I Am Frankelda

Based on the Mexican TV series Los Sustos Ocultos De Frankelda (Frankelda’s Book Of Spooks) from 2021, this lavish stop-motion spectacular comes with a recommendation from Guillermo Del Toro, and it’s not difficult to see his influence at work. It’s an origin story of sorts for the series’ central character, though just like that, it focuses a lot of attention elsewhere, and you’ll get to see all manner of fantastical creatures before it’s done.

Frankelda (voiced by co-director Mireya Mendoza) is known simply as Francisca in the house where she’s raised, an elegant Gothic mansion in Mexico where she might appear to have every advantage but is actually lonely. Shunned by other children because of her fondness for telling spooky stories, she takes solace in writing, with no character more compelling to her than Herneval, Prince of Spooks (Arturo Mercado Jr). What she doesn’t know is that he, a resident of the world of fiction, has become equally fascinated by the human world. When he begins to doubt the powers of Procustes (Luis Leonardo Suárez), the multi-eyed arachnoid creature responsible for sending nightmares from his world to ours, he decides to go and find her and see if she will take on that role.

The relationship between the two worlds is complex, overexplained in some places and underexplained in others. It’s inhabited by creatures from seven different clans, all of them gorgeously designed, and ruled over by Herneval’s parents, part of a hereditary bloodline capable of playing the magical musical instrument which generates dreams. Both of them are ailing, however, as humans are losing interest in scary stories (one might hope that Fantasia 2025, where this was screened, could help). With Procustes scheming to overthrow them, their whole world is in jeopardy – and Frankelda and Herneval, the only ones who could save it, are soon distracted by falling in love.

The rather convoluted plot has its problems but the characters are great, with Frankelda a strong, free-spirited heroine whose only serious weakness lies in her underestimation of her own talent. The message to young viewers is not only that they should face their fears, but that they should take pride in their own creativity, no matter how others may respond to it. Naturally, the film is best suited to those who already have an inclination towards the Gothic, and there is an assumed affection for things that creep and crawl and slither, for elaborate architecture and elaborate costumes, even for the decay that begins to consume the land and its denizens as the royal couple’s power wavers.

Stop-motion work always gives attentive viewers a good deal to admire, and this is no exception. The world is realised in such detail, and sometimes moves past so quickly, that it’s impossible to take it all in at one sitting. Occasionally, other animation styles are added to the mix in hallucinatory sequences that dazzle and delight. The puppets are wonderfully expressive, and alongside the drama you can enjoy battle sequences and even musical numbers with wild choreography.

Ironically for a tale about writing, I Am Frankelda could have done with a fiercer script editor, but as pure spectacle, it’s up there with the best.

Reviewed on: 21 Jul 2025