Arturo and Roy Ambriz

Arturo and Roy Ambriz
Arturo (left) and Roy in 2025
Born
Mexico City, Mexico
OccupationsFilm directors, writers, producers
Notable work

Arturo and Roy Ambriz (born 1990 and 1988) are Mexican directors, writers, and producers best known for their stop-motion works. They are brothers. They directed, wrote, and produced I Am Frankelda, Mexico's first feature-length stop motion film, and also directed, wrote, and produced Frankelda's Book of Spooks. They are the producers of Adult Swim's Women Wearing Shoulder Pads. They are the founders of Mexican stop-motion studio Cinema Fantasma, and were mentored by Guillermo del Toro.

Biography

Roy was born in 1988 and Arturo, his younger brother, was born in 1990. Both studied film in university. They first ideated their independent stop-motion studio Cinema Fantasma when preparing for Arturo's thesis film Pluto and the Planets, and officially launched it not long after.[1] They are considered proteges of del Toro.[2][3]

They were mentored by del Toro and Screen Novelties, among others, while working to produce their first official film, stop-motion Cubist short Revoltoso. The short, which took the duo five years, is about a boar who finds a film camera.[4][5] The short was also blurbed by Jorge R. Gutierrez.[6][7] During this time, they also produced 7 short stop-motion films for Cartoon Network Latin America, based on existing Cartoon Network shows and called "C Sides".[1]

They then went on to direct, write, and produce Frankelda's Book of Spooks. The pilot was released by Cartoon Network in 2019.[8] After HBO Max decided to produce it, the series became a musical, and it premiered in 2021.[9] It then made its English-language debut in 2023.[10] It received positive reviews from critics.[11]

They then planned to create a half-an-hour special prequel episode of Frankelda's Book of Spooks for HBO Max Latin America called Frankelda and the Prince of Spooks.[12] The film, however, soon grew in length to a full-length movie, which became known as I Am Frankelda and became the first feature-length stop-motion film from Mexico, premiering at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2025.[13][14] That same year, it was released in Mexico.[14] It was purchased by Netflix for release in 2026.[2] It has received positive reviews from critics, including at Empire[15] and IndieWire.[16]

They also produced stop-motion series Women Wearing Shoulder Pads for Adult Swim.[17][18][19]

They have announced two other feature films, The Ballad of the Phoenix, which was originally meant to be created before I Am Frankelda,[20][21] and The Bee Revolution.[22] As of June 2026, they are in pre-production for The Ballad of the Phoenix.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 Piñera, Jamie Carreón (2020). "Cinema Fantasma's Extraordinary Creatures. A Case Study". Economía Creativa (14): 165–221. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (20 February 2026). "Netflix Acquires Mexico's First Stop-Motion Feature 'I Am Frankelda' From Brothers Arturo & Roy Ambriz". Deadline. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  3. ↑ Kleinman, Jake (25 May 2026). "Netflix's most inventive dark fantasy of 2026 wouldn't exist without Guillermo Del Toro". Polygon.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Indiewire (12 August 2014). "Project of the Day: 'Revoltoso'". IndieWire. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Wit, Alex Dudok de (20 May 2020). "Revolution, Cubism, And A Love Letter To Cinema: 'Revoltoso' Is An Epic Stop-Motion Short From Mexico (Exclusive Online Premiere)". cartoonbrew.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Revoltoso". Cinema Fantasma. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "REVOLTOSO by Arturo & Roy Ambriz Rendón @ Brooklyn Film Festival". Archived from the original on 10 April 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Wit, Alex Dudok de (27 December 2021). "Creating A Menagerie Of Monster Puppets For 'Frankelda's Book Of Spooks'". cartoonbrew.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "'Frankelda's Book of Spooks': Cool New Stop-Motion from Mexico". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 29 May 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (17 October 2023). "LatAm Max Original 'Frankelda's Book of Spooks' Arrives in U.S." Animation Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "'Frankelda's Book Of Spooks' HBO Max Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 23 July 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  12. ↑ Mayorga, Emilio. ""Mexico's stop-motion success is due to a lack of resources," say Cinema Fantasma duo behind 'Frankelda's Book Of Spooks'". Screen. Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Angela Pérez Torres-NOTICINE.com. "Así es "Soy Frankelda", el film mexicano en stop motion que se estrenará en Annecy". noticine.com (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 November 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  14. 1 2 Bennett, Tara (12 June 2026). "Ambriz Bros. On 'I Am Frankelda' And Mexican Stop-Motion". cartoonbrew.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "I Am Frankelda review: Mexico's first stop-motion animated movie is 'a phantasmagorical wonder'". Empire. 12 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Campbell, Kambole (4 November 2025). "'I Am Frankelda' Review: Mexico's First Stop-Motion Animated Feature Is a Macabre Beauty That Revels in its Own Creation". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 18 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Mazzio, Daniella (21 August 2025). "Review: Women Wearing Shoulder Pads". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Writer, Carlos AguilarContributing (20 August 2025). "If Pedro Almodóvar made a film in Ecuador, this animated show would be it". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Campbell, Kambole (14 June 2025). "Adult Swim's 'Women Wearing Shoulder Pads' Gives Almodóvar-Style Melodrama a Stop-Motion Twist". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 July 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  20. ↑ Campbell, Kambole (1 October 2025). "'I Am Frankelda': The Ambriz Bros. Discuss the Making of Their Pioneering Mexican Stop-Mo Feature". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  21. ↑ Mayorga, Emilio. "10 Latin American projects showcased at Iberseries & Platino Industria co-production forum". Screen. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  22. ↑ Fuente, Anna Marie de la (14 June 2023). "Woo Films Boards Cinema Fantasma Stop-Motion Animation Pics (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 21 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "About Us — Cinema Fantasma". Cinema Fantasma. Archived from the original on 21 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
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