Guillermo del Toro’s Protégés Made Mexico’s First-Ever Stop-Motion Film — And Netflix Just Bought It

Imagine a dark, handcrafted animated world built entirely from puppets, passion, and the guiding hand of Guillermo del Toro — and you’re already halfway to understanding why “I Am Frankelda” (Soy Frankelda) is one of the most exciting films heading to Netflix in 2026. This isn’t just an animated film. It’s a historic moment for Latin American cinema — Mexico’s very first feature-length stop-motion production.

Guillermo del Toro Film Overview

What Is It About?

Set in 19th-century Mexico, Frankelda is a brilliantly gifted writer whose dark and imaginative stories are dismissed, silenced, and ignored by the world around her. Refusing to give up, she is eventually thrust into her own subconscious — where the very monsters she created spring to life around her.

Guided by Herneval, a tormented prince caught between dreams and nightmares, Frankelda must restore the balance between fiction and reality before both worlds collapse entirely. Meanwhile, the sinister writer Procustes and his conspirators scheme to seize control of her imagination. As Frankelda and Herneval grow closer, their bond becomes both a source of strength and a dangerous vulnerability. To survive, she must confront a love that defies the laws of existence and reclaim her power as a storyteller — before darkness consumes everything she has ever created.

It’s a story about artistic identity, suppression, and the monsters that live inside those who dare to dream too vividly. In other words, perfect del Toro territory.

The Guillermo del Toro Connection

Directors Arturo and Roy Ambriz — the Mexico City-based brothers behind the film — are protégés of Guillermo del Toro, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind Pinocchio, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Cabinet of Curiosities. Del Toro served as a creative guide throughout the production and has offered his personal endorsement, calling the film a landmark in Mexican stop-motion animation and a true triumph of vision, tenacity, and love for the craft.

That’s not a throwaway quote from a casual supporter — that’s del Toro’s stamp of approval on a film he helped shape. For fans of his darkly beautiful aesthetic, this is as close as it gets to a guaranteed viewing experience.

A Historic Achievement for Latin American Cinema

The significance of this film extends well beyond its story. As stop-motion animation has historically been dominated by studios from the US, UK, and Japan, the Ambriz brothers’ Cinema Fantasma studio in Mexico City completing the country’s very first feature-length stop-motion production is genuinely groundbreaking. Netflix acquiring it globally ensures that achievement gets the worldwide audience it deserves.

The film also secured a nomination for Best Independent Feature Film at the 53rd Annie Awards — one of the animation industry’s most prestigious honours — before its Netflix release even arrives.

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Who Is Behind It?

The core creative team includes production designers Ana Coronilla and Bruce Zick, animation director Beto Petiches, directors of photography Irene Melis and Fernanda G. Manzur, and an original score by Kevin Smithers. The voice cast features Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr., and Luis Leonardo Suarez.

For more on the best new films and series landing on Netflix in 2026, check out TechnoSports.

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