Fantasia ’25: I am Frankelda

Forget all the Freudian baloney. Nightmares don’t come from the dreamer’s subconscious. They are written in a parallel dream realm. Communication between the two dimensions should only flow one way, from the nightmare world into our dreams. However, a young prince from the dark fantastical kingdom finds himself compulsively drawn towards an extraordinarily creative orphan mortal in Arturo & Roy Ambriz’s I am Frankelda, the first Mexican-produced stop-motion animated film, which had its North American premiere at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival.

If you were curious about the backstories of Frankelda and her flying book in HBO Max’s Frankelda’s Book of Spooks then wonder no more. Eventually, Frankelda became the Mary Shelly of 19^th Century Mexico, only much more prolific. This is her origin story, flashing back to her sorrowful youth. As a recent orphan, Francesca Imelda’s only solace came from crafting frightful yarns. They were so eerie, they attracted the attention of Prince Herneval, the dream world’s heir apparent.

Frankly, they need her stories. The nightmare dimension is stuck in a deep malaise, unable to generate the kind of healthy fright-based energy they need from the human world’s response to the nightmares they send through the membrane-like transmission system. When Herneval ushers Francesca-not-yet-Frankelda into his world, his ailing royal parents extend her a warm welcome. However, the royal nightmare-writer Procustes immediately sees her a potential threat. He also recognizes the quality of her stories, so he schemes to steal them, to fuel his palace coup.

The world-building is wonderfully rich in Frankelda and the stop-motion animation is highly accomplished. It is not exactly horror, per se, but the Ambrizes definitely create a macabre atmosphere. In terms of tone, it feels somewhat akin to The Nightmare Before Christmas, but it also shares the tragic fatalism of the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault.

Visually, Frankelda is absolutely amazing, but the pacing lags a little, from time to time. The Ambrizes are unusually talented animators and stylists, but they are still perfecting the craft of story-telling. Nevertheless, if any animation connoisseurs wish to step into a new and different fantastical world, Ambriz and Ambriz will certainly oblige them. Wonderfully inventive and immersive, I am Frankelda is recommended for fans who appreciate the art of animation, following its Fantasia premiere.