Arturo and Roy Ambriz
Arturo and Roy Ambriz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Occupations | Film directors, writers, producers |
| Notable work | Frankelda's Book of Spooks, I Am Frankelda, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads |
Arturo and Roy Ambriz (born 1988 and 1990) are Mexican directors, writers, and producers best known for their stop-motion works. 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 Women Wearing Shoulder Pads. They are the founders of Mexican stop-motion studio Cinema Fantasma, and were mentored by Guillermo del Toro.
Biography
[edit]Roy was born in 1988 and Arturo 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] That same year, it was released in Mexico.[14] It was purchased by Netflix for release in 2026.[2] It has received highly 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] They are currently in pre-production for The Ballad of the Phoenix.[23]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Piñera, Jamie Carreón (2020). "Cinema Fantasma's Extraordinary Creatures. A Case Study". Economía Creativa (14): 165–221.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (2026-02-20). "Netflix Acquires Mexico's First Stop-Motion Feature 'I Am Frankelda' From Brothers Arturo & Roy Ambriz". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Kleinman, Jake (2026-05-25). "Netflix's most inventive dark fantasy of 2026 wouldn't exist without Guillermo Del Toro". Polygon.com. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Indiewire (2014-08-12). "Project of the Day: 'Revoltoso'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Wit, Alex Dudok de (2020-05-20). "Revolution, Cubism, And A Love Letter To Cinema: 'Revoltoso' Is An Epic Stop-Motion Short From Mexico (Exclusive Online Premiere)". www.cartoonbrew.com. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ "Revoltoso". Cinema Fantasma. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ "REVOLTOSO by Arturo & Roy Ambriz Rendón @ Brooklyn Film Festival". Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Wit, Alex Dudok de (2021-12-27). "Creating A Menagerie Of Monster Puppets For 'Frankelda's Book Of Spooks'". www.cartoonbrew.com. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ "'Frankelda's Book of Spooks': Cool New Stop-Motion from Mexico". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (2023-10-17). "LatAm Max Original 'Frankelda's Book of Spooks' Arrives in U.S." Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ "'Frankelda's Book Of Spooks' HBO Max Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ 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. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ © 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 2025-11-04. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Bennett, Tara (2026-06-12). "Ambriz Bros. On 'I Am Frankelda' And Mexican Stop-Motion". www.cartoonbrew.com. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ "I Am Frankelda review: Mexico's first stop-motion animated movie is 'a phantasmagorical wonder'". Empire. 2026-06-12. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Campbell, Kambole (2025-11-04). "'I Am Frankelda' Review: Mexico's First Stop-Motion Animated Feature Is a Macabre Beauty That Revels in its Own Creation". IndieWire. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Mazzio, Daniella (2025-08-21). "Review: Women Wearing Shoulder Pads". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Writer, Carlos AguilarContributing (2025-08-20). "If Pedro Almodóvar made a film in Ecuador, this animated show would be it". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Campbell, Kambole (2025-06-14). "Adult Swim's 'Women Wearing Shoulder Pads' Gives Almodóvar-Style Melodrama a Stop-Motion Twist". Variety. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Campbell, Kambole (2025-10-01). "'I Am Frankelda': The Ambriz Bros. Discuss the Making of Their Pioneering Mexican Stop-Mo Feature". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Mayorga, Emilio. "10 Latin American projects showcased at Iberseries & Platino Industria co-production forum". Screen. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Fuente, Anna Marie de la (2023-06-14). "Woo Films Boards Cinema Fantasma Stop-Motion Animation Pics (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ "About Us — Cinema Fantasma". Cinema Fantasma. Retrieved 2026-06-25.