Netflix's most inventive dark fantasy of 2026 wouldn't exist without Guillermo Del Toro

How Mexico's first stop-motion feature film came to be “Frankelda” has been a household name in Mexico ever since the dark stop-motion fantasy launched on HBO Latam in 2001. Roy and Arturo Ambriz, the brothers behind the hit series, regularly receive fan-made toys, pinatas, and fan-fiction in the mail. But now, with their debut feature film, which arrives on Netflix in June, they're hoping to bring Frankelda to the rest of the world — with some help from none other than Guillermo Del Toro. "He's like our champion, our knight," Roy Ambriz tells Polygon. "He has been our mentor since we started 15 years ago with our first short film." I Am Frankelda zooms out from the horror-tinged anthology series to tell the story of its eponymous, ghostly author, whose fantastical stories make up the original show. Set in 19th-century Mexico, the story follows Frankelda as she enters her own macabre subconscious and embarks on an adventure to save the world she brought to life with her imagination. With a stunning, hand-made aesthetic that mixes traditional stop-motion with multimedia flourishes, the movie both serves longtime fans eager for new lore while also offering an easy on-ramp for new aud

May 25, 2026 → May 25, 2026