Frankelda's Book of Spooks

Lore & Background

Frankelda is the energetic ghost of Francisca Imelda, an aspiring horror writer from 1870s Mexico. Growing up with a fondness for reading and writing scary stories, her passions were discouraged by her family and her manuscripts were rejected by sexist publishers, resulting in her taking on her pen name. She accepts a professional offer from Herneval to become his new Royal Nightmare Writer, allowing her stories to find an audience in people's dreams, though her consciousness has to be separated from her body to make the trip to the realm of the Spooks. However, with the journey turning into a one-way trip and the nature of dreams leaving her anonymous, she has become a literal ghostwriter.

Herneval, voiced by Arturo Mercado Jr., is Frankelda's cautious and grumpy enchanted book, originally an owl-like creature. He can induce sleep and astral projection through touch. Procustes, a giant spider monster, was the previous nightmare writer who, after being replaced, trapped Frankelda in the Spook realm out of revenge. The haunted house they inhabit is a separate sentient entity, not a transformed Procustes.

Reader's Guide

Frankelda's Book of Spooks was initially pitched as a small web series with a four-minute pilot episode being released in 2019 on the Cartoon Network YouTube channel, inspired by Tales from the Crypt and The Storyteller. When the series was backed by HBO Max as part of their larger initiative to develop 100 projects in Latin America, the Ambriz brothers expanded the scope of the project into something more dramatic with musical numbers. 122 puppets and 42 sets were created for the series. The series was dubbed into English twice over, first by the Miami-based studio BKS as a language option for its initial HBO Max Latin America release and a second time by Keywords Studios in Los Angeles for its US release. This second dub had the three leads of the Mexican cast reprise their roles in English. The series is being positioned as a 'calling card' for Cinema Fantasma, with the Ambriz brothers describing Frankelda's extended backstory as offering enough depth as a hook for potential later seasons or a movie. A spinoff exploring the backstory of Frankelda and Herneval further was announced at the Pixelatl 2022 festival, titled Frankelda and the Prince of Spooks, later being confirmed as a movie when it was announced it would be featured as a work in progress at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Festival as part of a showcase of Mexican animation. The film, retitled I Am Frankelda, was completed in 2025 and premiered at Annecy, with a Mexican theatrical release being planned for the fall. Cinema Fantasma would later collaborate with Cartoon Network again on Women Wearing Shoulder Pads for Adult Swim.

Did You Know?

• Frankelda is loosely inspired by Frankenstein author Mary Shelley.
• A prequel film titled I Am Frankelda premiered at the 40th Guadalajara International Film Festival on 6 June 2025.

Premise & the Haunted House Trap

At its core, the series follows Frankelda, a ghostwriter who narrates tales of terror alongside Herneval, her grumpy enchanted book companion. Together they spin stories about children who stumble into encounters with supernatural beings—gnomes, witches, sirens, and the Coco—collectively known as Spooks. These creatures depend on human fear to sustain themselves, creating a dark ecological system that fuels the narrative tension. The central dramatic engine is that Frankelda and Herneval have been imprisoned for 150 years inside the consciousness of a sentient haunted house. Telling stories serves a dual purpose: it slowly restores their waning strength and gives them a chance to devise an escape. However, the house itself poses a constant threat, as it can wake up and disrupt their plans at any moment. This setup transforms what could be a simple anthology format into a long-form survival narrative where every tale told is a small act of resistance against their living captor.

Characters & Their Dark Histories

Frankelda is the energetic ghost of Francisca Imelda, an aspiring horror writer from 1870s Mexico whose passion for scary stories was suppressed by her family and dismissed by sexist publishers. She eventually adopted a pen name and accepted an offer from Herneval to become the Spooks' Royal Nightmare Writer, delivering tales into people's dreams. The arrangement was meant to be a journey, but it became a one-way trip, and the anonymous nature of dreams turned her into a literal ghostwriter. Herneval, voiced by Arturo Mercado Jr., is a cautious, grumpy enchanted book who was once an owl-like creature and the Prince of the Spooks Kingdom. He had admired Frankelda's work since childhood and made a romantic proposal for her to take the writer role. He can put people to sleep by touch and trigger astral projection. Procustes, a giant spider monster voiced by Luis Leonardo Suarez, was the previous Royal Nightmare Writer. His stories grew stale and ineffective, prompting Herneval to seek a replacement. In retaliation, Procustes ensured Frankelda's consciousness could never leave the Spook realm and, through unknown means, transformed himself into the living haunted house that now imprisons both of them.

From YouTube Pilot to Stop-Motion Spectacle

The project began as a modest four-minute pilot released in 2019 on Cartoon Network's YouTube channel, drawing inspiration from classic anthology shows like Tales from the Crypt and The Storyteller. The Ambriz brothers, Arturo and Roy, created the series and produced it through their studio Cinema Fantasma. When HBO Max selected the project as part of its broader initiative to develop one hundred new productions in Latin America, the scope expanded dramatically. The brothers reimagined the series with a more dramatic tone and incorporated musical numbers. The physical production was substantial: 122 individual puppets and 42 distinct sets were built for the stop-motion animation. The show was produced for Cartoon Network Latin America and HBO Max. An unusual production detail is that the series received two separate English-language dubs. The first was handled by Miami-based BKS for the initial HBO Max Latin America release, while the second was done by Keywords Studios in Los Angeles for the US market. Notably, the three lead Mexican voice actors reprised their roles in the second English dub.

Legacy, the Prequel Film & Studio Future

Cinema Fantasma has positioned the series as a calling card for the studio, with the Ambriz brothers noting that the extended backstory of their characters provides enough narrative depth to serve as a hook for future seasons or a feature film. That ambition materialized when a spinoff exploring the earlier history of Frankelda and Herneval was announced at the Pixelatl 2022 festival under the title Frankelda and the Prince of Spooks. The project was later confirmed as a feature film when it was selected as a work in progress at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Festival, part of a showcase celebrating Mexican animation. The film was retitled I Am Frankelda, completed in 2025, and premiered at Annecy. It went on to open the 40th Guadalajara International Film Festival on June 6, 2025, and received a Mexican theatrical release through Cinépolis Distribución on October 23, 2025. An international release through Netflix followed on June 12, 2026. Beyond the franchise, Cinema Fantasma continued its partnership with Cartoon Network, collaborating on Women Wearing Shoulder Pads for Adult Swim.