Cinema Fantasma
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2011
- Employees
- 11-50
- Offices
- 1
About Cinema Fantasma
Cinema Fantasma is an independent stop-motion animation, art and film studio based in Mexico City. Founded in 2011 by brothers Arturo “Vonno” and Rodolfo “Roy” Ambriz alongside collaborators from Centro de diseño, cine y televisión (CENTRO), it creates tactile worlds populated by monsters, fantastical creatures and characters shaped by folklore. Its work combines handmade visual art with storytelling across original films, television, commercial animation and music videos.
The studio brings together character design, sculpture, puppet fabrication, miniature environments, animation and practical effects. Its capabilities extend to mechanical armatures, replacement facial animation, foam latex and silicone casting, costumes and mechatronic puppetry. These disciplines support productions ranging from animated network identities to long-form stories, as well as art toys, collectibles and exhibition pieces. Physical fabrication is central to both its screen work and its standalone artistic projects.
Original films and series
An early milestone was Revoltoso (2016), a medium-length stop-motion film set during the Mexican Revolution and distinguished by its cubist visual design. In 2021, Cinema Fantasma created and directed the five-episode Frankelda’s Book of Spooks for HBO Max and Cartoon Network, developing a dark fantasy universe rooted in folklore.
That world expanded into Soy Frankelda (I Am Frankelda), the first feature-length stop-motion film produced entirely in Mexico. The film reached international festivals, cinemas and Netflix. The studio’s subsequent development slate includes the stop-motion fantasy feature La balada del fénix (Ballad of the Phoenix).
Commissioned work and education
Alongside its original productions, Cinema Fantasma produces episodic animation, promotional segments, bumpers and station IDs. Its work includes Women Wearing Shoulder Pads for Adult Swim, Toontorial and Cartoon Network: Lado C for Cartoon Network Latin America, and the Band of Horses music video In a Drawer, which integrates live action with a handcrafted monster puppet.
Through Cinema Fantasma Edu, the studio also offers hands-on stop-motion workshops, masterclasses and educational programmes, extending its practical approach to animation into teaching.
More about Cinema Fantasma
Leadership and origins
Co-founders Arturo “Vonno” Ambriz and Rodolfo “Roy” Ambriz work as directors, writers and producers. The studio’s conception grew out of Arturo’s final year at CENTRO while directing his thesis short, Pluto and the Planets.
Operating approach
The studio combines original narrative development with commissioned commercial work. The research describes a horizontal, multidisciplinary organisation influenced by Jim Henson and Studio Ghibli, with teams expanding for major productions to include specialised animators, sculptors, seamstresses and prop builders.
Recognition and mentorship
Soy Frankelda won Best Animated Feature at the 68th Ariel Awards in October 2026. Revoltoso received a New Face Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival. Recognition for that earlier film helped bring the studio to the attention of Guillermo del Toro, who became a mentor and patron.
Notable credits
10 creditsOffices
Where Cinema Fantasma is based
- Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City office
HeadquartersAbout this office
Sole production studio and overall headquarters in Colonia Olivar de los Padres, Alcaldía Álvaro Obregón. The facility supports stop-motion shooting, puppet fabrication, set construction, costumes, editorial, post-production and Cinema Fantasma Edu workshops.
Open roles
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