HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MAY 30: (L-R) Directors Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz attend the premiere of “I Am Frankelda” during the 25th edition of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on May 30, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
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Although Guillermo del Toro has played a pivotal role in guiding Roy and Arturo Ambriz over the past 17 years, the legendary Tim Burton has been a lifelong source of inspiration for the brothers.
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas unfolds across the distinct realms of Halloween Town and Christmas Town, following Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon). Musician Danny Elfman both composed its songs and score and provides Jack’s singing voice.
Ambriz Brothers Delight in ‘I Am Frankelda’ Parallels to Burton’s ‘Nightmare’
Produced by Roy and Arturo Ambriz’s Mexico City studio Cinema Fantasma, I Am Frankelda, like Burton’s 1993 stop‑motion classic, features musical numbers throughout. Consequently, journalists reviewing the film have drawn comparisons to that iconic work.
Roy Ambriz expressed that such praise is “marvelous,” and Arturo Ambriz added that they met Tim Burton last year.
Recalling their encounter with the filmmaker during the debut of his Labyrinth exhibition in Mexico City, Arturo Ambriz stated, “He told us, ‘I’m excited to see your film,’” while Roy Ambriz added, crossing his fingers, “So let’s hope he watches it.”
Roy Ambriz maintains that Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas “remains one of the finest stop‑motion films ever made. Because it contains no CGI, its handcrafted aesthetic feels tangible and timeless, qualities they sought to achieve with Frankelda.”
Although Burton has crafted numerous iconic stop‑motion characters — from his short film Vincent to features such as Nightmare, Corpse Bride, and Frankenweenie — the Ambriz brothers cite the Martians from Mars Attacks! as their favorite.
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – JUNE 25: Tim Burton poses for a photo on the Red Carpet for the Tim Burton’s Exhibition ‘Laberinto’ at Lienzo Charro Constituyentes on June 25, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Medios y Media/Getty Images)
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Burton’s 1996 live‑action project originally intended stop‑motion Martian appearances, but those sequences were replaced with CGI. Nonetheless, the unused puppets, crafted by longtime collaborators Mackinnon and Saunders, are now publicly displayed as part of the Labyrinth exhibition.
Arturo Ambriz remarked, “The puppets Burton never employed for Mars Attacks! are among the most breathtaking I’ve seen. We would love to recreate those very characters at Cinema Fantasma.”
I Am Frankelda, a prequel to the Ambriz brothers’ 2021 Cartoon Network Latin America series Frankelda’s Book of Spooks, streams exclusively on Netflix. Meanwhile, Frankelda’s Book of Spooks is available on HBO Max.
