and with a background in Mexican cinema, perhaps the songs would translate better to its native audience. Musical numbers also always work better for audiences when they can understand the lyrics in the native tone, without the use of subtitles to understand what is being said. For musical notes to match with the lyrics, translations will not always do this. Yet it is once the songs come in again post-climax where they begin to feel more welcome to an international audience. Not only do they connect more with the audience, but they also invite in the darker, more mature themes the film has to offer.

If anything is apparent in I Am Frankelda, it is how the brothers’ bold ideas and attention to details allow for the magic elements to truly shine through. What could have been a simple fairytale turned into much more. As the story is enhanced through its villainous character, combined with a natural worldly occurrence working against the protagonists, the world-building is exemplary. There is always a way for children’s fairytale films to become more for adults when they invite the viewer to think. In I Am Frankelda, there are not only life lessons included, but there is also that element of darkness shying away from the simplistic children’s film. As the peak of the climax comes to play, so does the darkness that was hidden under the magical and the fantastical surface – here is where the fun begins. 

From the creative minds of two brothers, Rodolfo and Arturo Ambriz, who studied under the legendary Guillermo Del Toro, ultimately comes a story of maturity and growing into who we are meant to be. Despite their differences, Francisca and Herneval must work together to save their worlds, and indirectly their individualities as well. In the end, no matter what others tell us, we must learn that only we can be the writers of our own story.

After premiering at the Guadalajara International Film Festival on June 6, 2025, in Mexico and a run at the Annecy Festival as well, I Am Frankelda now attends Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival. Its Canadian premiere took place on July 20th, and with such a piece of art, it will be important to keep one’s eye on this film in the future for a wider release.