Critic Reviews

Mixing Gothic elements with Mexican culture, bright colors, and intricate details, the unique fairytale is both mesmerizing to watch and emotionally entrancing.

So much of the magic of “Soy Frankelda” is the sheer scale and skill with which they present the unreal, at times almost overloading the frame with their menagerie of monsters when the narrative calls for it.

This is a story-first project utilizing everything at its disposal to enchant, entertain, and inspire with catchy songs, three-dimensional characters, and impeccable craft.

There’s only so much marveling at brilliant and grotesque creature designs that can be done before the story needs to get on its feet, but I Am Frankelda does eventually click into place once its world is fully established.

An everything-and-the-talavera-sink stop-motion delight that synthesises magic, music and the macabre into a mostly exhilarating, occasionally exhausting cinematic experience, Mexico’s first stop-motion feature was more than worth the wait. Bring on its second!

Mexico’s answer to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” the Ambriz brothers’ beautifully idiosyncratic I Am Frankelda was obviously influenced by Del Toro’s darkly whimsical oeuvre; thus, it makes sense that the director of “Frankenstein” has been a supporter and mentor to these younger compatriots in their pursuit of stop-motion greatness. They are well on their way.

I Am Frankelda can feel overstuffed with plotlines at times, but like a plastic jack-o’-lantern bucket overflowing with candy: bright, beautiful, spooky — and ultimately, a treat.

I Am Frankelda is a love letter to spooky stories and to those who write them. It’s about the agony of being misunderstood, the thrill of creating something only you can see, and the strength that comes from owning your nightmares.

It's a touching tale with strong characters, visual spectacle and plenty of imagination. Only an overcomplicated second half, with its unsatisfying finale, prevents the film becoming the modern stop-motion classic it occasionally threatens to be.

It’s a movie that’s constantly telling you stakes and what the characters want but rarely letting you invest in a shared sense of wonder. Instead, you have a film that announces the connection between reality and imagination without letting the images speak for themselves.